Dangerous Liaisons

Like Valmont, the Marquise de Merteuil is both a protagonist and an antagonist in that she drives the narrative forward and forces others, like Cécile and Danceny, to react and grow. She is presented as a manipulative and cunning character who delights in controlling those around her. She is highly intelligent and skilled at reading people and uses these qualities to her advantage. She is also deeply cynical about the world around her, regarding love and seduction as a mere game to be played and won.

Merteuil is also a character who is defined by her sexuality. She is presented as a highly sexual being who enjoys the pursuit of pleasure and the conquest of men. Her sexuality is a source of power for her, and she uses it to manipulate those around her. However, her sexuality is also a source of vulnerability, as she is acutely aware of the double standards that exist in society between men and women. In response, she ruthlessly pursues strategies to use and abuse that double standard in order to be the dominant individual in her romantic and social relations.

Despite her ruthless and manipulative nature, Merteuil is also a complex character. Her cynicism and bitterness toward society are the result of her own experiences, particularly her mistreatment at the hands of men. Like Cécile, she was forced into a role and life she does not enjoy. Her desire for power and control is also a product of her own powerlessness within a society that values men over women.

Merteuil’s downfall, like Valmont’s, comes at the novel’s end when her manipulative games finally catch up with her. Her reputation is ruined, and she is socially ostracized. She ends up bankrupt. She loses her beauty through facial scarring after a bout of smallpox, with her outward physical deformity symbolizing the inward moral deformity she has engaged in throughout the novel.

Cécile is a secondary character/deuteragonist. At the outset of the novel, she is presented as a young girl who is innocent, naïve, and somewhat foolish. She is about to enter into an arranged marriage with the Comte de Gercourt and is unaware of the true nature of adult relationships. She is also somewhat flighty and easily swayed by those around her, particularly the Marquise de Merteuil.

As the novel progresses, however, Cécile undergoes significant growth and development. She even spots moments of contradiction in Merteuil and Valmont’s words and deeds, but her inexperience causes her not to trust her own instincts. Her relationship with Danceny, whom she initially appears to love sincerely, opens her eyes to the possibilities of love and sex. She becomes more mature and self-aware, but she is still no match for the more worldly-wise manipulations of Merteuil and Valmont, who privately mock her for her foolishness and pliability. Under their tutelage, Cécile becomes more and more amoral and sexually voracious, betraying Danceny with Valmont and hiding what is happening from her mother.

At the novel’s end, Cécile suffers from the fallout surrounding the scandal of these “dangerous liaisons.” Valmont is killed by Danceny in a duel over her, and Merteuil’s treachery becomes the talk of society, exposing her as a false friend to Cécile. There is no happy ending for Cécile: Even though her mother contemplates trying to arrange a marriage between her and Danceny—an outcome Cécile would have regarded as ideal early in the novel—it is not to be.

Cécile, like Tourvel, renounces the world and enters a convent rather than seeking revenge or trying to salvage her life in secular society. Danceny feels pity for her but does not seek to change her mind, preferring instead to move abroad to Malta. Cécile is ultimately yet another victim of the libertinism and deceit of French high society, moving from idealism and innocence to corruption and betrayal over the course of the novel.

The Chevalier Danceny is a secondary character/deuteragonist. He is presented as a young man who is idealistic, passionate, and deeply in love with Cécile Volanges. He is an aspiring musician and has a sensitivity and emotional depth that is lacking in many of the other characters in the novel. He is also a character who is defined by his love for Cécile and is, at least initially, willing to risk everything to be with her.

Danceny's character arc is primarily concerned with his growth and development as a person. At first, he is somewhat naïve and inexperienced, particularly in matters of love and sex. His relationship with Cécile serves as a catalyst for his growth, as he becomes more confident as the novel progresses. Like Cecile, however, he is also prey to the manipulations of Valmont and Merteuil. He is unaware of Valmont’s double-dealing in seducing Cécile behind his back, and he becomes Merteuil’s lover without any apparent scruples over betraying Cécile.

Unlike the other characters, though, Danceny achieves a degree of redemption and satisfaction at the novel’s end. Danceny’s character is notable for his ultimate rejection of the cynical and manipulative world that Valmont and Merteuil inhabit. His decision to stand up to Valmont and demand satisfaction in a duel is a testament to his newfound strength and resilience. He responds to Cécile’s plight with sympathy instead of blame, openly acknowledging that it was her innocence that left her vulnerable to the manipulations of others.

Nevertheless, Danceny’s love for Cécile has faded by the novel’s close, as he chooses to go abroad to Malta instead of trying to persuade her to leave the convent and return to him. The lack of a happy resolution to his love affair with Cécile suggests that their entanglement with “dangerous liaisons” has permanently destroyed the former love they once shared, and that it is now only renunciation and retreat from French high society that can bring Danceny peace and fulfillment. 

The Présidente de Tourvel is a secondary character/deuteragonist. She is Valmont’s primary love interest and affects the development of the plot in her reactions to Valmont’s seductive entreaties. In terms of the novel’s thematic preoccupations, she represents a virtuous figure who attempts to withstand—before ultimately falling prey to—the corruptions of the amoral high society to which she belongs.

Tourvel is originally defined by her strict moral code and her deep religious faith. She is initially presented as an unapproachable figure who is immune to the charms of Valmont and the other manipulators around her. However, her defenses are slowly worn down by Valmont's persistence and charm until she falls deeply in love with him. It is Tourvel’s emotional vulnerability and authenticity that lead to her downfall, which forms a stark contrast to the downfalls brought about by cynicism and cruelty that Valmont and Merteuil undergo—Tourvel has acted out of genuine affection in pursuing a love affair with Valmont, only to discover that such real emotion has no place in the games of seduction libertines like Valmont play.

Tourvel’s character arc is primarily shaped by her struggle to reconcile her love for Valmont with her own moral code. She is torn between her desire for him and her own sense of right and wrong, and this conflict ultimately leads her to break off the relationship once she realizes his deceit. Her decision to do so is a testament to her own strength and integrity, serving as a counterpoint to the more cynical and manipulative characters in the novel. Her emotional journey reflects the broader tensions between desire and morality that run throughout the story, serving as a reminder of the importance of staying true to one's own values.

Toward the novel’s close, Tourvel faces a tragic end. Like Cécile, she ultimately chooses to withdraw to a nunnery, renouncing her connections to the secular world instead of seeking revenge against those who have wronged her. However, unlike Cécile, her guilt and regret are ultimately too much for her to bear: Her physical and mental health deteriorate after her admittance to the convent until she dies. Her decline and death are another example of the collateral damage created by the “dangerous liaisons” of the novel’s title.