Les Liaisons dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons) Revenge Quotes

Some people seek serenity through prayer or meditation. Others through CrossFit. Madame de Merteuil? Through revenge. Having a lover actually leave her for another is intolerable because it challenges her entire idea of herself. Something's just not right in her world, so she has to make it right and prove that she's still in control.

Don't you love how he casually tosses that off? No big deal. Valmont is furious with Madame de Volanges, but he won't target Madame de Volanges directly. He'll repay her speaking against him by attacking the person she loves most: her daughter, Cécile.

This line alone tells you everything about the Marquise. And about Valmont, who no doubt agrees with her. These two make war when they are wronged. Forgiveness isn't in their vocabulary. Things are valued inasmuch as they get you somewhere. Apparently revenge does more for you than reconciliation.

Prévan's sin, according to Valmont, is being popular with women and therefore, a rival to Valmont. For Valmont, life is a zero-sum game. Someone else's win is his loss. So Prévan has to be taken down, and he knows that the Marquise would love revenge against Prévan's boast about seducing her.

Valmont is truly diabolical. He seeks to corrupt the most virtuous woman he knows, destroying not only her marriage and reputation, but her very soul. And what's her crime? Not admitting she's in love with him. That reprisal seems a bit…disproportional. Actually, Valmont's seduction of Madame de Tourvel isn't revenge like some of the other schemes, because she's never wronged him. It's completely unprovoked. It's almost as if her very existence is an affront to him—a virtuous woman who isn't interested in being his lover. Imagine that.

Prévan is slick. He wrongs three men by seducing their lovers, and then manipulates the men into befriending him and taking vengeance on the three women. So the story goes. Prévan knows that being cheated on publicly is very likely to make the cheatee want payback. This little story whets the Marquise's appetite for revenge of her own.

Interesting that Madame de Merteuil believes that her calling or vocation is to revenge her sex and master men. Women aren't powerless in this society, but they definitely have less autonomy and control over their lives than the men do. Sexism reigns: Valmont coerces women into having sex, and it's their reputations, not his, that are ruined.

The Marquise knows how to belittle her opponents. She throws Valmont's taunting her back in his face, implying it's a weakness on his part. She must have invented the phrase, "Don't get mad, get even."

Overcome with guilt, Madame de Tourvel despairs. She does not believe herself worthy of mercy or forgiveness, but of divine retribution. Unlike Valmont and Merteuil, Madame Tourvel does not seek revenge upon others; she prays that she herself suffers the torments she believes she deserves, but believes that the revenge will be God's. Part of that revenge is that she still loves Valmont.

Valmont gets the last laugh; he knows these letters will ruin the Marquise forever. Even if the earnest Madame de Volanges has trouble believing what's in the letters, Valmont knows that fashionable society will eagerly bring down the Marquise. Of course, the letters implicate Valmont as well in horrible schemes, but he's already been the object of deadly revenge.

Danceny, too, values revenge as a moral responsibility when you're seriously wronged. It restores your honor. Some of the women in the books disapprove of this antiquated way of avenging your reputation.