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Darren Pouv
English 200
Ryan Helterbrand
June 12, 2013

The Marquise de Merteuil as a Masterful but Problematic Machiavellian Character

In the 1998 drama film, Dangerous Liaisons, the Marquise de Merteuil portrayed by
Glenn Close can be easily rendered as a Machiavellian protagonist. As a self-described, selfmade woman, at a young age Merteuil did not allow fate or society define her. Through the use
of Machiavellian principles including careful manipulation and false appearances, Merteuil is
able to climb the ladder in society to become a rich and respected aristocrat in Rococo France.
However, her absence in adopting Machiavellis principles of caution proves problematic, as it
serves as the catalyst for her downfall towards the end of the film.
The Marquise de Merteuils use of Machiavellis principle of appearance quite
masterfully throughout the film gives the marquise agency in manipulation. In the opening scene
of the movie, viewers are able to see the lavish clothing and heavy make-up the marquise puts on
just to get ready for her day. At one point in this scene we can see Merteuil through the mirror as
she looks and adores herself. The white make-up powdered across her face and chest give
Merteuil a pale look, attempting to be symbolic of her purity and nobility. According to
Machiavelli: it is not necessary for a prince to have all of the above-mentioned qualities in fact,
but it is indeed necessary to appear to have them. (Machiavelli 70). The above-mentioned
qualities that of which Machiavelli is speaking of includes mercy, faith, humanity, honestly, and
religiosity. Merteuils clothing and pale skin makes her appear extravagant and quite divine in
almost every scene of the movie. Subsequently, if follows naturally that for one who visually and

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physically appears divine, one would assume that person to be perhaps merciful, faithful,
humane, honest, and religious. This is one of the ways in which Merteuil is able to appear to
have all these qualities, simply by taking great care of how she visually looks to others.
Furthermore, Merteuil is also careful of the type of behavior she portrays out to others. In one
particular scene in the movie when Valmont asks how Merteuil invented herself, she responded:
I learned how to look cheerful while under the table I stuck a fork into the back of my hand.
Evidently, Merteuil takes delicate care in her outward appearance to others, both in her physical
appearance and her behavior. According to Machiavelli, Men in general judge more by their
eyes than by their hands, because seeing is given to everyone, touching to few. (Machiavelli
71). In this case, the only character essentially able to touch, or in other words the one who
truly knows the real Merteuil is Vicomte de Valmont. To everyone else, she simply appears to be
a divine and respectable woman with an abundance of qualities.
Merteuils visual appearance when out in the public eye harmoniously intertwines with
her acts of deceit in order to manipulate those around her. An artistic schemer, Merteuil does not
seem to stop at anything to destroy both men and women. In one scene where Merteuil is
describing to Valmont how she invented herself, Merteuil informs us that she has always known
I was born to dominate your sex and avenge my own. Yet, Merteuils deception of women may
not solely serve to further her prospect of surpassing male power. Her acts of deception towards
other women suggest that she may be more selfish than originally perceived, that her acts are not
completely geared towards liberating her sex as a whole. This notion is most evident in
Merteuils deception towards her own cousin: Madame de Volanges and her daughter Cecile.
Merteuils wicked plan is to take revenge on a former lover by ruining the virtue of Cecile, the
young woman he is to marry. In one scene of the film, Merteuil attempts to employ Vicomte de

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Valmont, a former lover to seduce young Cecile. In order to do this, Merteuil cleverly begins by
talking in terms of Valmonts interests and appeals to higher motives: I need you, to carry on a
heroic enterprise. In describing the situation further, Merteuil explains: Bastides priority you
see is a guaranteed virtue, to which Valmont replies: I wonder if I am beginning to guess what
is it you are intending to propose. Merteuils ability to eventually convince Valmont to do the
dirty work of her scheme perfectly embodies Machiavellis theory that princes should be able to
know how to get around mens brains with their astuteness; and in the end overcome those who
have founded themselves on loyalty (Machiavelli 69). Merteuils skills in outwitting those
around her are also evident in her manipulation of Cecile and Madame de Volanges. Merteuil
first earns respect and confidence by both mother and daughter through false appearances and
crafty rhetoric. In the scene where Madame de Volanges comes to visit Merteuil, Merteuil
informs Madame de Volanges that she saw Cecile stuffing an envelope in the top-right hand
drawer of her bureau in which I could not help but notice there was a large number of similar
letters, to which Madame de Volanges replies I am most grateful to you. In this particular
screenshot when the two women are standing up to walk to the door, Merteuil is facing away
from Madame de Volanges where we can see a wicked smile creep up on Merteuils face. The
smile is hidden from Madame de Volanges and is only visible to the audience. This is
particularly important because it not only illustrates to us the pleasure Merteuil feels through her
deception, but it is also symbolic in that she is able to outwit and manipulate those who are
literally next to her. The Marqusise de Merteuil eventually manages to appear respectable and
knowledgeable through the eyes of Cecile and Madame de Volanges. Through moments of
affection, Merteuil is able to convince the mother and daughter that she holds their best interests
at heart, when in reality Merteuil is seeking out her own revenge. Becoming somewhat of a privy

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to Madame de Volanges and a mentor to Cecile, Merteuil then uses this platform to further
manipulate the young Cecile to align with her own self interests. In one particular screenshot,
Merteuil is reading the letter addressed to her from Cecile concerning the incident she
encountered with Valmont that night. The voice-over of a weeping Cecile writing her letter
contrasts eerily with the short image of Merteuil lying comfortably on her chair and playing with
her hair, smiling as she reads the letter. This particular screenshot suggests to us that perhaps
Merteuil is deviating away from some of Machiavellis principles by committing cruelty simply
for pleasure. As a result of this, it can also be proposed that Merteuil develops a somewhat
sociopathic behavior, one that lacks moral responsibility or social conscience. Once Merteuil has
received the letter, she pays a visit and speaks with Cecile. Once again, Merteuil is able to get
around Ceciles brain with her astuteness by using her language and appealing to higher motives:
Our sex has few enough advantages you may as well make the best of those you have.
Successfully convincing Cecile to continue her affair with Valmont, and later suffer a
miscarriage, Madame de Volanges later walks into the scene where she ironically proclaims to
Merteuil: You have such a very good influence on her! Again, we see Merteuils acts of deceit
hidden by her false appearances and thoughtful use of language.
While Merteuil may perfectly embody Machiavellis aspects of appearance and deceit
quite masterfully, Merteuil fails to adhere to Machiavellis principle of caution. According to
Machiavelli, a prince should be slow to move and proceed in a temperate mode with prudence
and humanity so that too much confidence dos not make him incautious (Machiavelli 66).
Merteuil precisely fails to adhere to this specific criterion, which led towards her pleasure in
cruelty, and eventually her downfall. Cruelty, according to Machiavelli, should only be exercised
to maintain order in the interest of public good. Merteuil, however, appears to savor it for her

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own pleasure. A bored and rich aristocrat, Merteuils main objective was to take revenge on a
former lover by ruining the virtue of young Cecile, the young woman he is to marry. In order to
execute this plan, many acts of deceit, manipulation, and cruelty took place. In no fashion did
these acts of cruelty maintain order or serve the interest of public good. In stark contrast, these
actions were taken for Merteuils own self-interest. It is here where the domination of
Machiavellis principles becomes problematic. While employing these skills quite brilliantly,
Merteuil is utilizing them in an inappropriate context. In fact, Merteuil even admits this during
one point of the movie. Towards the beginning when Valmont asks, I thought betrayal was your
favorite word? Merteuil replies: No, no. Cruelty. I always think that has a nobler ring to it. As
Machiavelli might have predicted, Merteuils incautious behavior and drunkenness on power led
to her downfall in the end of the movie. At the very last scene we see Merteuil wiping off the
makeup from her face as the camera zooms in and odd music begins to play. The wiping of her
makeup is mirrored in Merteuils downfall; the fictitious mask that once displayed a divine being
with morals and qualities now slowly erodes, leaving behind the true Merteuil.
Adherence to the principles outlined by Machiavelli would assume equal adherence to the
consequences of Machiavellis principles. When presented with great power and skill, the
Marquise de Merteuil attempted to control and manipulate those around her through misleading
appearances and tactful rhetoric. It comes to no surprise that for the Marquise, the emphasis on
self-pleasure takes precedence over humanitarianism. Although the very nature of Machiavellis
principles entails manipulation and deception, it is inappropriate to align these principles for the
purpose of ones own enjoyment as in the case of Merteuil. Without a doubt, Machiavellis
principles have triumphed in Merteuils character, allowing her to outwit, deceive, and

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manipulate. For the Marquise de Merteuil, the absence of caution in her actions proved
problematic and misplaced.