Dangerous Liaisons

In pre-Revolution Paris, the Marquise de Merteuil plots revenge against her ex-lover, the Comte de Bastide, who recently ended their relationship. To soothe her wounded pride and embarrass Bastide, she seeks to arrange the seduction and disgrace of his young virgin fiancée, Cécile de Volanges, who has only recently been presented to society after spending her formative years in the shelter of a convent. Merteuil calls on the similarly unprincipled Vicomte de Valmont, another ex-lover of hers, to do the deed. Valmont declines as he is plotting to seduce Madame de Tourvel, the devoutly religious wife of a member of Parliament and a guest of Valmont's aunt, Madame de Rosemonde. Amused and incredulous at Valmont's hubris, Merteuil ups the ante: if Valmont seduces Tourvel and can furnish written proof, Merteuil will sleep with him as well. Never one to refuse a challenge, Valmont accepts. Tourvel rebuffs all of Valmont's advances. He instructs his page Azolan to seduce Tourvel's maid, Julie, and gain access to Tourvel's private correspondence. One of the letters intercepted is from Cécile's mother and Merteuil's cousin, Madame de Volanges, warning Tourvel that Valmont is nefarious and untrustworthy. Valmont resolves to seduce Cécile as revenge for her mother's accurate denunciation of him. At the opera, Cécile meets the charming and handsome Chevalier Danceny, who becomes her music teacher. They fall in love, with coaxing from Merteuil, who knows that Danceny, as a nobleman of lesser rank, naïve, young, and not particularly wealthy, can never be accepted as a suitor. Valmont gains access to Cécile's bedchamber on a pretext and sexually assaults her. As she pleads with him to leave, he blackmails her into giving up physical resistance and the scene ends. On the pretext of illness, Cécile remains locked in her chambers, refusing all visitors. A concerned Madame de Volanges asks Merteuil to speak to Cécile, who confides in Merteuil, naïvely assuming that she has Cécile's best interests at heart. Merteuil advises Cécile to welcome Valmont's advances; she says young women should take advantage of all the lovers they can acquire in a society so repressive and contemptuous of women. The result is a "student-teacher" relationship; by day, Cécile is courted by Danceny and each night, she receives a sexual "lesson" from Valmont. Merteuil begins an affair with Danceny. After a night in Valmont's bed, Cécile suffers a miscarriage. Valmont has won Tourvel's heart but at a price, the lifelong bachelor playboy falls in love. In a fit of jealousy, Merteuil mocks Valmont and refuses to honor her agreement unless Valmont breaks up with Tourvel. Valmont abruptly dismisses Tourvel with a terse excuse, suggested by Merteuil, "It's beyond my control". Overwhelmed with grief and shame, Tourvel retreats to a monastery where her health deteriorates rapidly. Despite the breakup, Merteuil still refuses to honor the agreement and provoked by Valmont, declares "war". She informs Danceny that Valmont has been sleeping with Cécile. Danceny challenges Valmont to a duel, ending with the latter voluntarily running into Danceny's sword. With his dying breath, Valmont asks Danceny to communicate to Tourvel his true feelings for her; he warns Danceny about Meurteuil and gives him his collection of intimate letters from her as proof. Valmont tells Danceny to circulate them after he has read them. After hearing Valmont's message from Danceny, Tourvel dies. Merteuil sinks into madness and pain. Later, she attends a show at the opera but leaves after being booed by her former friends and sycophants, implying that all of Paris has learned the full range of her schemes and depredations due to Danceny's circulation of the letters.

Plot from Dangerous LiaisonsCC BY-SA 4.0