Dangerous Liaisons · Chapter
Letter 90: The Presidente de Tourvel to the Viscount de Valmont explained
Madame de Tourvel writes to Valmont, confessing her weakness and begging him to leave her so she can preserve her virtue and peace of mind.
What happens
Madame de Tourvel writes to Valmont, confessing her weakness and begging him to leave her so she can preserve her virtue and peace of mind. She acknowledges her love for him but insists she would rather die than become criminal, pleading for his generosity to end their dangerous relationship.
Themes in this chapter
Love, Virtue, and Corruption
Tourvel's internal conflict between her love for Valmont and her commitment to virtue is the central theme of the letter, as she begs him to help her avoid moral corruption.
Innocence and Experience
Tourvel's loss of innocence is evident as she confesses her inability to resist her feelings, contrasting her former pride in her virtue with her current vulnerability.
Seduction and Manipulation
Though Tourvel is sincere, her letter reveals how Valmont's seductive tactics have brought her to this point of emotional turmoil and supplication.
Characters to notice
- Madame de Tourvel
Writes a desperate letter confessing her love and weakness, begging Valmont to leave her to preserve her innocence and virtue.
- Viscount de Valmont
The recipient of the letter; Tourvel appeals to his supposed tender heart and friendship to grant her request.
Key passages
“I beseech you, then, by the tender friendship I have professed, and those softer sentiments, and more sincere than any you have for me, let us no longer see one another.”
I beg you, by the genuine affection I feel for you, to stop meeting with me.
Tourvel directly asks Valmont to end their association, appealing to his sense of honor.
“I confess my weakness, and I dread less to own it than I do to yield to it: but the command I have lost over my mind, I will still preserve over my actions; this I am determined on, were it at the expense of life.”
I admit I am weak, but I am more afraid of giving in than of admitting it; I will control my actions even if it kills me.
Tourvel asserts her resolve to maintain outward propriety despite her inner turmoil.
“Do, from generosity what I do from duty; and to all the sentiments you have inspired me with, I shall add that of eternal gratitude.”
Act out of kindness as I act out of obligation, and I will be forever grateful for the feelings you have awakened in me.
She appeals to Valmont's generosity to grant her request, promising gratitude in return.