Character Analysis
The wife of the Président de Tourvel, Madame de Tourvel is staying with her friend, Madame de Rosemonde. She's known for her religious devotion, compassionate nature, and faithfulness to her husband, who's often away on business. Valmont mockingly refers to her as a prude, a badly dressed "Heavenly Devotee." But almost everyone loves Madame de Tourvel. Her letters show her to be trusting and naïve. It's at Madame de Rosemonde's country home that she first meets the scheming Vicomte de Valmont, who, unbeknownst to her, is planning to make her his next project.
Honest and Forgiving to a Fault
Virtuous herself, Madame de Tourvel believes in the virtue of others, and she tries to set a good example. She wants to convert Valmont (1.6.5) and believes that he's changed because he says he is. He goes to Mass; he does good deeds seemingly with no thought to reward. She can't believe that God would allow Valmont to bring about great good for evil designs. She trusts him, despite warnings from just about everyone she knows, especially Madame de Volanges:
Now tell me, my respected friend, is Monsieur de Valmont really an irreclaimable libertine? […] Would God allow a virtuous family to receive help at the hands of a rascal? […] No, I prefer to believe that though error endures, it is not perpetual, and I cannot think of anyone as an enemy of virtue who does good. (1.22.3)
Madame de Volanges flips out upon getting this letter and warns Madame de Tourvel that she's in serious danger from this evil man. Madame de Tourvel agrees to send him away to please her friend, but maintains a belief in Valmont's ability to change. She's totally different from Valmont and the Marquise in this respect; they make a point of trusting absolutely no one.
Valmont notices about Madame de Tourvel that "she laughs only when she is amused" (1.6.2), meaning that she's not one to pretend to feel something she doesn't. This makes it easy for Valmont to guess at her motivations and manipulate her accordingly. She's too innocent to suspect him.
When Valmont becomes open about his "love," Tourvel tries to respond as a friend, telling him he shouldn't be pursuing a married woman. When he continues to write her with pleas to see her and talk to her, she keeps trying to put him off. But she can see that things are getting more desperate—she's got feelings for him— and she needs to leave. She spills to Madame de Rosemonde.
Where has the time gone when I was wholly given up to such praiseworthy feelings, when I was ignorant of those others that, afflicting the soul with mortal anguish—the anguish I now suffer—deprive it of strength to resist at the same time that they impose the necessity of resisting?
What can I say after all? I am in love, yes, I am desperately in love. Alas!
Intoxicated by the pleasure of seeing him, of hearing him speak […] I lost all strength of mind and will […] He saw my distress, and took pity on me. How could I not love him for that? I owe him more than life itself. (3.102.2-5)
He took pity on her? Seriously? She's way too good. This is one tortured soul. She's filled with sexual desire that she's never felt before and this terrifies her.
Madame de Rosemonde reports back to her that V's been secluding himself in his room, surrounded by piles of letters, looking weepy and pale and (this is the worst) not even bothering to powder his wig. This softens Madame de Tourvel up even more. The icing on this devil's food cake is when Valmont goes to see the priest on the pretense of wanting to give up his love for Madame de Tourvel and just become a righteous guy. That's all he wants.
Madame de Tourvel buys this hook, line, and sinker. She plans to punish herself by re-reading all of his letters and meditating on her guilt. That lasts about four days. Valmont returns, changes his tune, and threatens to kill himself because she won't return his love. At that point, she loses the battle against temptation and he finally gives herself to Valmont, and in the process, sacrifices all her principles of virtue and faithfulness. It's painful to watch. Especially because we're reading Valmont's version that he's revealing to the Marquise in excruciating and braggy detail.
Fool for Love
Then it's over, thanks to the meddling Madame de Merteuil. Madame de Tourvel, having sacrificed everything, is now abandoned. She gets a letter from Valmont saying that they're never ever getting back together. She's devastated, especially because she feels she brought her suffering on herself. She sends Valmont's cruel Dear Jane letter to Madame de Rosemonde.
The veil is rent, Madame, on which was pictured the illusion of my happiness. I see by the light of a terrible truth that my path lies between shame and remorse to a certain and none too distant death. I shall follow it…I shall cherish my torments if they are to shorten my life. (4.14.3)
She was right about that none-too-distant death. She flees to the convent, refuses to eat or drink, and becomes deathly sick and delirious. In a final letter, she begs her husband to come and punish her but tells him that God has taken revenge on his behalf. Half conscious, she curses Valmont but begs him to return.
Then news reaches her that Valmont's dead. A kind of peace comes over to her and, compassionate to the end, she prays to God to pardon Valmont. She sends for the priest, confesses all, and dies of shame and grief.