In Les Liaisons Dangereuses, revenge is a dish best served with cold-hearted letters. For the two main characters, the Vicomte de Valmont and Madame de Merteuil, their desire for revenge is a major motivation. For small offenses or large, these two will watch the world burn if it means getting back at whoever slighted them or disrupted their plans. If there's a lesson about revenge to be drawn from their correspondence, it's simply that chances are you'll get what's coming to you. Vengeance is the cycle of life: revenge leads to revenge leads to revenge. Satisfaction never lasts.
Questions About Revenge
- What does Madame de Merteuil mean when she says that the hope of vengeance soothes her soul?
- Why are the revenge schemes in the novel mostly about relatively petty interpersonal slights (other than Danceny's revenge against Valmont for majorly defiling his beloved)?
- Why does Madame de Merteuil want to revenge her sex? What does she mean?
- How are vengeance and justice related in the novel?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Overall, the plots for revenge are successful.
The definition of "successful" revenge in the novel could best be described as demented.