Essay Questions

Explore the importance accorded to one’s reputation in Madame de Lafayette’s The Princesse de Cleves.

The need to preserves one’s reputation is very well brought out in this work particularly through the Princess of Cleve’s attempts at doing the same. Being a member of the royalty as well as a woman, the princess finds that her reputation is a very pivotal part of her, and the need to preserve it informs most of the decisions that she undertakes. For instance, her choice of marrying the Prince de Cleves is informed by this need to preserve her reputation as well as the security that having a husband would offer.

Show how the destructive power of insecurities in one’s life are brought out in Madame de Lafayette’s The Princesse de Cleves.

In this work, the Prince de Cleves is a good example of how insecurities can interfere with or be destructive forces in one’s life. Because of his insecurities, the prince marries the princess, not because she is the most eligible woman but because no one else desires her. Despite not being in love with her himself, the man accuses his wife of not loving him and later his doubts and insecurities become the reason behind which he falls ill and dies.

Show how cowardice and spinelessness are brought out in Madame de Lafayette’s The Princesse de Cleves.

The princess and the duke both exhibit cowardice in this novel at one point in their lives. For instance, overcome by fear, cowardice and spinelessness, the prince is unable to ask the prince about the suspicions that she’s been having with regards to the prince having an affair with another woman. She thus chooses to believe the rumors rather than ask the prince the truth. Also, cowardice causes the duke to fail to ask the princess whether or not she was interested in having a relationship with him. Because of fear and cowardice, most feelings are unspoken in this work.