| Cruel Intentions Character Analysis |
| Kathryn Merteuil On the surface Kathryn Merteuil appears to be like every other typical Manhattan debutante. However that is far from the case. Behind her facade of sweetness and light lurks an a dark, twisted, manipulator who will use whatever it takes to get what she wants. Her weapons of choice are money, sex and other people. Although to the outside world she appears like a compassionate girl Kathryn in reality is the complete opposite. She has no use for "losers" as she refers to her various pawns, they are simply obstacles in her way. Kathryn's one driving force seems to be her need to control. She uses various methods such as drugs to control her feelings (or kill them if you like), bulimia to control her weight, sex to control guys. No more is this apparent then in her relationship with her step brother Sebastian. The two share a tight bond that is challenged when Sebastian begins to fall for one of his conquests. Feeling that her hold on him is starting to fade, Kathryn begins a series of mind games that ultimatly lead to his death. It would be easy to blame Kathryn for Sebastian's death but in truth fate plays a bigger role in his demise. For all her faults it is clear that a big part of Kathryn did love Sebastian. |
| Sebastian Valmont Sebastian and his his step sister are two of a kind except for one difference. Where Kathryn keeps her manipulative ways secret Sebastian chooses to revel in his awful reputation. To him it is sort of a badge of honor. Seducing women and causing trouble seems to be one of his greatest loves second only to her prized jaguar. Like Kathryn he uses his many assets money, looks, charm to get what he wants. But it is his intelligence that seems to help him most often. He uses it to screw with everyone from Annette to Greg however the one person he can't conquer is Kathryn because she is his equal in every way. However the sad fact is that both are products of their environment and as such can't or won't tell each other how they really feel. They can only speak in nasty quips. It isn't until he meets Annette, who allows his to show emotion that Sebastian begins to let his guard down and open up to the idea of love. The irony is that feeling was already most likely there but he was unable to express it around Kathryn. Tragically in the end his transformation comes to late. |
| Annette Hardgrove Annette is in many ways everything Kathryn and Sebastian are not. The step siblings are unable to let themselves feel anything other than bitterness and hatred. Annette however often leads with her emotions. She is a smart and ultimatly neive girl. Upon meeting Sebastian she is immediatly suspicious of his intentions but soon, like most girls gets pulled in by his charm. Annette is well aware of Sebastian's reputation but ultimatly trusts him and gives him her most prized possesion-her virginity. It's a decision she might come to regret when Sebastian dumps her harshly only to come running back shortly after begging for forgiveness for his crimes. Even if she would have forgiven him for making the bet it proves to be to late. It's important to note that in the end Sebastian isn't the only one to go through a transformation. After Sebastian's death Annette doesn't worry about mourning him but about getting revenge on the person she believes to be responsible (however wrong). All her innocence and good intentions seem to vanish with Sebastian's passing. In the end she is just another jaded teenager. |
| Cecile Caldwell Cecile is in many ways the perfect victim. She is a typical 15 year old girl. Sweet, a little bratty, and somewhat neive to the world around her. Kathryn and Sebastian have no problem using this girl to suit their purposes (revenge) and in many ways Cecile is happy to go through with it. Although she is lied to and manipulated time and time again she always appears to be having a good time whether it's getting 'advice' from Kathryn or letting Sebastian de-flower her. In a strange way Cecile ends up having the last laugh. She gets to see the person who has been trying to destroy her humiliated and she gets to be with the guy she truly loves (all be it in secret for the time being). In the end you have to wonder how much of her supposed 'friends' rubbed off on her. |
| Ronald Clifford Ronald is in many respects the most normal of the characters. He has grown up in the same environment as Kathryn and Sebastian (though maybe not with the same bank account) and yet is not nearly as jadded. After falling in love with Cecile he quickly realizes that a relationship with her will not be easy so he excepts the devious step siblings help. However unlike Cecile, Ronald is cautious of their motives. But he is human and allows himself to get seduced by Kathryn although it is still obvious that he is in love with Cecile. Shortly after Ronald dismisses his relationship with Kathryn once he has a chance to be alone with Cecile. His one flaw seems to be that he is a hypocrite. Upon hearing that Sebastian fucked Cecile, Ronald goes after him even though he himself has been fucking Kathryn. Although he plays a role in Sebastian's death it is unintentional. It's safe to say Roanld did not want Sebastian dead and will most likely feel an enormous ammount of guilt when he realizes how much he let Kathryn manipulate him. |
| Mrs. Caldwell Mrs. Caldwell is your typical Upper East Side society women. She is vain, self centered, and only cares about apperences. All of which makes her a perfect target for Kathryn. Because Kathryn has a perfect reputation and comes from a high social class Mrs. Caldwell buys into everything she says. The women is so desperate to present the perfect image and put forth the perfect daughter (i.e. a Kathryn clone) she never questions Kathryn or her motives. In many ways she is worse than Kathryn and Sebastian for not only is she a busy body but also a racist. She doesn't even bother to hear Cecile out before forbidding her relationship with Ronald. Roanld comes from a respectable home but all she can see is his skin color and how it will effect her reputation. Early on she warns Annette away from Sebastian citing what an awful person he is when in reality she is just as bad. It would be interesting to see how she reacts when she realized the mistake she made in trusting Kathryn and hho she ultimatly played a part in 'ruining' her own daughter. |
| Profiles on Blaine and Greg Coming Soon! |
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