On the first day of her imprisonment, Milady tries to arouse Felton’s sympathy by pretending to faint; the ploy doesn’t work. De Winter warns Felton that she will continue to use her immense talents as an actress to gain his sympathy. Later, however, when she puts on a grand performance for Felton, she is so superb that the young, naive Puritan falls for her ruse and also for her beauty and sensuality. Thus, Dumas prepares us for the likelihood that Milady will be able to deceive almost anyone else she wishes to deceive. Clearly, we do not have merely an ordinary villainess here; we have a skillful, talented woman who is the quintessence of evil, possessing the psychological insight to know how to evaluate her victims and how to .determine their weak points. She is a magnificent adversary, stunningly powerful and gifted—no match for the naive and sympathetic John Felton.
Note too that Dumas has endowed Milady with all sorts of talents; in addition to her intellectual perceptions, her acting, and her superb deceptions, Milady is endowed with a lovely and piously beautiful voice which converts not only Felton, but also her guards. Yet, never should we forget that at the core of this beautiful body and angelic voice beats the heart of a corrupt and destructive woman. Milady recognizes that a man like Felton can’t be tempted by ordinary feminine wiles, and she is astute enough to know that when a man displays extreme piety, he is usually suppressing a secret, passionate nature. Accordingly, she plays on his pity, confessing a multitude of lies about being abducted, drugged, raped, and finally branded. Then, playing on his suppressed sensual nature, she reveals to him a lovely naked shoulder, scarred indelibly with a hateful brand.
Her plan is successful: “The enchantress had again taken on the magic power of her beauty and distress, heightened by the irresistible attraction of sensuality mingled with religious fervor.” Thus, Dumas, like many modern writers, presents a close correlation between religious fanaticism and sexual passion.
It is to Milady’s evil credit that she can seduce Felton’s compassion and sympathy so quickly, especially after he has been warned repeatedly about her evil nature—and even after he has seen evidence of her duplicity. However, since Buckingham is known to be something of a “libertine” and a “ladies man,” as the Puritans have labeled him, Felton is ready to believe anything about Buckingham; thus, Milady’s story of sadistic lust appeals to him. He wants to believe wicked things about Buckingham.
The story that Milady tells Felton is filled with stock melodramatic elements, cliches which the innocent Felton readily believes—sleeping potions, drugs, poison, and a virgin deflowered and scarred for life. Ultimately, the dramatic actress finishes her story and pretends to collapse in his arms. Felton gathers up her sensuous body, and apparently this is the first time that he has held such loveliness. He no longer feels pity for her; he worships her.
