Madame de Merteuil is a fictional character from the novel "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," written by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos in 1782. She is portrayed as a cunning and manipulative woman who uses her intelligence and charm to control those around her. As a wealthy widow, she engages in a game of seduction and revenge, often orchestrating complex schemes to achieve her goals. Throughout the novel, Madame de Merteuil forms an alliance with Valmont, a notorious libertine, to seduce and ruin others for her amusement. Her character embodies themes of power, sexuality, and the social dynamics of 18th-century French aristocracy, making her one of literature's most memorable antiheroines.