Marguerite Blakeney In Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel

Character Sketch Featuring Marguerite Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel

In the novel, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, Marguerite Blakeney, is a highly respected and popular woman in English society. She is caught between her past life in France, and her present life of prestige in England. However these worlds collide and Marguerite is faced with a horrifying predicament. The life of her brother, Armand, is given in exchange for the heroic, Scarlet Pimpernel. In the end, it is her decision which seals the fates of their lives and the lives of countless others. Throughout the novel, Marguerite incessantly displays the characteristics of, imprudence, long-suffering, and selflessness.

Though Marguerite possesses many strong and wonderful attributes, her gullibility, proves to be her weakest quality. Marguerite’s impetuousness caused her to take the opportunity of revenge against the Marquis de St. Cyr, for his appalling treatment of her brother, Armand. She denounced him and all of his family to the tribunal of the Terror and had them sent to the guillotine. Marguerite’s marriage to Sir Percy Blakeney, greatly attests to her thoughtlessness, as she did not even know of his secret identity as The Scarlet Pimpernel. Because

After the Comtesse de Tourney had spoken ill of Marguerite and forbade her daughter, Suzanne, to even greet her. Marguerite did not grow angry with the Comtesse’s insults, and welcomed her and Suzanne warmly. Although Sir Andrew wished to shield Marguerite from the offenses of the French innkeeper Brogard, of the “Chat Gris” inn, she did not accept his defense and bore the abuses calmly. While watching her husband’s near capture by his enemy, Chauvelin, Marguerite’s patience prevented her from acting on her desire to go to his aid. Marguerite realized that if she had done as so; he would not have been able to escape. Marguerite’s fortitude had great impact on the fates of