Charlotte Temple · Character

Mrs. Crayton

Once Mademoiselle La Rue, now a colonel's wife, she trades seduction for respectability and hardens her heart against the girl she ruined.

supporting

Also known as Crayton, the fortunate Mrs. Crayton, the unfeeling Mrs. Crayton

First appearance: volume ii xx virtue when most amiable

As a supporting figure in Charlotte Temple, Mrs. Crayton is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Colonel Crayton announces his marriage to La Rue, believing her to be a worthy woman, and warns others not to speak ill of her.

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Having schemed her way from French teacher to Colonel Crayton's bride, Mrs. Crayton enjoys wealth and position while her husband's affection blinds him to her temper and artifice. She embodies the novel's warning that vice can prosper—at least for a season—and her refusal to shelter Charlotte is the cruelty that sets the heroine adrift. Her presence sharpens the contrast between polished reputation and genuine virtue that runs through the whole book.

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See Mrs. Crayton in volume ii xx virtue when most amiable

Character Web

7 connections

A slice of how Mrs. Crayton sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Supporting and minor characters
Main characters and antagonists
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the dramatic climax because Montraville reaches an emotional and psychological peak of internal confli…

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In the story

Mrs. Crayton appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

A Wedding
Colonel Crayton announces his marriage to La Rue, believing her to be a worthy woman, and warns others not to speak ill of her.
XXVIII: A Trifling Retrospect
The unfeeling Mrs. Crayton is shown leading a life of pleasure and dissipation, with a favorite named Corydon, and mocking Charlotte's situation.
XXX: “Friendship a Name”
Charlotte addresses her letter to Mrs. Crayton, hoping for relief and shelter.
Subject Continued
Mrs. Crayton refuses to acknowledge Charlotte, dismisses her as a beggar, and orders her removed from the house despite her pleas.
Reasons Why and Wherefore
Refuses to acknowledge Charlotte out of fear that her past complicity in the elopement will be revealed to Colonel Crayton, exposing her own hypocrisy and vice.
XXXIII: Which People Void of Feeling Need Not Read
Mentioned as the one who turned Charlotte away, contributing to her suffering.
Retribution
Referenced as the one who refused to take Charlotte in when she was wet and cold in the streets.
Conclusion
Appears as a destitute and repentant figure, confessing her role in Charlotte's downfall before dying in an hospital.

Chapter companion notes

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See Mrs. Crayton in volume ii xx virtue when most amiable

See Mrs. Crayton in A Wedding