Charlotte Temple: A Tale of Truth

Charlotte Temple is a 15-year-old British girl and the daughter of Lucy Temple (née Eldridge) and Mr. Temple. She is the protagonist and the namesake of the novel. Her main character trait is her virtue, and her primary flaws are her naivety and her susceptibility to persuasion. She is a flat, static character.

Charlotte is depicted as a passive victim of her immoral acquaintances. She is particularly vulnerable to Mademoiselle La Rue’s manipulation because she believes that women are naturally virtuous, so she feels Mademoiselle La Rue has her best interests in mind. She is the victim of both Montraville’s and Belcour’s sexual pursuits, and she is victimized by her landlord, who kicks her out in the middle of winter. Charlotte remains naïve, susceptible, and virtuous throughout the novel. At times, her virtuousness is harmful to her well-being; for instance, Charlotte isolates herself partly because she refuses to interact with unvirtuous women, and doesn’t feel worthy of interacting with virtuous women. She tries to dissuade Mrs. Beauchamp from befriending her, and she refuses to go to the city with Belcour because she is afraid of being judged by the virtuous women there.