Angelique is introduced in Season 2 of Penny Dreadful as a lady-for-hire with a secret. She is an outspoken and bold woman who later becomes one of Dorian Gray's love interests, and introduces herself without a last name.
Appearance and Personality[]
Angelique is transgender woman with a slender body, long brown hair down to the shoulders, and piercing dark eyes. Angelique is a woman of the world who wears fine clothes of bright colors with bows and crinolines. The difficulty of her existence since childhood has tempered her character, making Angelique a jaunty and provocative personality who also hides a gentle soul that desperately seeks the gentle touch of a lover. In order not to preclude any pleasure to herself, Angelique started working as an uptown prostitute.
History[]
Angelique claims she knew from the moment she was born that she was unique and transgender; she says that everyone knew even if they did not talk about it. Her parents resented her for not being normal, and ultimately ignored her and pushed her away. She decided to escape this life by moving to London and becoming who she really was inside. She created a new identity, Angelique, and later became a prostitute as a means to support herself.[1]
In London, Angelique approached Dorian Gray at an outdoor café where she noticed him staring at a photograph of Vanessa Ives. She assumed Vanessa was Dorian's sister since they both had pale skin, dark hair and intoxicating eyes, but he corrected Angelique and explained that Vanessa was just a friend. This gave Angelique an opportunity to sit down with Dorian and introduce herself. Dorian was intrigued by Angelique's boldness, and the two shared a flirtatious conversation filled with innuendo. It became obvious that Dorian was still heartbroken over Vanessa, and Angelique picked up on this, telling him about her own heartbreak and how she had been sadder ever since she swore off love. She left him with her business card in case he ever wanted to mend his broken heart. Dorian later visited Angelique's brothel. Her madame assured Dorian that he wouldn't be disappointed, and that he should handle her firmly since she was willful like a child. Angelique undressed, revealing her penis, but Dorian was unfazed by the fact that she was transgender. [2]
Dorian and Angelique shared another date, where he took her to the Gossima Parlour.[3]
The pair were seen together quite publicly when Dorian threw a ball at his mansion as a coming out of sorts for Angelique. She became the jilted lover, however, when Dorian laid eyes on Lily, who had arrived on the arm of Victor. Angelique and Victor found themselves both forgotten when Dorian and Lily entered the dance floor together.[4]
Angelique found herself abandoned again when Dorian left the mansion to go out on the town. While alone, she discovered his hidden painting, and just remained in the room with it until his return. When he finally did return, he offered her wine, but unfortunately for Angelique, the price for discovering Dorian's painting was a deadly one, as Dorian had laced the drink with poison to protect his secret.[5]
Appearances[]
- Season 2
- S2, Ep2: Verbis Diablo
- S2, Ep4: Evil Spirits in Heavenly Places
- S2, Ep5: Above the Vaulted Sky
- S2, Ep6: Glorious Horrors
- S2, Ep8: Memento Mori
Memorable Quotes[]
Angelique (to Dorian Gray): Thinking would age you terribly.
Angelique (to Dorian Gray): Stay young and beautiful Dorian Gray, it suits you.
Angelique (to Dorian Gray): From the moment I was born, I was not who I was meant to be. No one spoke of it. My parents ignored me as best they could. So I came to London and created Angelique, leaving me fit for no trade but whoring and myself, for nothing but degradation and ridicule.
Angelique (to Dorian Gray): You've lived a charmed life here. We're not all so lucky, or so normal.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Angelique can be interpreted as an adaptation of Sibyl Vane, a young actress who was a lover and later a victim of Dorian Gray in Oscar Wilde's novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray".