How did Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine’s relationship affect Verlaine’s marriage?

The relationship between Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine severely strained and ultimately destroyed Verlaine’s marriage to Mathilde Mauté.12

When Rimbaud arrived in Paris in September 1871 and stayed with the couple, his presence and behavior—characterized by arrogance and obscenity—antagonized those around him. Verlaine’s infatuation with the younger poet exacerbated existing incompatibilities in his marriage. As the two men began to be seen in public as lovers, Rimbaud was widely blamed for the dissolution of the union.12

The situation reached a breaking point in July 1872, when Verlaine abandoned his wife and infant son to flee with Rimbaud to London. Following this departure, Verlaine’s wife eventually obtained a legal separation. Despite later attempts at reconciliation, the marriage remained permanently fractured, contributing to the breakdown of Verlaine’s efforts to maintain a conventional, respectable life.12