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

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Paul Verlaine, detail from Un Coin de table, oil painting by Henri Fantin-Latour, 1872; in the Louvre, Paris. — Paul Verlaine Paul Verlaine, detail from *Un Coin de table*, oil painting by Henri Fantin-Latour, 1872; in the Louvre, Paris.

Paul Verlaine’s relationship with Arthur Rimbaud severely damaged his marriage to Mathilde Mauté. Although Verlaine initially viewed his marriage as a path to stability, his infatuation with the younger poet, who came to stay with the couple in September 1871, created significant incompatibility.1

Rimbaud’s presence and his behavior—described as arrogant and obscene—antagonized those around him, and the two men were soon publicly identified as lovers. This relationship became a source of scandal and was widely blamed for the dissolution of Verlaine’s marriage. The tension and conflict surrounding this affair led Verlaine to abandon his wife and infant son in July 1872 to travel with Rimbaud. Following these events, Verlaine’s wife eventually obtained a legal separation.21