Camille
fictional character
Also known as: Marguerite Gautier
Camille, fictional character, the protagonist of La Dame aux camélias (1848; staged 1852) by Alexandre Dumas fils. Camille made her way in life as a courtesan, and her byname referred to the camellias she carried as a signal of her availability. Camille gives up her way of life after falling in love with a young man but selflessly returns to it (even knowing that she is mortally ill and that he is her last chance...