The Man in the Iron Mask Plot Summary

The three Musketeers namely, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis have already parted their separate ways. D’Artagnan, however, the musketeers’ young protégé, have stayed in service and in utmost loyalty to the young King Louis XIV, who cares for nothing about his people, leading therefore  his mainland territory, France in grave turmoil.. D’Artagnan, furthermore is the Captain of King Louis’ musketeers. The monarch’s people are subjected to mass starvation while his army of men fought several intolerable wars.

Deep inside the Bastille, on the other hand,  a 23-year-old prisoner remained unidentified and pined away for almost eight years. Surreptitiously concealed as “Phillippe”, the captive was forced to wear an iron mask, reflective of how his true identity as King Louis XIV’s twin brother was similarly kept under wraps. As was aforementioned, King Louis’ sovereignty over France had resulted to be nothing less than unbecoming. King Louis has killed Arthos’ son and he also has managed to pilfer a woman out of her true love.

Provided such circumstances, the three musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis lead into the concoction of a plan and decided to overthrow the iniquitous ruler by virtue of  being replaced then by his incarcerated twin, whom the three musketeers have resourceful information on and thought of as better to be a king. So in the event that the musketeers have trained and inculcated unto Phillippe the ways and decors of a royal blood, Athos, Porthos and Aramis kidnaps King Louis and supplant him with Phillippe at a masquerade.

Historical Events depicted

During the reign of King Louis XIV as an obstinate ruler did a famous prisoner in the history of France, L’homme Au Masque de Fer, has been rumored of great speculations. He has long been believed to have been imprisoned in the Bastille until the year 1703. Just as Alexandre Dumas’s novel delineates, L’homme Au Masque de Fer, also has been masked but not by an iron rather a velvet one, which through the passing of the course of history have then progressed into a mask of iron.

It was in the year 1669 when the minister of King Louis sent a captive to the governor of  Sainte Marquis de Saint Mars who at the same instance holds the Pignerol prison. The prisoner was well taken care of but was kept incommunicado and was gravely threatened of death once he tried to stray out of his personal affiliations.

In 1687, the prisoner was brought in the island of Sainte Marguerite where he was exiled and singly incarcerated at the third chamber of the Bertaudiere tower. On November 19, 1703, the prisoner died and was buried shortly the next day under the name of “Marchioly”. All the belongings he left was reportedly trashed thereafter and it was believed that most of the details of his life were accounted by  Lt du Junca of Bastille.

Main Characters’  Description

King Louis XIV as was previously mentioned was depicted in the novel as a stubborn ruler as was the cause of Phillippe’s incarceration. His mother (as well as Phillippe’s), Queene Anne was once regal a royal highness and consumed mostly by grief. Phillipe, on the other hand was depicted without any regal bearing due to his imprisonment but was promising for the king’s position. The four musketeers, on the other hand, were delineated as the typical genre of heroes.

As presented and portrayed in the novel, their motives are evidently outward and sketchy. Athos, as the vengeful among the three musketeers, has laid down the foundations of his weaning hope all to his son, Raul, who was cut dead by the king in the story. Porthos, on the other hand, was revering as a lustful and impious man yet fun-loving but gradually leading astray himself throughout his life which is full of debasement. Aramis, alternatively being the spiritual of the three musketeers, has been assigned to lead the military group of the Jesuits. And finally, D’Artagan, succeedingly remained the control leader of King Louis’ musketeers which instigated then the strong inconsistent odds and disagreements among the three others and him.

References

Dumas A, The Man in the Iron Mask, retrieved on 03 Sept 2007 from http://www.online-literature.com/dumas/man_in_the_iron_mask/

Publication retrieved on 04 Sept 2007 from http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/the-man-in-the-iron-mask/the-prisoner.html

“The Man in the Iron Mask”, publication retrieved on 03 Sept 2007 from http://filmquipsonline.com/manintheironmask.html