Notre-Dame de Paris · Chapter
The Retreat in Which Monsieur Louis of France Says His Prayers explained
Gringoire, arrested after the riot, is brought before King Louis XI.
What happens
Gringoire, arrested after the riot, is brought before King Louis XI. He pleads eloquently for his life, arguing that he is a harmless scholar and poet. The king, initially indifferent, is swayed by Gringoire's flattery and the intervention of his physician, Jacques Coictier, who secures a favor for himself. The chapter also reveals the king's manipulative relationship with his barber, Olivier le Daim, and his cynical view of the revolt in the city, which he sees as an opportunity to weaken the nobility.
Themes in this chapter
Social Injustice and Class
Gringoire's life hangs on the whims of the king and his courtiers, while the poor are dismissed as 'louts' and the revolt is seen as a tool for royal power.
Religion and Hypocrisy
The king prays while plotting against his subjects, and Gringoire invokes God and saints in his plea, highlighting the gap between piety and political manipulation.
The Power of the Crowd
Coppenole argues that commoners can defeat nobles, referencing the Swiss victory at Grandson, while the king sees the revolt as a means to undermine feudal lords.
Characters to notice
- Pierre Gringoire
Arrested and brought before the king, he delivers a desperate and eloquent plea for his life, emphasizing his innocence and scholarly nature.
- Louis XI
The king, ill and irritable, hears Gringoire's plea, grants favors to his physician, and rebukes his barber, while observing the distant fire from a revolt with calculated interest.
- Tristan l'Hermite
The king's provost, he tersely suggests hanging Gringoire, showing his ruthless efficiency.
- Doctor Coictier
The king's physician, he leverages the moment to secure a roof for his house and a receivership for his nephew, demonstrating his influence and greed.
- Master Olivier
The king's barber, also known as Olivier le Daim or Olivier le Mauvais, he attempts to secure a vacant position but is sharply rebuked by the king for his pride.
- Master Jacques Coppenole
The Flemish hosier, he boldly debates the king about the nature of revolts, citing the Battle of Grandson to argue that commoners can defeat nobles.
- Guillaume Rym
A Flemish envoy, he observes the fire and makes a cautious remark, trying to moderate Coppenole's bluntness.
Key passages
“Sire! break not in thunder over so small a thing as myself. God's great lightning doth not bombard a lettuce.”
Gringoire begs the king not to punish him harshly, comparing himself to a humble lettuce that a storm would ignore.
Gringoire uses a metaphor to appeal to the king's mercy, emphasizing his insignificance.
“Clemency is the only light which can enlighten the interior of so great a soul. Clemency beareth the torch before all the other virtues. Without it they are but blind men groping after God in the dark.”
Gringoire argues that mercy is the most important virtue for a ruler, guiding all others like a torch.
This flattering rhetoric aims to sway the king by appealing to his self-image as a just monarch.
“Pride will be your ruin, gossip. Ruin and disgrace always press hard on the heels of pride.”
The king warns Olivier le Daim that his arrogance will lead to his downfall.
Louis XI rebukes his barber, reflecting his own cautious and manipulative nature.
“If this revolt be what I suppose, sire, you might will in vain.”
Coppenole tells the king that even his power may not be enough to suppress a genuine uprising.
The hosier challenges the king's authority, citing historical examples of commoners defeating nobles.
