The Vicomte de Bragelonne · Chapter
The Butterfly-Chase explained
The king receives a note from Madame and arranges a rendezvous in the gardens under the guise of a butterfly hunt.
What happens
The king receives a note from Madame and arranges a rendezvous in the gardens under the guise of a butterfly hunt. They discuss Monsieur's jealousy and the queen's suspicions, their conversation growing increasingly intimate as they sit together in a secluded bench.
Themes in this chapter
Court Intrigue and Deception
The butterfly hunt serves as a public cover for a private, intimate rendezvous between the king and Madame, masking their true intentions from the court.
Love and Sacrifice
The king and Madame express their mutual affection while acknowledging the constraints of their positions and the jealousy of their spouses.
Friendship and Betrayal
Monsieur's jealousy and the queen's suspicions threaten the bond between the king and Madame, highlighting the fragility of trust in courtly relationships.
Characters to notice
- Louis XIV
Arranges a butterfly hunt to meet Madame privately; discusses Monsieur's jealousy and the queen's suspicions.
- Henrietta of England
Sends a note to the king and orchestrates a meeting in the gardens; engages in intimate conversation with Louis.
- Philippe d'Orléans
Mentioned as being jealous of the king and complaining to the queen-mother.
- Anne of Austria
Reported to have spoken to the king about Monsieur's jealousy and the queen's complaints.
- Maria Theresa
Mentioned as being jealous of the king and complaining about the bathing parties.
- De Guiche
Mentioned as one of the men Monsieur is jealous of.
- Duke of Buckingham
Mentioned as one of the men Monsieur is jealous of.
- Saint-Aignan
Picks up the stunned butterfly for the king; watches the king and Madame's conversation.
Key passages
“Come quickly, I have a thousand things to say to you.”
Madame urgently summons the king for a private conversation.
The note initiates the secret rendezvous.
“You see, Madame, that I, too, am hunting on your behalf!”
The king pretends to join the butterfly hunt as a cover for meeting Madame.
The king uses the hunt as a pretext for their private meeting.
“How admirably we are placed here for conversation.”
The king remarks on the secluded bench's suitability for a private talk.
The bench provides a hidden spot for their intimate discussion.
“Do you know that Monsieur refuses to see me?”
Madame reveals that her husband is avoiding her.
Madame shares the immediate consequence of Monsieur's jealousy.
“My mother represented to me that Monsieur entered her apartments like a madman, that he uttered a thousand complaints against you, and—forgive me for saying it—against your coquetry.”
The king reports that the queen-mother told him Monsieur accused Madame of coquetry.
The king relays the accusations made by Monsieur.
“Is it possible that a brother and sister cannot converse together, or take pleasure in each other's company, without giving rise to remarks and suspicions?”
Madame questions why innocent conversation between them is seen as suspicious.
Madame defends their relationship as innocent.
