Madame's Four Chances explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Court Intrigue and Deception

  Anne of Austria's strategic lottery and manipulation of Madame and the young queen exemplify the deceptive maneuvering for influence at court.

• Greed and Corruption

  The use of wealth, jewels, and promises of gain to attract courtiers highlights the corrupting influence of material incentives in royal politics.

• Power and Ambition

  Anne's ambition to regain her central role in court life drives her actions, as she leverages her resources to counter Madame's rising influence.

Characters to notice

• Anne of Austria

  The queen mother, suffering from illness and neglect, schemes to regain court influence by hosting a lottery with her diamond bracelets.

• Henrietta of England

  Madame, the king's sister-in-law, is courted by Anne of Austria through the lottery and discusses the four possible outcomes of winning the bracelets.

• Marie de Mancini

  Not directly present, but referenced as a past figure in Anne's reflections on lost youth and influence.

• Madame de Chevreuse

  Recalled by Anne of Austria as a former friend and advisor, whose advice on using interest to gain loyalty is remembered.

• Louis XIV

  The king is mentioned as having reduced visits to his mother and being preoccupied, but he is not directly present in the chapter.

• Philippe d'Orléans

  Monsieur, the king's brother, is mentioned as a possible winner of the bracelets, with Madame joking he would give them to the Chevalier de Lorraine.

Key passages

• “Anne of Austria had neither beauty nor charms any longer at her disposal. She gave out, therefore, that her wealth was great, and as an inducement for others to visit her apartments she let it be known that there were good gold crowns to be won at play, or that handsome presents were likely to be made on days when all went well with her; or windfalls, in the shape of annuities which she had wrung from the king by entreaty, and thus she determined to maintain her credit.”

  Lacking physical allure, Anne of Austria used her wealth and promises of gifts and money to attract courtiers to her apartments, thereby sustaining her influence.

  Highlights Anne's strategic shift from personal charm to financial inducements to maintain courtly power.

• “Anne of Austria remembered Madame de Chevreuse, in the first place exiled rather by her wish than the king’s, and then dying in exile, the wife of a gentleman of obscure birth and position. She asked herself what Madame de Chevreuse would have advised her to do in similar circumstances, in their mutual difficulties arising from their intrigues; and after serious reflection, it seemed as if the clever, subtle mind of her friend, full of experience and sound judgment, answered her in the well-remembered ironical tones: 'All the insignificant young people are poor and greedy of gain. They require gold and incomes to supply means of amusement; it is by interest you must gain them over.'”

  Anne recalled her former friend Madame de Chevreuse, who had advised that young courtiers are motivated by greed and can be won over with money and gifts.

  Shows Anne's reliance on past counsel and her adoption of a cynical but practical approach to court politics.