High Treason explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Court Intrigue and Deception

  Aramis's elaborate plot to substitute the king and manipulate Baisemeaux exemplifies the theme of deception and secret maneuvering within the court.

• Fate and Tragedy

  Louis XIV's dreamlike descent and Philippe's continued imprisonment highlight the tragic and fated nature of their intertwined destinies.

Characters to notice

• Louis XIV

  The king experiences intense emotional turmoil after reading Fouquet's letter, falls into a dreamlike state, and is secretly transported to the Bastille as part of Aramis's plot.

• Aramis

  Aramis orchestrates the substitution of the king with Philippe, manipulates Baisemeaux, and ensures the return of Marchiali to the Bastille under the guise of madness.

• Porthos

  Porthos assists Aramis in the plot, guarding the prisoner with a musket and accompanying the carriage back to Vaux.

• Baisemeaux de Montlezun

  The governor of the Bastille is manipulated by Aramis into accepting the return of Marchiali and releasing Seldon, acting out of fear and confusion.

• Philippe

  Philippe, the imprisoned twin of Louis XIV, is briefly brought out and then returned to his cell in the Bastille as part of the substitution plot.

Key passages

• “The ungovernable fury which took possession of the king at the sight and at the perusal of Fouquet’s letter to La Vallière by degrees subsided into a feeling of pain and extreme weariness.”

  The king's initial rage upon reading Fouquet's letter to La Vallière gradually gave way to profound sorrow and exhaustion.

  Describes Louis XIV's emotional collapse after discovering the letter.

• “It seemed to him, as it often happens in that first sleep, so light and gentle, which raises the body above the couch, and the soul above the earth—it seemed to him, we say, as if the god Morpheus, painted on the ceiling, looked at him with eyes resembling human eyes; that something shone brightly, and moved to and fro in the dome above the sleeper; that the crowd of terrible dreams which thronged together in his brain, and which were interrupted for a moment, half revealed a human face, with a hand resting against the mouth, and in an attitude of deep and absorbed meditation.”

  In his light sleep, Louis dreamed that the painted god Morpheus on the ceiling seemed to watch him, and a human face appeared among his nightmares, observing him thoughtfully.

  Captures the king's hallucinatory dream state, foreshadowing the plot against him.

• “And strange enough, too, this man bore so wonderful a resemblance to the king himself, that Louis fancied he was looking at his own face reflected in a mirror; with the exception, however, that the face was saddened by a feeling of the profoundest pity.”

  The face in the dream looked exactly like Louis, but with a sorrowful expression of deep pity.

  Highlights the resemblance between Louis and Philippe, central to the substitution plot.

• “You need not ask me whether I understand.”

  You do not need to question my understanding.

  Baisemeaux's response to Aramis's threat about the death sentence for allowing communication with the prisoner.

• “A man is light and easy enough, when he has faithfully served his king; and, in serving him, saved his country.”

  A man feels light and unburdened when he has loyally served his king and thereby saved his country.

  Porthos's self-satisfied remark after participating in the plot, reflecting his naive sense of duty.