The Vicomte de Bragelonne · Chapter
The Last Canto of the Poem explained
D'Artagnan mourns the deaths of Athos and Raoul, who are laid to rest together.
What happens
D'Artagnan mourns the deaths of Athos and Raoul, who are laid to rest together. Louise de La Vallière arrives to pray at their graves, confessing her role in their deaths. D'Artagnan confronts her with harsh words, but she expresses deep remorse. The chapter ends with D'Artagnan reflecting on loss and continuing forward alone.
Themes in this chapter
Fate and Tragedy
The chapter is steeped in tragedy as both Athos and Raoul die, and Louise de La Vallière grapples with her guilt and the inescapable consequences of her actions.
Love and Sacrifice
Louise's love for the king leads to her sacrifice of Raoul, and her grief at the grave shows the depth of her remorse and the cost of her choices.
Friendship and Betrayal
D'Artagnan's loyalty to his fallen friends contrasts with Louise's betrayal of Raoul, highlighting the tension between fidelity and personal desire.
Characters to notice
- D'Artagnan
Grieves the loss of Athos and Raoul, confronts Louise de La Vallière at the graves, and reflects on his own mortality.
- Athos
Lies in his coffin, having died of grief after Raoul's death; buried in the chapel enclosure.
- Raoul de Bragelonne
His embalmed body is returned from Africa and buried beside his father; died in battle.
- Louise de La Vallière
Travels to the graves to pray for forgiveness, confessing her role in Raoul's death and the subsequent death of Athos.
- Grimaud
Leads D'Artagnan to view the bodies of Athos and Raoul, showing the wounds.
Key passages
“He shuddered at seeing the father and son, those two departed souls, represented on earth by two silent, melancholy bodies, incapable of touching each other, however close they might be.”
D'Artagnan is deeply moved by the sight of Athos and Raoul lying in their coffins, side by side but forever separated by death.
Reflects D'Artagnan's grief and the finality of loss.
“I will repeat to you, Mademoiselle, what M. de Bragelonne said of you, at Antibes, when he already meditated death: 'If pride and coquetry have misled her, I pardon her while despising her. If love has produced her error, I pardon her, but I swear that no one could have loved her as I have done.'”
D'Artagnan tells Louise that Raoul forgave her before his death, whether her betrayal came from pride or love.
Shows Raoul's magnanimity and D'Artagnan's role as a messenger of that forgiveness.
“What is there left for man after youth, love, glory, friendship, strength, and wealth have disappeared? That rock, under which sleeps Porthos, who possessed all I have named; this moss, under which repose Athos and Raoul, who possessed much more!”
D'Artagnan reflects on the transience of life and the inevitability of loss, as he stands over the graves of his friends.
Captures D'Artagnan's existential contemplation and the theme of mortality.