The Vicomte de Bragelonne · Chapter
Of the Embarrassment of Riches explained
D'Artagnan receives a vast sum of money from King Charles II and is immediately beset by anxiety over its safekeeping.
What happens
D'Artagnan receives a vast sum of money from King Charles II and is immediately beset by anxiety over its safekeeping. He consults Athos on how to manage wealth, and Athos reveals his own simple philosophy of spending only what he has. D'Artagnan also remembers his obligation to Planchet, reducing his perceived fortune. He then takes leave of the king, who teases him about his trick on Monck and arranges for him to travel back to France with Athos.
Themes in this chapter
Greed and Corruption
D'Artagnan's obsessive worry over his treasure and his immediate thought of securing it with a complex lock illustrate the corrupting influence of sudden wealth.
Friendship and Betrayal
Athos's honest counsel and d'Artagnan's recollection of his obligation to Planchet highlight the tension between personal gain and loyalty.
Class and Social Mobility
D'Artagnan's newfound riches elevate his status, yet he struggles with the responsibilities and anxieties that accompany wealth, contrasting with Athos's aristocratic ease.
Characters to notice
- D'Artagnan
Receives 300,000 livres from the English treasury, becomes anxious about guarding his wealth, and consults Athos on money management.
- Athos
Visits d'Artagnan, explains his own approach to money (spending only what he has), and reminds d'Artagnan of his debt to Planchet.
- Charles II
Grants d'Artagnan an audience, jokes about the Monck incident, and arranges for d'Artagnan to travel to France with Athos.
- Planchet
Mentioned as d'Artagnan's partner in the treasure, to whom a share must be given.
- General Monck
Referenced by the king in jest regarding d'Artagnan's trick of packing him in a box.
- Parry
Ushered d'Artagnan into the king's presence and later leads him to the garden.
- Grimaud
Lent by Athos to guard d'Artagnan's pistols and coffer.
Key passages
“Your money! These words made a thousand chords vibrate in the heart of d'Artagnan, which he had never felt before.”
The phrase 'your money' stirred deep, unfamiliar emotions in d'Artagnan.
Highlights d'Artagnan's emotional reaction to possessing wealth for the first time.
“A man who possesses three hundred thousand livres can no longer expect to wear a smooth brow; a wrinkle for every hundred thousand livres is not too much.”
A man with three hundred thousand livres cannot remain carefree; each hundred thousand brings its own worry.
Illustrates the theme that wealth brings anxiety.
“I spend all I have, and I only have what I spend, my dear d'Artagnan.”
I spend everything I possess, and I possess only what I spend.
Athos's philosophy of living within his means, contrasting with d'Artagnan's new riches.