The Vicomte de Bragelonne · Chapter
The Unknown explained
A mysterious, handsome gentleman of noble bearing arrives alone at the Hostelry of the Medici in Blois, just as the city prepares for the arrival of King Louis XIV.
What happens
A mysterious, handsome gentleman of noble bearing arrives alone at the Hostelry of the Medici in Blois, just as the city prepares for the arrival of King Louis XIV. Despite his aristocratic appearance, he is nearly destitute, paying for his lodgings with his last coins and a diamond. The innkeeper, Cropolé, initially presses him for more money due to the king's visit, but the stranger's dignity and calm resolve leave Cropolé ashamed. The chapter ends with the stranger waiting in his balcony, watching the city light up for the king's arrival.
Themes in this chapter
Class and Social Mobility
The unknown gentleman's noble bearing and empty purse illustrate the tension between aristocratic identity and financial reality, a key theme in the chapter.
Fate and Tragedy
The stranger's calm despair and reliance on a diamond as a last resource foreshadow a tragic fate, as he faces destitution despite his noble lineage.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“The unknown, from red, as we have seen him, became very pale. He drew from his pocket, with heroic bravery, a purse embroidered with a coat-of-arms, which he carefully concealed in the hollow of his hand.”
The stranger, who had been flushed, turned pale. With great courage, he pulled out a purse decorated with a coat of arms, hiding it in his palm.
Highlights the stranger's pride and desperation as he reveals his near-empty purse.
“He raised his eyes towards heaven, with a sublime emotion of despairing calmness, brushed off with his hand some drops of sweat which trickled over his noble brow, and then cast down upon the earth a look which just before had been impressed with almost divine majesty.”
He looked up to heaven with a calm despair, wiped sweat from his noble forehead, and then lowered his gaze, which had earlier seemed almost godlike.
Captures the stranger's dignified yet hopeless state as he contemplates his poverty.