The Vicomte de Bragelonne · Chapter
The Breakfast at Monsieur de Baisemeaux's explained
Aramis dines with Baisemeaux, the governor of the Bastille, who boasts about the quality of life for certain prisoners, particularly a mysterious fifteen-franc boarder in the Bertaudière tower.
What happens
Aramis dines with Baisemeaux, the governor of the Bastille, who boasts about the quality of life for certain prisoners, particularly a mysterious fifteen-franc boarder in the Bertaudière tower. Baisemeaux hints at a striking resemblance between this prisoner and someone at court, and despite Aramis's feigned reluctance, he agrees to visit the tower to see for himself.
Themes in this chapter
Court Intrigue and Deception
Aramis manipulates Baisemeaux into revealing and showing the mysterious prisoner, using flattery and feigned indifference to achieve his hidden agenda.
Power and Ambition
Aramis's calculated visit to the Bastille suggests a deeper political or personal motive, reflecting his ambition and influence behind the scenes.
Characters to notice
- Aramis
Dines with Baisemeaux, feigns reluctance to visit the Bastille, but subtly maneuvers to see the mysterious prisoner in the Bertaudière tower.
- Baisemeaux de Montlezun
Governor of the Bastille, hosts Aramis for breakfast, boasts about the prison's amenities and the fifteen-franc boarder, and agrees to show Aramis the towers.
- Seldon
Mentioned as a poor prisoner who writes distichs and is boarded at three francs; Aramis claims him as a protégé.
Key passages
“Let me never hear any ill words against the fare of the Bastille, happy are the prisoners who can get only half a bottle of such Burgundy every day.”
Aramis praises the quality of the Bastille's wine, suggesting that even prisoners who receive only half a bottle are fortunate.
Aramis uses irony to engage Baisemeaux and steer the conversation toward the prisoners' conditions.
“The secrets of the Bastille are never handed over with the keys of the governorship.”
Baisemeaux explains that the secrets of the Bastille are not passed down when a new governor takes office.
This highlights the secrecy surrounding the prison and its inmates, a key element of the intrigue.
“It is only for men attached to the court, as you are, to take trouble about such matters.”
Baisemeaux tells Aramis that only someone connected to the court would concern themselves with the resemblance of a prisoner to a court figure.
This remark hints at the political sensitivity of the prisoner's identity and Aramis's court connections.