Twenty Years After · Chapter
Strength and Sagacity—Continued explained
D'Artagnan and Porthos, imprisoned in the orangery, devise a clever escape plan.
What happens
D'Artagnan and Porthos, imprisoned in the orangery, devise a clever escape plan. D'Artagnan directs Porthos to use his immense strength to bend an iron bar from the window, then they lure two Swiss guards one by one, overpower them, and steal their uniforms and swords. After disguising themselves, they follow a mysterious cavalier who provides them with a password, allowing them to proceed deeper into the palace.
Themes in this chapter
Friendship and Loyalty
D'Artagnan and Porthos work seamlessly together, trusting each other completely in their daring escape plan.
Power and Corruption
The escape is a direct defiance of Cardinal Mazarin's authority, highlighting the corrupt and oppressive nature of his regime.
Characters to notice
- D'Artagnan
Leads the escape plan with cunning and strategy, directing Porthos and executing the capture of the guards.
- Porthos
Uses his immense strength to bend the window bar and capture the Swiss guards as instructed by d'Artagnan.
- Mazarin
Mentioned as the cardinal whose guards attend him on his way to the orangery; his presence is central to the escape plan.
- Athos
Referenced indirectly as the Comte de la Fère, whom d'Artagnan believes cannot be far off in the pavilion.
- Grimaud
Not directly present but implied as part of the group d'Artagnan hopes to reach.
Key passages
“Supper was eaten in silence, but not in sadness; for from time to time one of those sweet smiles which were habitual to him in moments of good-humor illumined the face of d’Artagnan.”
They ate supper quietly, but d'Artagnan's occasional cheerful smiles showed he was not unhappy.
Highlights d'Artagnan's calm and strategic mindset before executing the escape.
“Porthos went to the window, took a bar in his hands, clung to it and bent it like a bow; so that the two ends came out of the sockets of stone in which for thirty years they had been fixed.”
Porthos bent the iron window bar like a bow, pulling its ends from the stone sockets where they had been set for thirty years.
Demonstrates Porthos's extraordinary physical strength, key to their escape.
“The hand of iron grasped, quick as lightning, firm as a pair of blacksmith’s pincers, the soldier’s throat. He raised him, almost stifling him as he drew him through the aperture, at the risk of flaying him in the passage.”
Porthos seized the soldier's throat with lightning speed and iron grip, pulling him through the window opening despite the risk of injury.
Illustrates the violent but efficient capture of the guard.