Book: The Man in the Iron Mask
Author: Alexandre Dumas
Publication Date: ~1860
Pages: 470
Date: 4/12/25
What I learned from this book:
This book was the last book of the trilogy of the Three Musketeers. I read the first one and this one is the last one. There was a movie also called “The Man in the Iron Mask” with Leonardo DeCaprio and I do not think I have ever seen such a wide divergence between book and movie – it is as if they were two totally separate stories. The book was full of much political intrigue, but focused on the characters listed below.
D’Artagnon – the main Musketeer in charge of the King’s Guard
Aramis – in secret, he is the head of the Jesuits and could possibly become Pope some day
Porthos – friend of all with a large strong body and very rich
Artos – father of Raul & the fourth musketeer. They were all musketeers under the previous king, Louis XIII.
Raul – son of Raul who goes to fight in Africa & dies
King Louis XIV – son of Louis XIII
Phillippe – unknown twin brother of Louis XIV
Aramis & Portos scheme to have Louis XIV replaced with Phillippe, who they rescued from the Bastille. The swap them out and it appears to be going well until Aramis tells Fouqet, the Minister of Finance. The Minister betrays them and Phillippe is remanded to Bastille to wear an iron mask for the rest of his life. This is where the book & movie drastically diverge.
Aramis & Porthos leave for a castle in the south for safety. The king orders an attack on the castle and during their escape, Porthos dies. Aramis moves to Spain and ultimately becomes the Spanish Ambassador to France & is forgiven. In the process, D’Artagnon quits and is later rehired as the head of the King’s guard. All of Porthos’s wealth is given to Raul in his will. Soon after, we learn of Raul’s death and Artos dies of a broken heart after hearing the news. D’Artagnon meets with Aramis at their funeral and it becomes apparent that Aramis is sick and will dies soon. D’Artagnon is sent to Holland to fight in a war between them and France and he also dies on the battlefield. Thus ends the story of the Three Musketeers.
What I learned from this book that will help with my perspective for success after prison:
1) Throughout all of the political intrigue and no matter which side they were on, the friendship between the musketeers stood above everything. I have friends like this – no matter our political leanings, faults, etc. – we remain the best of friends willing to do almost anything for each other. I can think of no higher honor than being know of “being worthy as a friend.”
