The Man in the Iron Mask

The Man in the Iron Mask is the fourth and final section in this edition of Alexandre Dumas's last d'Artagnan romance, originally serialized between 1847 and 1850.

Aramis has discovered a prisoner in the Bastille whose existence could threaten the reign of Louis XIV. With Porthos's loyal assistance, he develops an audacious plan to replace the king—but the scheme forces Nicolas Fouquet, d'Artagnan, and the musketeers to decide whether loyalty belongs to a friend, a sovereign, or a principle.

The mysterious prisoner gives the volume its title, yet the story reaches far beyond his identity. Louis moves toward absolute power, Colbert closes in on Fouquet, and d'Artagnan is ordered to pursue men beside whom he once fought.

The action moves from the royal festivities at Vaux-le-Vicomte to the Bastille and the fortified island of Belle-Île. Escapes, sieges, and political reversals give the adventure momentum, while age and divided duty give it unusual emotional weight.

Read as the conclusion of the musketeers' long story, The Man in the Iron Mask is a melancholy examination of friendship under an increasingly unforgiving monarchy. Dumas contrasts heroic loyalty with political survival and asks what remains when the world that created its heroes no longer has a place for them.

This is part 4 of 4 in this edition of the final d'Artagnan romance.