The Man in the Iron Mask Characters

Over and over again, people admire D'Artagnan for his loyalty, bravery, cleverness, and skills at fencing and horseback riding. (Check out the Shmoop guide to The Three Musketeers if you want some...

Soldier, priest, and diplomat; gallant, greedy, and cunning; Aramis took the good things in this life as steppingstones to rise to bad ones. Generous in mind, if not noble in heart, he never did il...

Athos spend much of The Man in the Iron Maskcaring for his son, Raoul. His role in the novel is that of a grieving father. He is so involved with his son that he tries to communicate with him throu...

Though frivolous, vain, and a big talker, Porthos is best remembered for being a gentle-hearted giant. Dumas writes that Porthos's strength seemed given by God so that he would help others. Porthos...

Raoul spends much of his time in the novel being sad and angry. Raoul's heart was broken when his fiancé, La Valliere left him for King Louis XIV. Why can't Raoul get over La Valliere? Does it...

The title character doesn't seem to be much more than a plot device to hammer the final nail in Fouquet's coffin and to explain Aramis's fall from royal favor. He is an honorable man who had the ex...

Aside from D'Artagnan, King Louis is the only other character in the novel to undergo a significant change of character. He is petulant and childish at the beginning of the novel, thinking only of...

Here's the most salient fact about Fouquet: he single-handedly saved King Louis even when it was in his best interest not to do so. Unfortunately, he gets arrested anyway. Let's forget that allegat...

So what is the deal with Madame de la Valliere? It seems as though everyone is in love with her. She's clearly a sweet girl with little taste for political maneuvering who fell in love with the Kin...

The mother of King Louis XIV and his twin, Philippe. Although once a powerful political figure – she ruled France as regent when Louis was not yet of age - her power is on the decline in The...

He's the man in charge of the Bastille. He's responsible for most of the comic relief in the novel, as he has neither backbone nor brain.

Monsieur de Beaufort is a nobleman close to the court and also Athos's good friend. He takes Raoul under his wing during his military campaign in Africa. He tries to report to Athos that Raoul died...

The son of Biscarrat, a worthy adversary who made his appearance in The Three Musketeers. Biscarrat's presence in The Man in the Iron Mask hearkens back to the Musketeers' youthful experiences and...

As the close confidante of Anne of Austria, Madame de Chevreuse is the Queen's closest political ally. If a member of court wants to ascertain the Queen mother's feelings on a subject (i.e., Colber...

An administrator of the finances under King Louis XIV, Colbert begins chafing at the restrictions of having Fouquet as his superior. As a trusted adviser of the King, Colbert does everything in his...

A low-ranking soldier at the Bastille.

Captain of the King's Guard.

Athos's valet, trained never to speak. He accompanies Raoul to Africa, and brings his body back after he dies.

Friend of Fouquet.

A French nobleman, de Guiche is Raoul's closest friend. This friendship is not enough, however, to overcome Raoul's heartbreak. De Guiche is having an affair with Madame, and Raoul envies him his s...

A colleague of Fouquet's.

The wife of King Louis's younger brother, Henrietta is a lovely and passionate woman who possesses a degree of political acumen, as is evidenced by the Epilogue of the novel, where she negotiates w...

The oft-ignored, good-natured Spanish wife of King Louis XIV.

We first meet Molière pretending to be an apprentice tailor, although he is in actuality one of the foremost poets and playwrights in France. Fouquet is his patron and friend.

The younger brother of King Louis XIV and the husband of Henrietta, Monsieur plays only a very minor role in the novel. It is clear that his marriage to Henrietta is not happy, which is an historic...

A young and pretty noblewoman and a former acquaintance of Raoul. She makes her appearance in Chapter Twenty-Seven.

Known throughout The Man in the Iron Mask as both Mousqueton and the shortened version, Mouston, this character is Porthos's valet, who shares his master's love of clothes. When Porthos dies, he wi...

The royal tailor who plays a part in Chapters Three and Four.

D'Artagnan's former valet turned grocer. He remains good friends with his former master and the other Musketeers. In Chapter Twenty-Nine, we learn he is selling the grocery, getting married, and mo...

Governor of Ste. Marguerite.

We first meet her in Chapter Thirty-Four, when she is hell-bent on shaming Louise de la Valliere. Her treacherous nature lends itself well to consolidating power, and when we next see her in the Ep...

Planchet's betrothed. We encounter her half-dressed in Chapter Twenty-Nine.

Colbert's mistress. She makes a brief appearance in Chapter Thirty-Six.