The Man In The Iron Mask

Aramis, the Bishop of Vannes, arrives at Bastille prison to hear a prisoner’s confession. The governor of the prison, Baisemeaux, leads him to the cell but is denied entry. Only Aramis may hear the man’s confession. Once inside, Aramis notes that the man has not been eating; he called for a confessor since he felt ill, but upon seeing Aramis, he suddenly claims to feel better. The two men engage in a philosophical discussion about liberty, and it soon becomes clear that this is neither a standard confession nor an interrogation. Aramis claims to know the man from some 15-18 years ago in a village called Noisy-le-Sec, and he reveals himself to be the abbe and musketeer the prisoner occasionally saw when he was a young boy there.

Aramis explains to the prisoner that he is risking his own life to have this conversation. He reveals that the prisoner’s father is dead, but his mother is still alive and that the man cannot be released because his “presence in the world would lead to the revelation of a great secret” (16). The prisoner confirms that he has been in captivity since he was a child. Aramis tells him that his childhood nurse and tutor were both poisoned by his enemy.