Aramis
Encyclopedia
C
. René d'Aramis de Vannes (born René d'Herblay) is a fictional character
in the novels The Three Musketeers
, Twenty Years After
and The Vicomte de Bragelonne
by Alexandre Dumas, père
. He and the other two musket
eers Athos
and Porthos
are friends of the novels' protagonist, d'Artagnan
.
The fictional Aramis is loosely based on the historical musketeer Henri d'Aramitz
.
s. He is portrayed as constantly ambitious and unsatisfied: as a musketeer, he yearns to become an abbé; but when an abbé he wishes for the life of the soldier. In the books it is revealed he became a musketeer because of a woman and his arrogance: as a young boy whose (plausibly genuine) ambition was to become an abbé, he had the misfortune to be caught and thrown out of a house, while (innocently or not) reading to a young woman. For a year, he practised fencing, every day with the best master swordsman in town to get his revenge. By the time he came back to confront the man who had mistreated him, he had become such an expert swordsman that the fight only lasted a couple of seconds. Because duels were forbidden by royal edict and Aramis was a novitiate, he had to disappear and adopt a very low profile, which led him to enlist in the musketeers corps. There he met Athos and Porthos, then later on d'Artagnan. After a couple of years they work together to bring peace to the king's court and kept the queen's affair with the Duke of Buckingham from being revealed by Cardinal Richelieu, which audacity so impresses the cardinal he helps d'Artagnan into the Musketeers corps.
Aramis seems to be lucky, but it is only a result of his Machiavellian plans and his audacity; every step forward must be used to climb to even greater power. This characteristic leads to his nomination as Superior General of the Jesuits, which is precisely what saves his life, at the end of Le Vicomte De Bragelonne, after he is betrayed by Nicolas Fouquet
.
Despite his Machiavellian attitude, Aramis holds very firmly to the sacred concept of friendship. In fact, the only wrong moves Aramis ever made were done when he refused to harm a friend (or a friend's feelings). In Twenty Years After, he followed Athos's pleas to spare Mordaunt, while he was holding him at gunpoint and, in Le Vicomte De Bragelonne, he refused to suppress d'Artagnan, when he discovered the truth about Belle-Ile-En-Mer, and he let Fouquet betray him, instead of assassinating him. Aramis even tells the truth to Porthos about the man in the iron mask's real identity, despite fearing that Porthos would kill him. Friendship is so important to Aramis that it is strongly implied, at the end of Le Vicomte De Bragelonne, that he cried (for the first time in his entire life) when one of his friends died. Later, he explicitly told someone that he considered him a true friend.
twice by Dumas: he is christened René. We hear this name when d'Artagnan stumbles upon him and his mistress in the second book (in the chapter: Les Deux Gaspard), and again when Bazin is talking about Aramis in the third. In Twenty Years After he is a Jesuit
known as the Abbé
d'Herblay (but prefers to go by the title of Chevalier
d'Herblay). In The Vicomte de Bragelonne he is known as the Bishop of Vannes, a title given to him by Nicolas Fouquet
and later he became the Superior General of the Jesuits. When he comes back from exile, he is a Spanish
noble
and ambassador known as Duke
of Alameda.
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
. René d'Aramis de Vannes (born René d'Herblay) is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the novels The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard...
, Twenty Years After
Twenty Years After
Twenty Years After is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, père, first serialized from January to August, 1845. A book of the D'Artagnan Romances, it is a sequel to The Three Musketeers and precedes The Vicomte de Bragelonne .The novel follows events in France during La Fronde, during the childhood reign...
and The Vicomte de Bragelonne
The Vicomte de Bragelonne
The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later is a novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is the third and last of the d'Artagnan Romances, following The Three Musketeers and Twenty Years After. It appeared first in serial form between 1847 and 1850...
by Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
. He and the other two musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
eers Athos
Athos (fictional character)
Olivier d'Athos de la Fère, Comte de la Fère is a fictional character, a Musketeer of the Guard in the novels The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père....
and Porthos
Porthos
Porthos, Baron du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and the other two musketeers Athos and Aramis are friends of the novel's protagonist, d'Artagnan...
are friends of the novels' protagonist, d'Artagnan
D'Artagnan
Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan served Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard and died at the Siege of Maastricht in the Franco-Dutch War. A fictionalized account of his life by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras formed the basis for the d'Artagnan Romances of...
.
The fictional Aramis is loosely based on the historical musketeer Henri d'Aramitz
Henri d'Aramitz
Henri, Seigneur d'Aramitz was a Gascon abbé, and black musketeer of the Maison du Roi in 17th century France. In addition, he was the nephew of the Comte de Troisville, captain of the Musketeers of the Guard...
.
Personality
Aramis loves and intrigues women, which fits well with the opinions of the time regarding Jesuits and abbotAbbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
s. He is portrayed as constantly ambitious and unsatisfied: as a musketeer, he yearns to become an abbé; but when an abbé he wishes for the life of the soldier. In the books it is revealed he became a musketeer because of a woman and his arrogance: as a young boy whose (plausibly genuine) ambition was to become an abbé, he had the misfortune to be caught and thrown out of a house, while (innocently or not) reading to a young woman. For a year, he practised fencing, every day with the best master swordsman in town to get his revenge. By the time he came back to confront the man who had mistreated him, he had become such an expert swordsman that the fight only lasted a couple of seconds. Because duels were forbidden by royal edict and Aramis was a novitiate, he had to disappear and adopt a very low profile, which led him to enlist in the musketeers corps. There he met Athos and Porthos, then later on d'Artagnan. After a couple of years they work together to bring peace to the king's court and kept the queen's affair with the Duke of Buckingham from being revealed by Cardinal Richelieu, which audacity so impresses the cardinal he helps d'Artagnan into the Musketeers corps.
Aramis seems to be lucky, but it is only a result of his Machiavellian plans and his audacity; every step forward must be used to climb to even greater power. This characteristic leads to his nomination as Superior General of the Jesuits, which is precisely what saves his life, at the end of Le Vicomte De Bragelonne, after he is betrayed by Nicolas Fouquet
Nicolas Fouquet
Nicolas Fouquet, marquis de Belle-Île, vicomte de Melun et Vaux was the Superintendent of Finances in France from 1653 until 1661 under King Louis XIV...
.
Despite his Machiavellian attitude, Aramis holds very firmly to the sacred concept of friendship. In fact, the only wrong moves Aramis ever made were done when he refused to harm a friend (or a friend's feelings). In Twenty Years After, he followed Athos's pleas to spare Mordaunt, while he was holding him at gunpoint and, in Le Vicomte De Bragelonne, he refused to suppress d'Artagnan, when he discovered the truth about Belle-Ile-En-Mer, and he let Fouquet betray him, instead of assassinating him. Aramis even tells the truth to Porthos about the man in the iron mask's real identity, despite fearing that Porthos would kill him. Friendship is so important to Aramis that it is strongly implied, at the end of Le Vicomte De Bragelonne, that he cried (for the first time in his entire life) when one of his friends died. Later, he explicitly told someone that he considered him a true friend.
Mistresses
Aramis' political intrigues are matched by (and usually connected with) his amorous intrigues, as Dumas casts him in the role of the lover of politically powerful women of his time. In The Three Musketeers ca. 1627, he is the lover of the Duchesse de Chevreuse, the confidant of the queen (and is largely dependent on gold from her to survive, as military pay was low and infrequent), while in Twenty Years later he is the lover (and, it is broadly implied, the father of the son of) the Duchesse de Longueville.Use of first name
In contrast to the other musketeers, Aramis is referred to by his first nameGiven name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
twice by Dumas: he is christened René. We hear this name when d'Artagnan stumbles upon him and his mistress in the second book (in the chapter: Les Deux Gaspard), and again when Bazin is talking about Aramis in the third. In Twenty Years After he is a Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
known as the Abbé
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
d'Herblay (but prefers to go by the title of Chevalier
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
d'Herblay). In The Vicomte de Bragelonne he is known as the Bishop of Vannes, a title given to him by Nicolas Fouquet
Nicolas Fouquet
Nicolas Fouquet, marquis de Belle-Île, vicomte de Melun et Vaux was the Superintendent of Finances in France from 1653 until 1661 under King Louis XIV...
and later he became the Superior General of the Jesuits. When he comes back from exile, he is a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
noble
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
and ambassador known as Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
of Alameda.
In film and television
Actors who have played Aramis on screen include:- Harold M. ShawHarold M. Shaw-Selected filmography:* The Land Beyond the Sunset * Lawyer Quince * The Firm of Girdlestone * Me and Me Moke * The Last Challenge * Die Rose von Rhodesia * The Pursuit of Pamela...
, in The Three Musketeers: Parts I and II (1911) - C.N. Mortensen, in The Three Musketeers (1916)
- Pierre de Guingand, in Les trois mousquetaires (1921)
- Eugene PalletteEugene PalletteEugene William Pallette was an American actor. He appeared in over 240 silent era and sound era motion pictures between 1913 and 1946....
, in The Three Musketeers (1921) - Gino CorradoGino CorradoGino Corrado was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 355 films between 1916 and 1954, almost always in small roles as a character actor.-Career:...
, in The Iron Mask (1929) - Jean-Louis Allibert, in Les Trois Mousquetaires (1933)
- Onslow StevensOnslow StevensOnslow Stevens was an American stage, television and film actor.-Career:Born Onslow Ford Stevenson in Los Angeles, California, he was the son of character actor Housley Stevenson...
, in The Three Musketeers (1935) - Robert CooteRobert CooteRobert Coote was an English actor. He played aristocrats or British military types in many films, and created the role of Colonel Hugh Pickering in the long-running original Broadway production of My Fair Lady.-Biography:Coote was educated at Hurstpierpoint College in Sussex...
, in The Three Musketeers (1948) - Keith Richards, in The Three Musketeers (1950)
- Judd HoldrenJudd HoldrenJudd Holdren was an American film actor best known for his starring roles in the serials Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere, Zombies of the Stratosphere, The Lost Planet and the semi-serial Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe during 1951 - 1953.- Early life :He was born near...
, in Lady in the Iron Mask (1952) - Jacques François, in Les Trois Mousquetaires (1953)
- Paul Hansard, in The Three Musketeers (1954)
- Paul CampbellPaul CampbellPaul Campbell is the name of:* Paul Campbell * Paul Campbell * Paul Campbell * Paul Campbell * Paul Campbell...
, in The Three Musketeers (1956) and Le Avventure dei tre moschettieri (1957) - Tim O'ConnorTim O'ConnorTim O'Connor may refer to:*Tim O'Connor , actor, appeared in Peyton Place and General Hospital*Tim O'Connor , American college football coach*Tim O'Connor , Australian actor, writer and director...
, in The Three Musketeers (TV movie) (1960) - Jaques Toja, in Les Trois Mousquetaires: La Vengeance de Milady (1961) and Les Trois Mousquetaires: Les Ferrets de la Reine (1961)
- Roberto Risso, in D’Artagnan contro i tre moschettieri (1963)
- Gary WatsonGary WatsonGary Watson is a retired British television actor who started out as a stage actor most notably acting in Friedrich Hebbel's 1962 play Judith at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, England with Sean Connery...
, in The Three Musketeers (1966) - John WoodvineJohn WoodvineJohn Woodvine is an English stage and screen actor who has appeared in more than 70 theatre productions, as well as a similar number of television and film roles.-Early life:...
, in The Further Adventures of the Three Musketeers (1967) - Roger Sterckx, in Die Drie Musketiers (1968)
- Colin FoxColin FoxColin Fox is the national spokesperson of the Scottish Socialist Party, and a former member for Lothian in the Scottish Parliament...
, in The Three Musketeers (1969) - Georges Mansart, in Les Quatre Charlots Mousquetaires (1971)
- Richard ChamberlainRichard ChamberlainGeorge Richard Chamberlain is an American actor of stage and screen who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show Dr. Kildare .-Early life:...
, in The Three MusketeersThe Three Musketeers (1973 film)The Three Musketeers is a 1973 film based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. It was directed by Richard Lester and written by George MacDonald Fraser . It was originally proposed in the 1960s as a vehicle for The Beatles, whom Lester had directed in two other films...
(1973), The Four MusketeersThe Four Musketeers (film)The Four Musketeers is a 1974 Richard Lester film that follows upon his film of the year before, The Three Musketeers, and covers the second half of Dumas' novel The Three Musketeers...
(1974), and The Return of the MusketeersThe Return of the MusketeersThe Return of the Musketeers is a 1989 film adaptation loosely based on the novel Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas, père. It is the third Musketeers film directed by Richard Lester, following 1973's The Three Musketeers and 1974's The Four Musketeers...
(1989) - Igor StaryginIgor StaryginIgor Vladimirovich Starygin was a Russian and Soviet actor of stage and film....
, in D'Artanyan i Tri MushketyoraD'Artagnan and Three Musketeersd'Artagnan and Three Musketeers is a three-part musical miniseries produced in the Soviet Union and first aired in 1978. It is based on the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père....
(1978), Mushketyory 20 let spustya (1992), and Tayna Korolevy Anny ili Mushketyory 30 Let Spustya (1993) - Lloyd BridgesLloyd BridgesLloyd Vernet Bridges, Jr. was an American actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. Bridges is best known for his role of Mike Nelson in Sea Hunt, the most-popular syndicated American TV series in 1958...
, in The Fifth Musketeer (1979) - Eiko Yamada, in Anime San Jushi (1987)
- Charlie SheenCharlie SheenCarlos Irwin Estevez , better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen....
, in The Three MusketeersThe Three Musketeers (1993 film)The Three Musketeers is a 1993 film from Walt Disney Pictures and Caravan Pictures, directed by Stephen Herek from a screenplay by David Loughery and starring Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Chris O'Donnell, Oliver Platt, Tim Curry and Rebecca De Mornay....
(1993) - Sami FreySami FreySami Frey, born Samuel Frei is a French actor. Perhaps his most famous films are En compagnie d'Antonin Artaud and Bande à part...
, in Revenge of the Musketeers (1994) - William RichertWilliam RichertWilliam Richert is an American film director, film producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for his performance as Bob in the 1991 Gus van Sant film My Own Private Idaho.At age 17, he hopped a bus to Hollywood...
, in an early 1998 film of The Man in the Iron Mask - Jeremy IronsJeremy IronsJeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the...
, in The Man in the Iron MaskThe Man in the Iron Mask (1998 film)The Man in the Iron Mask is a 1998 British/American historical action film directed, produced, and written by Randall Wallace. It uses characters from Alexandre Dumas' D'Artagnan Romances, and is very loosely adapted from some plot elements of The Vicomte de Bragelonne. It also bears several...
(1998) - Thomas Beckett, in Three Musketeers (1999)
- Callum BlueCallum BlueDaniel James Callum Blue , better known as Callum Blue, is an English film and television actor, best known for his roles on the Showtime series The Tudors and Dead Like Me as well as for his role as Zod in the American television series Smallville and British...
, in Young Blades (2001) (unaired TV series pilot) - Nick MoranNick MoranNicholas James "Nick" Moran is an English actor, writer, producer and director, best known for his role as Eddy the card shark in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels...
, in The MusketeerThe MusketeerThe Musketeer is a 2001 American film very loosely based on Alexandre Dumas, père's classic novel The Three Musketeers, directed by Peter Hyams and starring Catherine Deneuve, Tim Roth, Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Nick Moran, Bill Treacher and Justin Chambers.The film features Tsui Hark's regular...
(2001) - Allan CordunerAllan CordunerAllan Corduner is an English actor.-Early life:Corduner grew up in a secular Jewish home in North London with his mother, father and a younger brother. His mother had escaped to England from Nazi Germany with her family in 1938...
, in La Femme Musketeer (TV miniseries) (2003) - Grégori Derangère, in D'Artagnan et les trois mousquetaires (2005)
- Nick JonasNick JonasNicholas Jerry "Nick" Jonas is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor best known as one of the Jonas Brothers, a pop-rock band he formed with his brothers Joe and Kevin. The Jonas Brothers originally started as an attempted solo singing career for Nick, but the record producer liked the...
, in The Three Musketeers (Disney TV series JONASJonas- Jonah name :* Jonah Metropolitan of Moscow , also known as Saint Jonas* Jonah, Old Testament prophet-Places:* Jonas , a hamlet in the municipalities Epe and Apeldoorn in the Netherlands* Jonas, Pennsylvania- Other :...
) - Luke EvansLuke EvansLuke Evans may refer to:* Luke Evans , British actor* Luke Evans , English cricketer* Luke Evans , Australian rugby union player...
, in The Three MusketeersThe Three Musketeers (2011 film)The Three Musketeers is a 2011 3D action-adventure film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson which is a reinterpretation of the novel of the same title by Alexandre Dumas, the film was released in Germany, Austria, France & Switzerland on September 1, 2011, and in the U.S...
(film in 3D) (2011)