Marquis St. Evremonde
Encyclopedia
The Marquis St. Evrémonde is a fictional character
in Charles Dickens
' A Tale of Two Cities
.
's uncle and is of the noble class in France
. He is very cruel and is also slightly disliked by the other nobility. He runs over and kills the child of Gaspard with his carriage and shows no sympathy. He is later murdered by Gaspard and all of his property is inherited by Darnay.
The Monseigneur
Evrémonde is introduced in Book the Second, symbolizing the aristocracy. In "Monseigneur in town", the Marquis is insulted by the Monseigneur in town. Angry, he tells the driver of his carriage to chase after the citizens (this is what amuses him). As the peasants run away in terror, the Marquis laughing, the carriage runs over a little child, that child being one of Gaspard's.
The Monseigneur (Evrémonde), having only concern for his carriage, tosses a coin to Gaspard, as payment for killing the child. Madame Defarge, who is busily knitting the Marquis into her register, then throws the coin back at Monseigneur as he is driving away. This is a scene that foreshadows the oncoming revolution in France. Evrémonde also is shown in "Monseigneur in the Country" (the next chapter of the book) as an aristocrat who cares nothing of the peasantry.
,' the Marquis St. Evrémonde is played by Les Minski
, while on film he has been played by such actors as Basil Rathbone
, Christopher Lee
, and Max Adrian
. In 2003, the Rathborne portrayal of St. Evrémonde was nominated for AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains as one of the Top 50 Villains.
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 Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With well over 200 million copies sold, it ranks among the most famous works in the history of fictional literature....
.
Overview
The Marquis St. Evrémonde is Charles DarnayCharles Darnay
Charles Darnay, or Charles St. Evrémonde, is a fictional character in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.-Overview:A French aristocrat by birth, Darnay chooses to live in England because he cannot bear to be associated with the cruel injustices of the French social system...
's uncle and is of the noble class in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He is very cruel and is also slightly disliked by the other nobility. He runs over and kills the child of Gaspard with his carriage and shows no sympathy. He is later murdered by Gaspard and all of his property is inherited by Darnay.
The Monseigneur
Monseigneur
Monseigneur is an honorific in the French language. It has occasional English use as well, as it may be a title before the name of a French prelate, a member of a royal family or other dignitary. Also it is sometimes used as a name for a Frenchman who has a position on the court.Monsignor is both...
Evrémonde is introduced in Book the Second, symbolizing the aristocracy. In "Monseigneur in town", the Marquis is insulted by the Monseigneur in town. Angry, he tells the driver of his carriage to chase after the citizens (this is what amuses him). As the peasants run away in terror, the Marquis laughing, the carriage runs over a little child, that child being one of Gaspard's.
The Monseigneur (Evrémonde), having only concern for his carriage, tosses a coin to Gaspard, as payment for killing the child. Madame Defarge, who is busily knitting the Marquis into her register, then throws the coin back at Monseigneur as he is driving away. This is a scene that foreshadows the oncoming revolution in France. Evrémonde also is shown in "Monseigneur in the Country" (the next chapter of the book) as an aristocrat who cares nothing of the peasantry.
Cinematic and Theatrical Portrayals
In the 2008 Broadway musical adaptation of 'A Tale of Two CitiesA Tale of Two Cities (musical)
A Tale of Two Cities is a musical with book, music and lyrics by Jill Santoriello based on the novel of the same name by Charles Dickens....
,' the Marquis St. Evrémonde is played by Les Minski
Les Minski
Les Minski is an American singer and stage actor.Minski has been cast as the Marquis St. Evremonde in the Broadway musical adaptation of 'A Tale of Two Cities' opening for preview on August 19, 2008 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in New York.-Theatre Credits:...
, while on film he has been played by such actors as Basil Rathbone
Basil Rathbone
Sir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
, Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
, and Max Adrian
Max Adrian
Max Adrian was a Northern Irish stage, film and television actor and singer. He was a founding member of both the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre....
. In 2003, the Rathborne portrayal of St. Evrémonde was nominated for AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains as one of the Top 50 Villains.