The Man in the Iron Mask

The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas is the final installment in the d’Artagnan Romances, concluding the adventures of the aging Musketeers—Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and d’Artagnan—in 17th-century France under the reign of the young King Louis XIV. The plot centers on Aramis, now a bishop, who uncovers that the mysterious prisoner in the Bastille, forced to wear an iron mask to conceal his identity, is actually Philippe, the king’s twin brother, hidden away to protect Louis’s claim to the throne. With Porthos’s help, Aramis orchestrates a daring conspiracy to swap the twins and install the gentler Philippe as king, drawing in d’Artagnan, torn between loyalty to his friends and duty to the crown, amid court intrigues, betrayals, and battles that test the bonds of friendship and honor.