Twenty years after

Free AI-generated illustrated lesson. Hand-drawn and narrated, step by step.

Mazarin's Schemes and Marie Michon's Secrets

In Alexandre Dumas' Twenty Years After, we find Cardinal Mazarin quietly holding onto power behind the scenes. While his enemies shout against him, he relies on a simple, blessed gold ring and a cynical strategy: letting his rivals burn each other out. Let's look at how he visualizes his control over the shifting factions of the Fronde.

Meanwhile, the Duke de Beaufort and his silent accomplice Grimaud plot a brutal escape, planning to make their guard, La Ramée, eat the 'pear of anguish'—a notorious expanding iron gag. This shows the harsh, physical danger lurking just beneath the political chess game.

Concurrently, the noble Comte de la Fère—better known to us as Athos—and his young ward Raoul enter Paris under the cover of night. They stop at a familiar tavern, 'The Fox', where Athos immediately prepares Raoul for a mysterious presentation to an influential lady.

To reassure the young man, Athos drops a hint about the lady's age. He notes that sixteen years ago, she was deemed the most beautiful and graceful woman in France. This mysterious figure is Marie Michon, a legendary name in the courtly intrigues of the past.

Lessons in this 292-part set

  • Mazarin's Schemes and Marie Michon's Secrets
  • A Noble Encounter: Athos and Madame de Chevreuse
  • The Art of the Reveal: Athos and Madame de Chevreuse
  • The Secret Flight of Marie Michon
  • The Secret of Marie Michon
  • The Secret of Bragelonne
  • Mapping the Networks of Dumas: The Hidden Web of Influence
  • The Rise and Fall of Abbé Scarron
  • A Night at Scarron's Salon
  • A Night in Scarron's Salon
  • A Night at the Salon: Intrigue and Secret Encounters
  • A Night at Scarron's Salon
  • The Dawn of a Soldier: Analyzing Dumas's Saint Denis
  • The Silent Bond of Athos and Raoul
  • Athos's Lessons on the Road
  • The King vs. Royalty: Athos's Lesson to Raoul
  • Honor, Duty, and Escape: Analyzing Athos and Raoul
  • The Anatomy of an Escape
  • The Anatomy of an Escape: The Duke's Dinner
  • The Art of the Distraction: The Duke's Bold Escape
  • The Duke's Escape Plan
  • The Great Escape: Analyzing a Classic Suspense Scene
  • The Escape and the Reunion
  • The Return to the Palais Royal
  • The Art of Negotiation: D'Artagnan and Mazarin
  • The Escape of the Duc de Beaufort
  • The Great Chase: Analyzing the Pursuit of the Duc de Beaufort
  • The Chase: Analyzing Narrative Tension
  • The Art of the Tactical Heist
  • The Art of the Pursuit
  • The Roadside Skirmish: Analyzing a Scene from Dumas
  • A Fatal Reunion: The Musketeers Clash in the Dark
  • The Crossroads of the Four Musketeers
  • Honor Among Musketeers: Loyalty and Wit
  • The Art of the Deal: D'Artagnan and Porthos
  • The Fracture of Friendship
  • Tension in the Shadows: The Place Royale Encounter
  • The Midnight Rendezvous: A Conflict of Secrets
  • The Broken Swords: Friendship Over Faction
  • The Oath of the Four Musketeers
  • Raoul's Journey: The Geography of Memory
  • A Letter from Raoul: The Depth of Devotion
  • Raoul's Journey to the Front
  • Raoul's Daring Rescue
  • The Physics and Dynamics of a River Rescue
  • The Spark of Friendship: Raoul and De Guiche
  • The Road to Arras: Intrigue and Impending War
  • Tactics and Temperament in the Forest
  • A Cry for Absolution
  • The Road to Greney: A Search for Mercy
  • Character and Conflict in Alexandre Dumas
  • A Cinematic Encounter: Bragelonne and the Monk
  • A Fatal Encounter at the Inn
  • The Locked Room Mystery
  • Justice vs. Vengeance: The Executioner's Remorse
  • Unmasking Milady de Winter
  • The Drama of Armentières: A Web of Revenge
  • The Executioner's Secret: A Dark Legacy
  • The Silent Messenger's Warning
  • On the Eve of Battle
  • A Decisive Moment: The Prince de Condé and the Battle of Lens
  • The Art of the Interpreter
  • The Strategy of Condé: Reading the Battle of Lens
  • The Road to Lens: A Prince's Reconnaissance
  • The Dual Nature of Reunion: Letters of War and Feasts of Peace
  • The Strategy of the Four Musketeers
  • Conscience and Justice in The Three Musketeers
  • The Ghost of Milady: A Literary Analysis
  • The Fallen Royalty of England
  • The Desperate State of King Charles I
  • The Desperate Plea of Henrietta Maria
  • Through the Three Doors: Mordaunt's Audience
  • The Anatomy of Hatred: Mazarin and Mordaunt
  • The Geopolitics of Power: Mazarin and Cromwell
  • The Secrets of Mazarin and Cromwell
  • A Duel of Smiles: Henrietta Maria and Mazarin
  • The Art of Political Evasion
  • The Silent Clash: Mazarin, Henrietta, and Mordaunt
  • Chance vs Providence: Henrietta and De Winter
  • The Network of the Four Musketeers
  • Subtext and Secrets in the Louvre
  • A Miraculous Connection: The Reunion of Athos
  • The Queen's Sacrifice and the Shadowed Courtier
  • The Confrontation of Mordaunt and De Winter
  • The Clash of Vengeance: Lord de Winter and Mordaunt
  • A Father's Pride: Raoul's Baptism of Fire
  • Echoes of the Past: Athos and Lord de Winter
  • The Divided Musketeers: Political Factions
  • The Corridors of Misfortune
  • A Queen's Desperate Plea
  • The Musketeers' Royal Mission
  • The Secret Balance of Allies
  • The Bonds of the Musketeers
  • On the Road to Picardy: Friendship and Fortune
  • A Coastal Encounter in Boulogne
  • Subtext and Suspicion in Dumas
  • The Shadow on the Rock
  • Power Struggles and Ominous Shadows
  • The Spark of Rebellion: Paris, 1648
  • A Day of Intrigue at Notre Dame
  • The Arrest of Councillor Broussel
  • The Spark of Rebellion: The Arrest of Broussel
  • The Riot at the Carriage
  • D'Artagnan's Rescue on the Pont Neuf
  • A Tempest in Paris: D'Artagnan's Rescue of Raoul
  • Duties and Loyalties: D'Artagnan and Raoul
  • The Intrigue of the Fronde
  • Intrigues of the French Court
  • The Spark of Rebellion: Gondy's Defiance
  • The Anatomy of a Conspiracy
  • The Anatomy of a Revolt
  • The Spark and the Hand: Power in the Shadows
  • The Mechanics of Rebellion: Gondy's Conspiracy
  • A Confectioner's Rebellion: Analyzing Planchet's Strategy
  • The Spark of Rebellion: Paris, 1648
  • The Spark of Rebellion: Paris on the Brink
  • A Night of Conspiracy
  • The Day Paris Rebelled
  • The Trapped Marshal: A Street Battle in Paris
  • A Riot Becomes a Revolution
  • The Spark of Rebellion: A Royal Confrontation
  • The Clash of Wills: Anne of Austria and the Coadjutor
  • The Anatomy of a Political Standoff
  • The Hidden Tension of the Fronde
  • The Spark of Rebellion: The Fronde
  • The Spark of Rebellion: The Broussel Affair
  • The Spark of the Fronde
  • The Queen's Secret Plan: Starving Paris
  • The Golden Cage: Anne and Mazarin's Escape Plan
  • The Spark of Remembrance: D'Artagnan's Recall
  • D'Artagnan's Double Summon
  • The Art of the Double Game
  • The Art of Intrigue: Analyzing D'Artagnan and Mazarin
  • A Dangerous Escape: Mazarin and D'Artagnan
  • The Art of Bargaining: Mazarin and D'Artagnan
  • The Art of Suspicion: D'Artagnan and Mazarin
  • The Great Escape: Analyzing Tension in Dumas
  • D'Artagnan's Great Escape
  • D'Artagnan's Bold Coup: The Palace Gate Trap
  • The Royal Escape: Midnight at the Palais Royal
  • The Midnight Flight of the King
  • The Power of De-escalation: D'Artagnan's Tactical Brilliance
  • The Royal Escape
  • The Midnight Escape of the Court
  • D'Artagnan's Straw Arbitrage
  • A Bed of Straw and a Secret Mission
  • A Hard-Bargained Mission: Inside Alexandre Dumas's Twenty Years After
  • D'Artagnan's Return to Paris
  • A Letter of Dire Warning
  • D'Artagnan's Noble Lie
  • D'Artagnan's Double Game
  • A Dangerous Alliance: D'Artagnan and Mordaunt
  • A Secret in the Shadows: Analyzing Chapter LV of Twenty Years After
  • Signs in the Shadows: Analyzing Dramatic Portents
  • The Betrayal of King Charles I
  • The Betrayal on the Tyne
  • The Betrayal of Charles Stuart
  • A Royal Sacrifice: The Escape Plan
  • The Great Escape Plan of King Charles
  • The Fall of Lord Winter
  • The Fall of Charles I
  • The Capture of King Charles
  • The Anatomy of Ambition: Cromwell and Mordaunt
  • The Price of Vengeance: Cromwell and Mordaunt
  • The Four Musketeers: Divided by Fate
  • The Clash of Duty and Honor
  • The Power of Four: Loyalty and Division in Dumas's World
  • The Art of the Pivot: D'Artagnan's Tactical Wit
  • The Art of the Bluff: D'Artagnan's Tactical Negotiation
  • The Art of the Escape: D'Artagnan's Masterclass
  • The Great Escape: D'Artagnan's Stratagem
  • A Split in the Ranks: The Musketeers' Dilemma
  • The Clash of Duty: Analyzing the Musketeers' Dilemma
  • Honor and Brotherhood in Exile
  • D'Artagnan's Clever Logic
  • Narrative Analysis: The Wounded Lackey
  • The Escape Route and the Bold Strategy
  • The Art of Social Camouflage
  • The Secret Toast: Subtext and Strategy
  • Analyzing a Rescue: D'Artagnan's Tactical Inquiry
  • The Art of the Bluff
  • D'Artagnan's Clever Game: Deception and Strategy
  • D'Artagnan's Tactical Play: The Art of the Setup
  • The Rescue of King Charles I
  • A Royal Rescue: The Tension of the Musketeers
  • The Secret Game: Analyzing the Escape Plan
  • The Suspense of the Unseen Hand
  • The Great Escape: Tactics of the Four Musketeers
  • The Art of the Disguise: The Musketeers in London
  • The 'Weeded' Parliament of 1648
  • The Trial of King Charles I
  • The Trial of King Charles I
  • The Trial of Charles I: The Outburst
  • The Trial of King Charles I
  • Justice on the Thames: The Captive King
  • The Atrocious Logic of Whitehall
  • The King's Last Hours: Charles I and the Shadow of Doom
  • A Plan in the Shadow of the Scaffold
  • The Four Musketeers: Anatomy of an Escape Plan
  • The Musketeers' Audacious Disguise
  • The Scaffold Plot
  • The King's Last Hours: Drama and Devotion in Dumas
  • The King's Last Farewell
  • The Execution of Charles I
  • The Last Moments of King Charles: An Analysis of Dumas' Dramatic Scene
  • The Aftermath of a King's Execution
  • The Trail of the Masked Executioner
  • The Mousetrap of D'Artagnan
  • The Secret Meeting of Cromwell and Mordaunt
  • Cromwell's Double Trap
  • The Hidden Passage and the Trap
  • The Duel of Honor: Analyzing the Tension in Alexandre Dumas
  • The Duel of Honor: Probability and Swordplay
  • The Duel and the Secret Door
  • The Race to the Lightning
  • The Trap on the Thames
  • A Dangerous Rendezvous at Greenwich
  • The Art of Suspicion: Analyzing D'Artagnan's Instincts
  • D'Artagnan's Inspection of the Vessel
  • The Art of the Marauder: Mousqueton's Logic
  • The Logic of Mousqueton's Heist
  • Suspense and the Unseen: Grimaud's Secret Mission
  • A Treacherous Cargo
  • A Fatal Nightmare: The Port Wine Mystery
  • The Great Escape: Analyzing D'Artagnan's Plan
  • The Great Escape and the Spark of Revenge
  • The Volcano of the Sea
  • The Mercy of Athos: A Dramatic Confrontation
  • The Death of Mordaunt
  • The Liquid Desert: Hope and Hazard in the English Channel
  • The Great Escape: Analyzing the Narrative Arc
  • The Strategic Separation at the Dunes
  • The High-Stakes Return
  • The Siege of Paris and the Return of the Musketeers
  • A Tense Encounter at the Paris Gates
  • Planchet's Rise to Power
  • The Return to Paris: A Literary Scene Analysis
  • The Drama of Misdirection
  • Honor, Grief, and Steel
  • Honor, Strategy, and the D'Artagnan Romances
  • Intrigue at the Hotel de Bouillon
  • Behind the Scenes of the Fronde
  • The Web of the Fronde
  • A Flood in Paris: Athos and Aramis Seek the Coadjutor
  • The Looming Battle of Charenton
  • The Road to Charenton: A Tactical Truce
  • Mapping the Loyalties of the Fronde
  • The Battle of Charenton: A Clash of Ideals
  • The Drama of Charenton
  • The Search for D'Artagnan: Reading Between the Lines
  • The Secret Trail of the Musketeers
  • The Trail of the Broken Blade
  • The Trail to Rueil
  • A Clash of Loyalties: Athos and Aramis
  • The Confrontation of Athos and Anne of Austria
  • A Game of Courtiers and Captives
  • The Arrest of Athos and Mazarin's Gambit
  • The Silent Battle: Anne and Mazarin
  • Power, Patience, and Precautions
  • The Psychology of Captivity: D'Artagnan and Porthos
  • Deciphering the Clues: D'Artagnan's Prison Strategy
  • The Hidden Neighbor: D'Artagnan's Discovery
  • The Art of the Strategic Conversation
  • Strength and Sagacity: The Escape Plan
  • The Art of the Escape: D'Artagnan's Tactical Plan
  • The Art of the Silent Takeover
  • D'Artagnan's Audacious Escapade
  • The Art of Patience and Strategy: D'Artagnan's Plan
  • The Cardinal's Secret Passage
  • The Tables Turned: Mazarin's Snare
  • The Tables Turned: Mazarin's Negotiation
  • The Great Escape: Outwitting Cardinal Mazarin
  • The Strategic Escape of the Musketeers
  • The Captured Cardinal: A Dramatic Escape
  • The Strategic Retreat to Pierrefonds
  • The Art of Negotiation: Mazarin and the Musketeers
  • The Art of Political Leverage: Mazarin's Corner
  • Strategy and the Three Musketeers
  • The Great Escape: D'Artagnan's Clever Leverage
  • D'Artagnan's Audacious Embassy
  • The Art of the Leverage: D'Artagnan's Negotiation
  • The Power of the Four Musketeers
  • The Art of the Bargain: D'Artagnan's Negotiation
  • The Art of the Royal Negotiator
  • The Spoils of the Treaty of Paris
  • The Hidden Gears of Peace: A Fronde Comedy
  • Intrigue, Love, and Escort: A Scene of Shadows and Shields
  • The Royal Return: Tension in Paris
  • The Clash at the Barriere des Sergents
  • The Aftermath of Battle: Rochefort's Fall and a Sudden Inheritance
  • The Fruits of Loyalty and Fortune
  • The Paths of the Four Musketeers

Watch this free lesson — play it in My Magic Pencil.

▶ Watch free on My Magic Pencil