Blaisois in Twenty Years After

Who is Blaisois?

Blaisois is a valet attached to Porthos and one of the small corps of servants who travel and act with the four musketeers. He performs errands (Athos sends him to fetch Aramis), stands post during watches, and takes part in risky operations as a supporting hand: he helps in the flight from Newcastle, embarks on the felucca Lightning, and is among those forced into the water when the ship proves a floating mine. Blaisois wants to obey and keep out of trouble, but events repeatedly thrust him into peril; he responds with fear and hesitance yet follows his masters when ordered. His behavior—comic panic at the thought of swimming in the open sea, reluctance to jump overboard, and later safe arrival with the others—marks him as a human, fallible figure whose practical presence allows the principals to act. He does not lead but materially aids escapes and logistics, and his small acts (standing watch, being pushed into the longboat) have concrete effects on the musketeers’ survival and plans.

Personality

Loyal

He stays with Porthos and the other musketeers through multiple dangers, joining the escape from Newcastle (chapter 58) and boarding the felucca despite misgivings (chapters 71–72).

Timid

He fears the sea and declares he can 'only swim in rivers,' resisting at first when Porthos forces him overboard during the felucca evacuation (chapter 72).

Practical

He performs routine but necessary tasks—Athos sends him to fetch Aramis (chapter 42), and he mans posts and helps with boarding and small-boat operations (chapters 58, 71–72).

Comical

His exaggerated fright about being at sea and Mousqueton’s jokes about cannibalism in the little boat provide relief amid tension after they escape the felucca (chapter 64).

Character arc

Blaisois begins as a conventional valet: obedient, expected to do errands and stand watch. Early on he carries out simple commands (Athos sends him to fetch Aramis) and accompanies his masters without distinction. As the narrative forces the musketeers into peril, Blaisois’s role shifts from background servant to an active participant in life-or-death moments—he helps during the Newcastle escape and is present aboard the Lightning when Grimaud discovers the gunpowder. His timidity becomes central when the ship must be abandoned: Blaisois resists going into open water but is compelled by Porthos to jump; his panic and subsequent survival underscore both his vulnerability and his fidelity. After the landing and rescue, Blaisois recovers with the group, sharing in the relief and continuing to serve. He does not undergo a profound moral transformation; rather, his arc is one of exposure—being repeatedly thrust into danger reveals a servant who, despite fear, remains loyal and useful to his masters, shifting from peripheral errand-runner to tested member of the musketeers’ extended household.

Relationships

• Porthos Blaisois is Porthos’s valet, obeys his orders and depends on him for leadership during crises.
• Mousqueton A fellow servant who shares watch duties and comic exchanges with Blaisois on the small boat and felucca.
• Grimaud Another servant in the musketeers’ group; Grimaud’s discoveries and warnings pull Blaisois into action on the felucca.
• D’Artagnan Blaisois serves within the circle D’Artagnan helps organize; he follows plans that D’Artagnan and the captains execute during escapes.
• Athos Athos gives Blaisois orders indirectly as part of the larger household and relies on him to carry out errands and keep watch.

Why Blaisois matters

Blaisois embodies the loyal, often comic, human support that sustains the heroes. He highlights the social web behind the musketeers—the valets and servants whose obedience, fear, and small courage make grand actions possible. The contrast between his panic and his fidelity underscores themes of courage versus bravery: heroism in the novel is collective and depends on imperfect people doing necessary, sometimes undignified tasks. Blaisois also provides moments of levity that relieve tension and humanize the political and military drama surrounding the principal characters.

Chapters with Blaisois

• Chapter 41
• Chapter 42
• Chapter 43
• Chapter 55
• Chapter 58
• Chapter 61
• Chapter 65
• Chapter 67
• Chapter 70
• Chapter 71
• Chapter 72
• Chapter 64
• Chapter 76
• Chapter 79

More Twenty Years After characters

• PorthosMajor character
• AthosMajor character
• AramisMajor character
• Cardinal MazarinAntagonist
• GrimaudMajor character
• MordauntAntagonist
• MousquetonMinor character
• PlanchetMajor character