The truth is a mystery. It is a pieced-together narrative based on facts. A component can be moved around and produce a whole new result. Even perception plays a role. For the fly, the truth may be chaotic, while for the spider, it may be normal. Although society considers truth to be an absolute, most artists are aware that it does not. For us, telling a lie is the purest form of telling a narrative, and the truth is actually a lie in and of itself. Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa delves into a similar depth. In his 13th-century mediaeval drama The Last Duel, directed by Ridley Scott and inspired by the creativity of the auteur, Scott searches for the definition of truth.
The movie, which is based on Eric Jager’s novel, depicts a true story of the final legal battle to be conducted in mediaeval France. In order to represent the three different accounts of the same incident, Nicole Holofcener, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck broke the story into three parts for the screenplay. All three of the stories were obviously false, and only one of them was telling the truth. Let’s investigate the truth behind the story and the rationale for the lies.
The Last Duel Plot Summary Why was the Last Duel Announced?
The two fearsome warriors of Medieval France, Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), formerly had an unbreakable relationship.
Having been born into royalty, Jean, the barbaric soldier, was entitled to the captaincy of Fort Belleme, which his family had held for many years. Jacques, on the other hand, was reared in a church without a name or a lot of money. Thus, he evolved into a man of words and battle. They engaged in combat at the 1370 Battle of Limoges. The troops were ordered to guard the bridge by the new Count Pierre d’Alenon (Ben Affleck), but Jean attacked the adversaries to show his bravery. Jean made a foe when he disobeyed Pierre’s orders despite saving Jacques’ life.
Pierre assumed control of Jean on King Charles VI’s directive and launched an effort to collect war levies. Jacques was given the task of collecting the debt by Pierre, who was pleased with his dedication and politeness. Soon after, Jacques went to Jean’s property to pick up the taxes. The epidemic cost Jean the majority of his workers, his wife, and his child, and he received little in rent payments to cover his debts. However, he was aware that Pierre would not be as sympathetic to his situation as Jacques was. So, in order to raise the funds, he made the decision to engage in yet another conflict, The Battle of Normandy (1380).
Robert de Thibouville gave shelter to Jean and his troops after the battle. Robert dropped by Jean at supper with his lovely daughter Marguerite. Robert betrayed the French king by supporting the English at the Battle of Poitiers. No one wanted to marry Marguerite since he had a traitor’s mark on him. Jean didn’t hesitate when he demanded Marguerite’s hand from Robert to pay his obligations to Pierre after learning that there was a dowry involved.
In the dowry, Jean desired a plot of land he called Aunou-Le-Faucon. However, Jacques stole the land from Robert since he owed Pierre money. The Aunou-Le-Faucon was a gift from Pierre to Jacques in recognition of his service. It was one of the first sneaky tricks Pierre used to sour the friendship between Jean and Jacques.
Later, after Jean’s father passed away, Pierre gave Jacques command of Fort Belleme. Jean’s warrior ego was shattered by Pierre’s choice, and he vented his rage on both Pierre and Jacques. But he had no choice. Jean was simply a squire, but Pierre was a powerful man. Jean was exiled from the court by him.
But when Jacques first laid eyes on Marguerite and fell in love with him, Jean’s pride took a serious knock. In 1386, Jacques entered Jean’s castle without Jean’s permission and raped Marguerite. Jean made the decision to exact revenge on Jacques when he returned from Paris. In the king’s court, he challenged Jacques to a death-defying duel. According to the duel’s regulations, the victor would be found guilty of all charges against him.
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Why Does Jean s Version of the Truth Don t Matter?
Theories about The Last Duel
Jean thought a terrible crime had been perpetrated. However, he wasn’t there when Marguerite was attacked. As a result, Marguerite’s narratives played a major role in shaping Jean’s recollection of what actually happened.
Jean had his own personal motivations for exacting revenge on Jacques, and he was unconcerned about the facts. First of all, Jacques took the beloved Aunou-Le-Faucon. Second, Pierre transferred to Jacques the leadership of Fort Belleme that had been in his family for many years. Third, Jacques began making fun of Jean in front of the judge.
How Does Jacques Version of the Narrative Hold Him Accountable for Rape?
During the Battle of Scotland (1385), Jean was qualified for knighthood, but Pierre and Jacques refused to accept him, further infuriating him. The attack on Marguerite served as Jean’s justification for launching his sword at Jacques.
Jacques frequently held the opinion that he had never purposefully harmed Jean in his narrative. He had no intention of betraying his friend because the Aunou-Le-Faucon and Fort Belleme were bestowed. But Jacques never knew that he had turned into Pierre’s puppet.
Pierre introduced Jacques to Marguerite and piqued his curiosity about her. Marguerite was a smart woman who didn’t deserve a barbaric illiterate like Jean, he said Jacques. Jacques fell in love with Marguerite the moment he laid eyes on her. He began pursuing Marguerite like a creep, only hoping to get an opportunity to talk to her. Jacques and Sir Jean got into a verbal altercation, and Jacques made the decision to teach Jean a lesson and proclaim his love to Marguerite.
Together with his close friend Adam Louvel, Jacques entered an unattended castle and forcibly abducted Marguerite. Marguerite was the recipient of his sentiments. However, in his blind mania, Jacques raped Marguerite when she refused to embrace his love. Marguerite was warned that if she didn’t keep the incident a secret, Jean would murder her.
Even when Jacques admitted his transgressions to a priest, he gave the explanation that he committed adultery because of love. Throughout his story, Jacques maintained that his heinous deed was motivated by love. She made the normal protest, of course, but she is a woman, he informed Pierre. Perhaps Jacques was too young to fully grasp the meaning of consent.
Why Did Marguerite Want To Get Rid of Jean?
Pierre encouraged Jacques in his transgressions and said that people with regular minds cannot comprehend the depths of love. Consequently, Jacques refuted the accusations made against him in front of the King and chose to use the Duel to establish his innocence.
When Jacques informed Pierre that Marguerite objected, but he forced himself upon her out of love, he had already admitted his sins in his version of the truth. To get rid of Jean or have a child, Marguerite allegedly lured Jacques, according to Marguerite’s account of events.
In Marguerite’s version, a textual super-screen was introduced first. The letters The Truth remained on the screen briefly after the transition, maybe giving viewers a hint that this version might be the real narrative.
In order to obtain Marguerite’s dowry and a potential royal heir, Jean married her. The beginning of Marguerite’s tale was when Jean shamefully begged for Aunou-Le-Faucon in front of the royal guests who had attended Marguerite’s wedding in the chapel. The scene demonstrated how less educated Jean valued dowries over his more sophisticated and educated wife, Marguerite.
Jean coerced Marguerite into becoming pregnant each night. He was a man who had no concept of intimacy or passion. He was prepared to assign Marguerite the blame for being unable to conceive in his male ego. Even Jean was of the opinion that a passionate warrior could not possibly be toxic like all other males. Marguerite’s version of the reality duly highlighted all these little facts.
Marguerite took over the estate and ran it with grace after Jean left to fight in the Battle of Scotland. She enjoyed taking care of the day-to-day affairs, and the skin of a working woman gave her an alluring aura. Marguerite, who was educated, aspired to be more than just a trophy wife there to bear a male heir. She aspired to employment and parity with men. But she was aware that as soon as Jean got back from his campaign, all of this joy would be gone.
Did Marguerite Frame Jacques?
Note:Eric Jager’s book has been reviewed in more detail.
One theory is that Marguerite enticed Jacques in order to get rid of Jean. Jacques tried to kiss her more than she anticipated when they first met. Marguerite was aware of Jacques’ dislike for Jean and saw his propensity to gravitate toward her. Marguerite purposefully informed Jean that Jacques was in Agrentan before he left Scotland for Paris. Marguerite kept a close eye on Jacques, so maybe she knew what he was up to.
As a result, Marguerite welcomed Jacques by opening the door on the day when no one was present at the estate. Marguerite desired a child and liked Jacques. Who could have been more ideal than Jacques, the intelligent and appealing warrior? Marguerite became pregnant shortly after the attack, and the baby was probably Jacques’. Most likely, Jacques committed rape, and it was still a crime. Even though Marguerite planned the entire scenario, she did it for a reason. There were few ways to get justice in a feudal society, especially for women.
Marguerite later set up Jacques in order to protect her reputation and get rid of Jean. She thought that, as he did throughout the movie, Jean would provoke his own fate in his ferocious wrath. And that is what took place. Jacques was challenged to a duel by Jean. She thought that if Jean died in the duel, she would inherit her estate and have a child to share her life with. However, something went awry.
The Last Duel Ending, Explained Who Won The Duel?
The priest warned Marguerite that she would also be burnt alive for fabricating evidence against Jacques if Jean lost the duel after an embarrassing disgrace in the king’s court. Marguerite didn’t anticipate that Jean would be willing to sacrifice his wife and kid for his honour.
As Jean prepared for the final combat with Jacques, Marguerite gave birth to a boy. Because Marguerite’s life hinged on Jean’s success, she was forced to stand by her husband during this bloody conflict. Perhaps her strategy to get rid of Jean wasn’t as successful as she had hoped.
In front of the king and his royal court, Jean and Jacques squared off against one another for the final time on December 29 in Paris. Jacques was compelled to confess to his misdeeds after being vanquished by Jean during a fierce struggle. But even at the very end, Jacques resisted the need to admit guilt. Carrouges, there was no rape, he informed Jean. I am not guilty of the offence! His words might elicit one of two reactions. Jacques may have been duped into performing the crime by Marguerite, or he may not have recognised his vicious deed as a rape.
Jean abused Marguerite after the duel. She had described Jacques as attractive, and Jacques’s deathbed admission convinced Jean that his friend was telling the truth. Jean believed Marguerite distorted the truth for her own personal gain. Whatever the cause, Jean was able to redeem his dignity and establish himself as a respected fighter in France as a result of this duel. While Jacques, his adversary and someone he desperately wanted to get rid of, was publicly hung while nude.
But Marguerite’s suffering didn’t end with Jacques’ demise. Jean participated in the Holy Crusade fight and lost his life in combat, as was noted in the epilogue scene. Marguerite didn’t live a comfortable and contented life as the lady of the estate until after his passing. Marguerite was fully aware of the joys of being an independent woman as well as the problems that men brought into her life. She thus never got married again following Jean’s passing. Marguerite desired a child and tranquilly more than she wanted Jean or Jacques.
Also Read: Eric Jager’s Book Ending & The Last Duel Theories
