The Last Duel Analysis

The Last Duel provides a vivid story about the feud between Jacques Le Gris and Jean de Carrouges that led up to their battle in Saint-Martin-des-Champs in which Carrouges ends up victorious. Eric Jager argues throughout the story that Le Gris is at fault for causing the duel since he raped Carrouges’ wife. Providing a story to historical account is good when the evidence of history backs it up. Yet in this case, Jager makes up the most vital parts of his argument. Jager’s argument is unconvincing since the basis of his argument lies in circumstantial evidence and speculation. A feud between Le Gris and Carrouges, the rape of Marguerite, and a man who confesses to the crime show the way in which Jager’s argument falls apart.
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One of the biggest mysteries this story is the firmness in which Marguerite held for the story that Jager provides a vivid story. The rape of Capomesnil involved the lady Carrouges alone in the castle of his mother in law in which Le Gris’s accomplice ad himself would be let themselves in and Le Gris rapes her in her bed. As the text provides, a sample of the detail that says, “Seizing Marguerite by the arms, Le Gris dragged her over to the bed and roughly threw her onto it. Pinning her there face down, one huge hand gripping the back of her neck, he finished untying his boots, loosened his belt, and pulled down his legging.” (Jager, 66) Jager’s book depends on the vividness of the rape since without it, the rest of the events such as the reveal to Carrouges, telling their family, getting it to court and eventual duel depends on her account. One flaw in this very idea is the likelihood of a noblewoman truly being alone in a castle. He claims that all the servants went with Lady Carrouges but that just sounds unreasonable. The involvement of an accomplice is made in the case, but this is put into question by the court. Although Jager provides this evidence to show stubbornness of the accomplice of the squire, Adan Louvel was tortured during the case and did not confess to anything. (Jager, 120) At a time when torture was a viable source of information, this says a lot since in most cases a person would admit to anything yet the fact that he asserts his innocence means that he probably was not involved. The idea that Marguerite accuses Le Gris of this rape, then could show influence from his husband or the reputation Le Gris had for being a seducer of women. Either way, a bigger piece of evidence that Jager leaves out of his book is the possibility of another person involved, which he only mentions in the appendix of the