A Woman Who Will Not Be Silenced-Battling to be Believed in The Last Duel: Part Two
*Trigger Warning-this article contains discussion of rape and sexual assault*
Marguerite is then subjected to a brutal rape, which many have commented bears little difference from Le Gris’ version. However, watching the rape from Marguerite’s perspective as a woman is far harder-hitting, graphic and vicious than is shown in the narratives of the men. Highly distressed, she begs him: “please don’t do this” as his pleasure moans contrast with her screams of terror. As Carrouges does, he looks away from Marguerite during intercourse. Instead, he takes what he wants and once he has been satisfied he leaves, warning her: ‘for your own safety, say nothing’. However, Le Gris underestimates Marguerites’ courage and burning determination, to tell the truth—this woman will not “say nothing”, she will not remain silent.
After the ordeal, she is left shaken and in disbelief. Disorientated with no one to soothe her, she takes a bath to cleanse herself of any trace of Le Gris. We see she is marked with bruises, evidence of violence that is never picked up on by her husband. In the days following the attack, Marguerite stops eating and is triggered by sounds relating to her attack such as hearing a knock on the door; the effects of her assault are long-lasting.
When Courrages returns from Paris, he immediately expects sex. As Marguerite struggles to tell him what has happened, he grows impatient. Disclosing to him that she has been raped by Le Gris she is met not with compassion and concern but is instantly questioned. Holding her by the throat, Carrouges becomes physically aggressive as he demands of her: ‘You did not provoke him? Could you not run?’ He eventually releases her and finally settles on believing her account. However, this is fuelled by the prospect of being able to bring another charge against Le Gris for the wrong he has done him in the past rather than seeking justice for Marguerite. Astoundingly, he equates the incident, not to Marguerite-whose pain he has not recognised, but to himself as he bemoans: ‘can this man do nothing but evil to me? With incredible inner power, Marguerite announces that she wants Le Gris to answer for what he has done and that she cannot do this without her husbands’ support. Carrouges agrees to this but it is clear this is to advance his own designs rather than to seek justice for the attack upon his wife. He does not stop to ask how she feels or respect the trauma she is experiencing. Instead, he forces her to bed, affirming: ‘I will not allow him to be the last man to know you.’ For Carrouges, Marguerite is no different to the land he bargained for-she is a territory, a conquest to be won and owned.
Having made the decision to go public with her accusation of rape against Le Gris, Marguerite finds herself under mounting pressure and intense scrutiny. Carrouges holds a meeting with their associates to gain support, notably, this is governed and led by him, in his words, while Marguerite is left silent again. Within this circle of observant faces, she is questioned again as to whether she is telling the truth. As though to test her validity they inquire if she is prepared to swear to this in a larger, formal setting. She answers in the affirmative but Carrouges seeks to obscure and minimise her ordeal once more by declaring to the room that they must proceed because they have “both suffered a wrong.”
While Carrouges spreads the word, his mother confronts Marguerite, trying to bully her into withdrawing the accusation. Claiming she is putting her son’s life at risk, she denounces her for bringing: “nothing but shame upon this family”. Before our hearts can harden solidly to her, however, she discloses to Marguerite that she herself has been a victim of rape. After her ordeal, she chose to carry on without bringing the perpetrator to justice. Marguerite’s story undoubtedly brings up old wounds and scars from the past and reminds her of regret that she was unable to speak out in the same way. But it also illuminates the fact that rape is never just black and white there are many shades of grey.
Despite pleading with her husband for her allegation to be tried in the courts, Carrouges ego wins out again as a trial is convened to decide if death by combat will take place instead. This means that Carrouges' aptitude in a duel will determine the truth, rather than Marguerite's account. A (now heavily pregnant) Marguerite sits in the middle of a crowded hall and although surrounded by people she is in this moment (as in her ordeal), totally alone. Much of the speaking is done by male officials, a reminder that Marguerite’s voice is constantly eclipsed by males in authority. In a nightmarish moment of gaslighting, it is put to her that, given she has admitted to finding Le Gris attractive, perhaps she has dreamt her ordeal. She is questioned as to why she has been unable to bear an heir with Carrouges and yet post assault she finds herself to be pregnant. It is further insinuated that she has slept with another lover and tried to pin this on Le Gris with a false accusation. As the sea of faces are fixed directly on her, she is asked publicly if she enjoys intercourse with her husband and whether she experiences an orgasm. In an assertion that is almost impossible to believe, the court suggests that rape cannot cause pregnancy because there is no pleasure involved and therefore begin to question the possibility that she might have enjoyed the rape. Tearful and humiliated she asks “how is one supposed to enjoy a rape?.”
King Charles VI (Alex Lawther) asks if Carrouges has explained the penalty for bearing false witness (to be stripped, strewn, put in an iron collar, lashed to a post and burnt to death). Although the moment Marguerite confirms this, we later find that he did not disclose this and therefore he takes away her capacity to make an informed decision. A duel is granted and as they exit the hearing, Marguerite is met not with support from her husband but anger as he corners her to tell her how she has “disgraced me”. She looks him directly in the eye and speaks the truth “my fate and the fate of my child will not be decided by God but by which man will tire first.” He continues to claim that he is laying down his life for her but his motivation is built not on love, but on vanity and pride. Shortly after the hearing, Marguerite gives birth to a son and nursing him she expresses her fears about not seeing him grow up, all she can do now is wait.
On the day of the duel, the crowds gather to witness the grotesque spectacle but Marguerite stands firm “I say before all of you, I spoke the truth.” However, this is meaningless for the outcome as she must stand watching, passive and powerless to influence her own fate. A bloody and bitter duel ensues, culminating with Carrouges overpowering Le Gris. In a reversal of the rape he committed on Marguerite, Le Gris is pinned down by his friend unable to move. Carrouges urges him to confess but he continues to claim innocence, even swearing on the damnation of his soul.
When Carrouges emerges victorious, Marguerite exhales quietly and is unshackled. Carrouges is applauded and recognised by the King for his ‘humility and strength,’ accolades that rightfully belong to Marguerite who goes unspoken of and unacknowledged. Husband and wife embrace and he gestures towards her but this seems more for the crowd than in recognition of his wife. As they ride through the bustling streets lined with streams of people, Carrouges raises his sword and puffs out his chest masochistically, finally, he is the recipient of the recognition he has been craving. However, he fails to discern that this has come at a heavy price. While he basks in glory, Marguerite remains (as she has been compelled to throughout the film) silent—she is bruised but she has survived. In an epilogue, she is shown radiant and soaked in the sunshine as she and her son play in a field of flowers. Although she looks the most joyful and content we have seen her, the memory is still detectable behind her eyes. She may have had to battle to be believed but the truth is all her own.