Chapters 8 and 9 Summary and Analysis

By 1793, the health of King Louis XV had deteriorated markedly. Although still just in his fifties, he appeared older, Erickson writes, and the opinion of his courtiers was that his lavish life was hurrying him to his grave. Seemingly unaware that her influence at court was entirely dependent on her connection to the king, Madame Du Barry continued to spend extravagantly and plan enormous parties, which fewer and fewer people attended.

Also seemingly unaware of the impending situation was the seventeen-year-old Antoinette, who would soon wield considerable power once her husband became king. Her contemporaries wrote that she seemed indifferent or ignorant of her growing responsibilities, Erickson explains, but the author speculates that Antoinette was instead intimidated by the prospect of becoming Queen of France and sought to put it out of her mind by pretending nothing was happening...