In Fiction
Charles IX is a supporting character in Alexandre Dumas' historical novel Queen Margot, which focuses on the marriage between Henry of Navarre and Margaret of Valois. The book depicts Charles as both a cold-hearted king who takes pleasure in the hunt, and a lonely and vulnerable man, influenced in politics by his relatives and allies. In this work of fiction, he is a frail and sickly ruler, and dies after reading a book poisoned with arsenic, which his mother intended for Henry of Navarre.
He has a small role in the Doctor Who story "The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve", portrayed by Barry Justice. The story portrays him as a kindly but weak-willed king who is dominated by his mother and persuaded by her to authorise the massacre despite his friendship with de Coligny.
Read more about this topic: Charles IX Of France
Famous quotes containing the word fiction:
“... fiction never exceeds the reach of the writer’s courage.”
—Dorothy Allison (b. 1949)
“... any fiction ... is bound to be transposed autobiography.”
—Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973)