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Arnaud du Tilh/The Returned Martin
Pierre is Monsieur Guerre’s brother. When Monsieur Guerre dies, Pierre takes over as the head of the house. Solid and dependable, Pierre restores a sense of safety to the farm. When the man who appears to be Martin Guerre returns to Artigues, Pierre is overjoyed. Certain that this man is his nephew, Pierre does not believe Bertrande when she develops the suspicion that the man is an imposter; like everyone else, he decides that Bertrande is either confused or mad. However, when Martin does not recognize the Rochefort soldier and then mysteriously asks Pierre for a sum of money, Pierre himself starts to suspect that the man claiming to be Martin is an imposter. Therefore, when Bertrande begs Pierre to believe that she is not mad, he takes pity on her and becomes her ally, testifying against the man claiming to Martin (Arnaud du Tilh) at the man’s trial.
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Pierre Character Timeline in The Wife of Martin Guerre
The timeline below shows where the character Pierre appears in The Wife of Martin Guerre. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1: Artigues
...nature: it would not have been like him to grow old. After Monsieur Guerre’s brother, Pierre, assumes the role of master and restores order to the farm, Bertrande thinks that it...
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Suddenly, there is a commotion in the courtyard. Pierre bursts into the room, followed by Martin’s sister and a bearded man in a suit...
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Pierre urges the returned Martin to embrace Bertrande. When she feels the man’s hands on her,...
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...the returned Martin. Bertrande comes and goes from the table, looking in disbelief at Martin. Pierre tells the priest of Artigues how he ran into Martin by the church; Martin then...
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...an inn flags down the returned Martin as he returns from church with his sister, Pierre, and the priest. The owner sends out a soldier from Rochefort who says he is...
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Pierre threatens to arrest the “pig,” but the returned Martin regrets that he disappointed the man;...
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...give Martin his official consent for a journey: after harvest, Martin should borrow money from Pierre, go to Toulouse, and return with a gift for Bertrande. Martin agrees.
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A few days later, Bertrande calls Pierre into her room, where she stands wrapped in a black cape. Bertrande beseeches Pierre to...
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...from the fields into the house, where Bertrande formally accuses him of being an imposter. Pierre stands beside Bertrande, but Sanxi bursts into tears and flings himself at the guards, scratching...
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Part 2: Rieux
At the trial, the returned Martin is charged with misrepresentation and theft. Pierre asks that Martin do public penance, pay a fine, and give Bertrande 10,000 livres. For...
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...decapitation. Bertrande jumps up, crying that she does not want Arnaud’s death. She faints in Pierre’s arms. The prisoner, despite the news of his death sentence, looks at Bertrande with joy.
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Part 3: Toulouse
...the truth. Martin’s sister says that it is the truth only to Bertrande and to Pierre, who distrusts change. Bertrande says that if Martin is Martin Guerre, the real Arnaud would...
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On the way to Toulouse, Bertrande rides between Pierre and the housekeeper. Bertrande is sure that Martin is dead and that Arnaud killed him:...
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...hostess says that the guests are discussing the Catholics’ brutal murder of Protestants in Amboise. Pierre says that the world is falling apart: judging by the faces of the guests, a...
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The next morning, Bertrande awakes feeling unrested. After breakfast, she follows Pierre through crowded streets to the courthouse. Bertrande wonders why she is in this “unhappy” town,...
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In the courtroom, Bertrande and Pierre are questioned separately before the judges and the prisoner. While Bertrande is questioned, Arnaud du...
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...du Tilh’s dignity does not waver. Meanwhile, a guard is sent to fetch Bertrande and Pierre. Being told nothing by the guard, Bertrande and Pierre suspect that they have lost.
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After Pierre enters the courtroom, Bertrande is sent in. When she arrives in front of the judges,...
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