Grantaire () is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

from the 1862 novel ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'' by

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

. He is a student from the South of France and is one of the principal characters of the revolutionary group known as the

Friends of the ABC The Friends of the ABC (french: Les Amis de l'ABC) is a fictional association of revolutionary French republican students featured in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. In French, the name of the society is a pun, in which '' abaissé ...

. According to the novel, the Friends of the ABC only tolerate him because of his good humour. He often signs with his rebus: R and, at one point,

Bossuet Bossuet is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet (1627–1704), French bishop and theologian, uncle of Louis * Louis Bossuet Louis Bossuet (22 February 1663 – 15 January 1742) was a French parle ...

calls him "Capital R." He is a gambler and often drunk.

Description

Physical appearance

Grantaire is not physically attractive; he is described as "particularly ugly" or "inordinately homely," Contrastingly,

Enjolras Enjolras () is a fictional character who acts as the charismatic leader of the Friends of the ABC in the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo. In both the novel and the musical that it inspired, Enjolras is a revolutionary who fights fo ...

is described as having "...long fair lashes, blue eyes, that hair flying in the wind, rosy cheeks, pure lips, exquisite teeth".

Morality

Grantaire is a

skeptic Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the pe ...

, believing in nothing, claiming to know nothing, with no values or goals. He takes little interest in the cause of the revolutionary students and is described in the novel as someone who was able to go along without any particular belief. His veneration, love, and admiration for Enjolras is the main reason that Grantaire spends time with

, despite Enjolras's scorn for his scepticism. Grantaire is the one in the group who knows the best places for everything in Paris and also about boxing, foot-fencing, and some dances.

Narrative

Grantaire plays a very small role in planning the fictitious

June Rebellion The June Rebellion, or the Paris Uprising of 1832 (french: Insurrection républicaine à Paris en juin 1832), was an anti-monarchist insurrection of Parisian republicans on 5 and 6 June 1832. The rebellion originated in an attempt by republ ...

. He is not an official member of the

but is always present, usually intoxicated. He stays because of his admiration, love, and veneration for Enjolras. It is suggested in the text that Grantaire's love for Enjolras is romantic in nature, although this is never explicitly stated. Enjolras and Grantaire are compared to

Orestes In Greek mythology, Orestes or Orestis (; grc-gre, Ὀρέστης ) was the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, and the brother of Electra. He is the subject of several Ancient Greek plays and of various myths connected with his madness and ...

and

Pylades In Greek mythology, Pylades (; Ancient Greek: Πυλάδης) was a Phocian prince as the son of King Strophius and Anaxibia who is the daughter of Atreus and sister of Agamemnon and Menelaus. He is mostly known for his relationship with his cous ...

as one cannot not come without the other. However, this is not an indication of any particular friendship or admiration from Enjolras' perspective. Enjolras is offended by Grantaire's nonchalance to their cause, on one occasion telling him not to "meddle in he L'ABC'saffairs". Grantaire is used as the narrative foil of

. On the day of the rebellion, Grantaire is unconscious from drink and wakes up only when Enjolras is about to be executed. Grantaire walked in front of the firing squad calling, "Vive la République," or "Long Live the Republic," and dies hand in hand with him.

Adaptions

Grantaire appears in many adaptions of ''Les Misérables'', including the

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

. In the 2012 film version of the musical, the character is played by

George Blagden George Paul Blagden (born 28 December 1989) is an English stage and film actor. He is best known for his role as Louis XIV in the French-produced television series drama ''Versailles.'' He also played Grantaire in the 2012 film adaptation of ...

. He is played by

Turlough Convery Turlough Convery (born 18 March 1991) is a Northern Irish actor. He is best known for his television roles in series 3 of the BBC America series ''Killing Eve'' and in the ITV series ''Sanditon''. He has appeared in films such as ''Ready Player O ...

in the 2018 BBC miniseries

References

{{lesmis Les Misérables characters Fictional revolutionaries Fictional French people Literary characters introduced in 1862