Page 9 - Axel von Fersen v2

Louis XVI
Louis XVI is the King of France and the husband of Marie Antoinette. He is kind but weak and unable to make political decisions, nevertheless rule the country. His fatal mistake of letting France participate in the American Revolutionary War, with the consequence of France almost in financial ruin, makes him and his family extremely unpopular. A situation he is unable to change.
Characters
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette is only 15 years old when she leaves her family’s royal palace in Vienna to marry the future king of France, Louis XVI. She’s not only young and innocent, she’s a stranger in a new country and to a family she doesn’t know at all. It doesn’t work out at all and although her husband is kind to her, she is depressed about her situation. He is introverted, shy and indecisive whereas she is vivacious, outgoing and bold and a social butterfly. Knowing that she has no choice but to stay, she decides to have fun and that includes organizing opera balls, masquerades and other events. It is at one of these events she meets Axel von Fersen and for the first time she experiences joy, pleasure and love. But when Fersen leaves for America and she later gets pregnant, her life changes and she feels like a prisoner in her own home.