A sergeant in the French guard. Bibot criticizes another guard, Grospierre, for his “foolishness” in allowing the Scarlet Pimpernel to escape Paris with a family of aristocrats and is determined not to be tricked by the Englishman’s clever disguises. Bibot is tricked, however, when the Scarlet Pimpernel disguises himself as an old hag, and he allows the Scarlet Pimpernel to escape with the Comtesse de Tournay and her children. Bibot is described as a capable guard believed to be too smart to be “duped” by the Scarlet Pimpernel, and when this proves untrue, Orczy implies that the Scarlet Pimpernel, an Englishman, is smarter than Bibot and by extension the entire French guard and government. Like Grospierre, Bibot is also a cautionary tale against hubris. He thinks himself too clever and is made an example of when he ostensibly is punished at the guillotine.
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Sergeant Bibot Character Timeline in The Scarlet Pimpernel
The timeline below shows where the character Sergeant Bibot appears in The Scarlet Pimpernel. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: Paris: September, 1792
...Usually, the fleeing aristocrats are caught at the town barricades by citizen soldiers like Sergeant Bibot. Stationed at the West Gate, Bibot is known around Paris for his “wonderful nose” that...
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Everyone assumes that Bibot will be the one to catch the Scarlet Pimpernel. The Englishman’s disguises have become increasingly...
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Knowing of the Scarlet Pimpernel’s resourcefulness, Bibot approaches his job with the utmost seriousness, closely inspecting each cart. “You never know,” Bibot...
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Minutes later, a guard anxiously approaches Bibot, looking for the hag and her cart. Comtesse de Tournay and her children are hiding...
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