A Tale of Two Cities, Chapter 15 summary
Chapter 15 of 45 · Book 2: The Golden Thread · 17 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 15, a road mender tells Defarge and three associates how soldiers capture and hang the man who kills the Marquis, prompting them to condemn the château and its family. Madame Defarge records their targets in knitting, while a visit to Versailles shows how public enthusiasm can serve the couple’s plans against the powerful.
What happens
- Defarge brings a road mender to the crowded wine shop, then takes him upstairs to meet three men called Jacques.
- The road mender describes the tall prisoner’s capture, harsh treatment, confinement, and public hanging beside the village fountain.
- The listeners confirm that Defarge presents a petition to the King and Queen and receives a beating from their guards.
- Defarge and his associates condemn the château and its family, trusting Madame Defarge’s knitting to preserve their secret register.
- At Versailles, the road mender cheers the royal procession, while Madame Defarge keeps knitting.
- The Defarges explain how such cheering deceives the powerful and direct the road mender’s attention toward their wealth.
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In this chapter
What to notice
The response turns anger over the execution into collective punishment. It makes clear that the secret register targets a family, not just an individual offender.
Quick check
How does Madame Defarge preserve the secret register?
Cite this page
“A Tale of Two Cities, Chapter 15 summary.” Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/pages/a-tale-of-two-cities-chapter-15-summary.
Library of Alexandria. (2026). A Tale of Two Cities, Chapter 15 summary. https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/a-tale-of-two-cities-chapter-15-summary
“A Tale of Two Cities, Chapter 15 summary.” Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/a-tale-of-two-cities-chapter-15-summary.
@misc{a_tale_of_two_cities_chapter_15_summary_2026,
title = {A Tale of Two Cities, Chapter 15 summary},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/a-tale-of-two-cities-chapter-15-summary}
}
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