| Paul D'Arnot | |
|---|---|
 Photo of actor Franklin B. Coates who played Paul D'Arnot in The Revenge of Tarzan (1920). | |
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Real Name |
Paul D'Arnot |
|
First Appearance |
Tarzan of the Apes (1912) |
|
Original Publisher |
A. C. McClurg |
|
Created by |
Edgar Rice Burroughs |
Origin[]
In Tarzan of the Apes (1912), Paul d'Arnot, a French naval officer, was among the group of castaways rescued by Tarzan which also included Jane Porter and William Cecil Clayton.
After rescuing d'Arnot and the others from the natives, a rescue ship recovers the castaways. D'Arnot teaches Tarzan to speak French and offers to take Tarzan to the land of white men where he might connect with Jane again. On their journey, d'Arnot teaches him how to behave among white men. In the ensuing months, Tarzan eventually learns to speak English as well.
D'Arnot also later used clues from Tarzan's family cabin to prove Tarzan's true identity as John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke.
The Return of Tarzan picks up soon after the point at which Tarzan of the Apes concludes. The ape man, feeling rootless in the wake of his noble sacrifice of his prospects of wedding Jane Porter, leaves America for Europe to visit his friend Paul d'Arnot. On the ship he becomes embroiled in the affairs of Countess Olga de Coude, her husband, Count Raoul de Coude, and two shady characters attempting to prey on them, Nikolas Rokoff and his henchman Alexis Paulvitch.
At the end if the novel, Tarzan and Jane make their way up the coast to the former's boyhood cabin, where they encounter the remainder of the castaways of the Lady Alice, except for Clayton. D'Arnot is there with his naval ship and is preparing to rescue and return the party to civilization. Rokoff is arrested. The missing Clayton had been very ill and was abandoned by Rokoff at the location where he, Rokoff and Jane's boat had landed. Jane and Tarzan go to find him, but he dies in spite of Tarzan and Jane's efforts to help him.
In the film The Revenge of Tarzan (1920), a silent adventure film based on the The Return of Tarzan novel, Tarzan and Jane are traveling to Paris to help his old friend Countess de Coude, who is being threatened by her brother, Nikolas Rokoff. Rokoff has Tarzan tossed overboard. He survives, comes ashore in North Africa, and goes to Paris to search for Jane.
In Paris, Tarzan reunites with his old friend Paul D'Arnot, who informs him that Jane was taken to Africa.
Tarzan returns just in time to save Jane from a lion attack, and soon defeats Rokoff and his henchmen.
In the novel Tarzan and the Ant Men (1924), It is mentioned that Paul D’Arnot had been recognized as one of the cleverest swordsmen in the service and had trained his friend Tarzan in the art of fencing and swordsmanship.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Paul D'Arnot from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Tarzan of the Apes (1912)
- The Return of Tarzan (1913)
- Tarzan and the Ant Men (1924)
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- The Revenge of Tarzan (1920)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Tarzan Comic Strip (1929)