The Three Musketeers (Les Trois Mousquetaires) was published in 1844 in a Parisian magazine

entitled Siecle. The publication was serialized, meaning each subsequent issue of the magazine contained
an additional section of the story. It caused a popular sensation: long lines anticipated each new issue of
Siecle. The French public could not get enough of Dumas's writing.
The novel has been adapted for over sixty films and spin-offs and has sold millions of copies in
hundreds of languages all over the world. Despite the fact that it is very long and is filled with improbable
events, larger-than-life characters, and exaggerated dialogueor because of these traitsit is a fast,
exciting read and still feels fresh and entertaining despite the time that has elapsed since it was written.
The Three Musketeers is a rare treasure--a work that is both "important" and fun. We study it
because it represents an important development in historical and popular fiction. Parisians stood in line in
1844 because Dumas's developments all come down to one essential point--his stories were more exciting
and accessible than those of anyone who had gone before him. Dumas's brilliant concept was to combine
the historical novel and the Romance into a single story.
Dumas brought these two forms together in a way that revolutionized the historical novel. Before Dumas,
the form was plagued by slow pace, labored historicity, and archaic prose. Dumas deliberately wrote in
modern, conversational prose. He made his story more important than the history surrounding it. Dumas
allows his characters to drive us through the history, providing the background as the story
progresses. It is not that Dumas is not interested in creating a sense of period and place--indeed, he does
so masterfully and seamlessly behind the narrative, while we scarcely know it's happening. Dumas wrote
fast-reading adventure stories that evoked history without being bogged down by it.
Following the chaos and violence of the French Revolution, 19th century France was a nation in turmoil.
The people latched on to Dumas's novels because the novels gave them a sense of their own common
history, something that fostered their sense of national pride. The novel creates a Romance of history
that is sweeping, entertaining, and grand, and takes out all the bits that might have made his public
uncomfortable.
Historicity
As a historical novel, The Three Musketeers organizes its story around some of the major characters and
events of 17th century French history. Cardinal Richelieu, Anne of Austria, and other important
characters really lived and acted at least roughly the way they do in the novel.
The Three Musketeers is inspired by a 17th century work entitled Memoires de d'Artagnan by Gatien de
Cortilz de Sandras, which Dumas and Maquet stumbled across in their research. This work essentially
became an outline for part I of The Three Musketeers. At the time, Dumas did not believe that the
Cortilz novel was historical, but thought he was simply plagiarizing and developing a previous
writer's work. But Dumas claimed in his original introduction to The Three Musketeers that he thought
the work was historical, not wanting to seem plagiaristic himself. Ironically, the Memoires are, in fact,
historically based.
D'Artagnan, the hero of The Three Musketeers, was really Charles de Batz-Castelmore, and hailed
from Gascony, just as Dumas writes. He took the name of Sieur of Artagnan from a property his mother's
family owned. He left Gascony not in 1625, as in the novel, but in 1640. He had a distinguished career
not under Louis XIII and Richelieu, but their successors Mazarin and Louis XIV, and he rose through the
ranks to great distinction until he died in service in 1673 at the Siege of Maestricht.
Athos, Porthos, and Aramis are also based on real Musketeers. Porthos was Isaac de Portau, a
member of the Captain des Essarts's company of the King's Guards until 1643, and then a Musketeer with
d'Artagnan (Charles Castelmore, that is). Aramis was Henry d'Aramitz, related to Monsieur de Treville,
and Musketeer from 1640 on--we know little of him beyond that. Athos was Armand de Sillegue, Seigner
d'Athos et d'Autevielle, also related to Treville. He was a King's Musketeer who died in Paris in 1643, but
little is known beyond that--there is some indication on his death certificate that he died as a result of a
duel.
The major historical figures in the novel are all more or less accurate, in terms of the basic facts
presented. Louis XIII, Anne of Austria, Cardinal Richelieu, and Monsieur de Treville are all presented

without grave historical inaccuracies. And there were, indeed, King's Musketeers under Louis XIII--they
existed as a sort of training ground for the elite of the French army, and served as the King's personal
escort in peacetime. Treville and the Cardinal were great adversaries, as Dumas portrays them--in
fact, Treville was involved in a 1642 plot to assassinate the Cardinal, and Louis XIII was forced to
banish his friend. And Richelieu did have his own, similarly elite, company of Guards, which did have a
great rivalry with the Musketeers, as Dumas describes.
In general, then, we see that Dumas's novel is at least based in history, although he takes great departures.
The one great exception to this is Lady de Winter. Courtilz's "Milady" is an entirely private individual,
one of the Queen's exiled ladies-in-waiting, with whom his d'Artagnan does indeed have an unscrupulous
affair. But she has nothing to do with the Cardinal; certain faux-memoirs that Dumas used provided the
detail of a lady "Clarick" who is associated with the theft of the diamond brooch from Buckingham that
Dumas relates. Dumas fuses these elements, then, and creates an entirely fictitious character with his
Milady. It is interesting that this fictitious character is allowed to so totally dominate part II of the
novel, and this certainly says something about Dumas's loyalty to historicity. Milady became a
fascinating character, and Dumas was far more concerned with creating interesting fiction, and tying
that into history, than in remaining blindly loyal to history.
What is a Romance?
In terms of literary reference, the term "Romance" is a hard one to pin down. The genre is not specific to a
given time or place; it is rather a theme throughout the history of literature. A classic example is Mallory's
Le Morte d'Arthur, the legend of King Arthur. Most of the works that scholars would describe as
Romances were based on folk tales and written down from the 12th through 14th centuries, mostly in
France. However, the term can comfortably be applied to works from more recent eras.
Broadly speaking, the elements of a Romance can be considered: Quest, the centrality of love as a plot
and character motivation, a mixture of immorality with an allegiance to chivalric values, a narrative
packed with events, stock characters, and religion.
Quest: the story is centered on some quest or goal, some action. It is an adventure, toward a certain end,
which culminates in the success of the mission.
Love: in Romance, love is not viewed skeptically; rather, it is taken as a powerful and true force which
drives people to do anything, and motivates their actions.
Immorality: the characters in a Romance, heroes as well as villains, often behave in ways which are
bare-facedly amoral and wrong. One of the great characteristics of the Romance is this immorality oddly
juxtaposed with allegiance to chivalric virtue.
Chivalry: the heroes in any Romance are guided by the ideals of Chivalry, a moral code that has its
origins in medieval knighthood. Many Romances are legends about knights; the King Arthur is in many
ways the archetypal Romance. Chivalry entails defending one's honor at all costs, to the death if
necessary. It also entails treating women's honor similarly--a chivalric man must protect the body and
honor of a woman with his life.
Narrative Eventfulness: the Romance, following its heroes' pursuit of their Quest, is packed with events
and exciting, dramatic encounters. In fact, a Romance is often so crowded with events that, judged by
modern standards, it can seem monotonous in its continual action. Dumas certainly uses the Romance's
eventfulness, but he avoids the pitfall of boring eventfulness with effective pacing and composition.
Stock Characters: the traditional Romance relies on common and recognizable, rather than individual,
characters. Dumas uses stock characters at times--the greedy innkeeper, the aging, discontented wife, etc.
However, although there are certainly recognizable characteristics in some of his central players, Dumas's
main characters are vivid, original, and compellingly enough drawn to achieve great individuality.
Religion: religious themes are an intimate part of the archetypal Romance. The Arthur legends, for
instance, draw on a great deal of fable and mysticism, but Christianity is also a strong presence,
particularly in the central story of the Holy Grail. Dumas does not involve more mystical religious
elements into his story, but rather, in a clever spin on the standard Romantic usage, makes religion an

integral part of his story on two fronts. First it uses the Cardinal's presence as the primary antagonist of
part I, and the presence of his heroes at the siege of La Rochelle throughout part II, a siege that was part
of the Cardinal's Catholic war against the Protestants.
D'Artagnan - The central character of the novel, d'Artagnan is a young, impoverished Gascon
nobleman who comes to make his fortune in Paris. He is brave, noble, ambitious, crafty, and intelligent.
Like any Romantic hero, he is driven by love and ruled by chivalry, but occasionally prone to fall into
amoral behavior.
Athos - The most important of the Three Musketeers, Athos is something of a father figure to d'Artagnan.
He is older than his comrades, although still a young man. Athos is distinguished in every way--intellect,
appearance, bravery, swordsmanship--yet he is tortured by a deep melancholy, the source of which no one
knows.
Aramis - A young Musketeer, one of the great Three. Aramis is a handsome young man, quiet and
somewhat foppish. He constantly protests that he is only temporarily in the Musketeers, and that any day
now he will return to the Church to pursue his true calling. Aramis has a mysterious mistress, Madame de
Chevreuse, a high noblewoman, whose existence and identity he tries to keep from his friends.
Porthos - Porthos, the third of the Three Musketeers, is loud, brash, and self-important. He is extremely
vain, and enjoys outfitting himself handsomely; but for all that, he is a valiant fighter and a courageous
friend. His mistress is Madame Coquenard, the wife of a wealthy attorney.
Lady de Winter - A mysterious, beautiful, dangerous, and ultimately evil Cardinalist agent. D'Artagnan
becomes obsessed with her, but eventually she and the Musketeers become fierce adversaries. Milady has
a secret, and she kills anyone who finds it out--her left shoulder is branded with the Fleur-de-Lis, a mark
put on the worst criminals.
Madame Bonacieux - Wife of Monsieur Bonacieux and lady-in-waiting for Queen Anne. Madame
Bonacieux is loyal to the Queen through and through. D'Artagnan falls in love with her, and in doing so
gets involved in the Queen's secret affairs.
Monsieur Bonacieux - D'Artagnan's landlord, and Madame Bonacieux's husband. He originally comes
to d'Artagnan for help when Madame Bonacieux is kidnapped, but after a private audience with the
Cardinal, turns on his wife and becomes a Cardinalist agent.
Monsieur de Treville - The head of the King's Musketeers. Monsieur de Treville is an honorable and
distinguished gentleman, and close friend to the King. He treats all his Musketeers as his sons, and is an
important figure of support for the young d'Artagnan. He is a rival of Cardinal Richelieu for favor and
influence with the King.
King Louis XIII - King of France. Louis XIII is not much of a ruler, and is dominated by his advisors,
most notably Cardinal Richelieu, the most powerful man in France. He is a petulant and petty person, and
those around him who are most successful are those who have learned to manipulate his pettiness.
Cardinal Richelieu - The King's most influential advisor, Richelieu is the most powerful and important
man in France. He is furiously self-absorbed, but also an extremely effective leader of the state. Richelieu
works hard to maintain the reputation and power of the king, since this is the stock on which his own
status is based.
Queen Anne - Queen of France. Anne is Spanish, and her loyalties are divided between her Spanish
heritage, her position as Queen of France, and her love for George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham. The
King does not trust her, or particularly like her, and the Cardinal hates her. Anne leads an unhappy life in
the court.
George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham - Favorite and Minister of War for King Charles I of
England. Buckingham is the perfect English gentleman, handsome, witty, brave, wealthy, and powerful.
He is desperately in love with Anne of Austria, who, more reservedly, returns his affections. Throughout
the novel, Buckingham's only motivation is to see and please Anne.

Lord de Winter - Lady de Winter's brother-in-law. Lord de Winter is a foppish gentlemen, not given to
intrigue or action, but he rises to the occasion when more is demanded of him toward the end of the
novel.
Comte de Rochefort - The Cardinal's private spy, a dangerous man.
Comte de Wardes - A Cardinalist agent; Milady is in love with him.
Kitty - Milady's maid; she falls in love with d'Artagnan.
John Felton - A British Naval Officer, ward of Lord de Winter; a Protestant.
Planchet - D'Artagnan's manservant. A very intelligent, reliable, somewhat brave man.
Grimaud - Athos' manservant. Athos has trained him to communicate in hand-signals, to minimize
speech.
Mousqueton - Porthos's manservant. Like his master, he enjoys the finer things in life.
Bazin - Aramis's manservant. He wants nothing so much as for his master to enter the Church.
Madame de Coquenard - Porthos's mistress, the wife of a wealthy attorney. She dotes on Porthos, living
for his affection. Porthos keeps her identity secret from his friends, telling them his mistress is a Duchess.
Madame de Chevreuse - Aramis's secret mistress, and a close personal friend of the Queen. Madame de
Chevreuse is banished from Paris because the King, goaded by the Cardinal, suspects her of aiding the
Queen in her personal and political intrigues.
Discussion Questions:
What does it indicate about Dumas's focus in storytelling that the tale of intrigue, the diamond brooch,
occupies Part I of his novel, whereas the climactic Part II is not concerned with a political matter, but
simply with the Musketeers' fight against Milady? Dumas wrote novels set in history, not novels of
history. He delighted in the opportunity to mingle his characters with historical characters and,
occasionally, to provide some new explanation for a historical occurrence. But history was always a
background to his story. So it makes sense that the more historical story, directly involving historical
figures and an actual historical event, should be the introduction to the true meat of Dumas's story, a
personal tale of brutal chase, capture, and vengeance upon Milady by the Musketeers.
Examine all of the innkeepers presented by Dumas. Are there any common traits, if so, what? How might
you explain Dumas's presentation of these people? Remember that Dumas did borrow certain elements of
characterization from the Romance. The innkeepers are a good example of this--they are broad, and are
treated very unfairly. It is alright for the main characters to treat them severely, and they are all depicted
as comic relief--slavish, greedy, and dim. Throughout the book, often for comic relief, Dumas does
occasionally rely on typecasting to carry a scene. One should be aware of this, and look for the
differences between these characterizations and Dumas's more careful build of his primary characters.
Pick one event in the novel, and discuss how it shows the potential for chivalry to become inhumane. Do
you think Dumas includes this as a criticism of chivalry? Or that this is an inherent flaw in chivalry,
which one accepts part and parcel with the whole?
We are clearly meant to sympathize with the Musketeers' decision to execute Milady. However, given the
tone of the novel's end, how ambiguously do you think we're supposed to feel about this action, especially
on the part of our heroes?

Is Cardinal Richelieu, ultimately, a sympathetic or unsympathetic character?

Considering both the political climate of Dumas's time and of his characters' time, how might his decision
to make Milady British (or appear British for much of the story) have strengthened her character? This
might take some research.
Pick a passage from any Balzac, Dickens, Dostoevksy, Wharton, or Hemingway novel, and compare that
with any passage in Dumas. What differences are immediately evident? What similarities? What
assumptions about life and events inform each work's presentation of the world?
Dumas's father was a Napoleonic General who was dismissed from the army, which then refused Dumas's
family any aid after his father's death. How might these early life experiences have affected Dumas's
writing?
What writers today would you say write books that fulfill the role in our society that Dumas's work did in
his?
Dumas was accused of living the lives of the characters he invented for his literature. He named his
mansion Monte Cristo, had numerous affairs, squandered several fortunes, and even fought in sword
duels. The question is, which followed which?
Do you think Dumas invented the characters after his own personality or did he really live the lives of his
fictional characters? Alexandre Dumas is one of the most prolific writers of all time. What do you think
his motivation was? Was it for the money, reputation, genre of historical fiction, or for all of his readers?
Alexandre Dumas was an interesting man. In his novels women are highly respected and guarded from
evil. He was even an outspoken critic of prostitution. His life however, was full of affairs and
womanizing. Do these two aspects of his life in fact conflict?
A tradeoff to his immense amount of publishing was that he needed helpers. These aids did everything
from research, to grammar correction, to actually writing entire chapters of books that were published
under his name alone. Even though everyone had agreed to this (they thought Dumas' name would sell
better), is it moral not to give credit to his helpers? On a deeper level, did Dumas have any regrets or
hesitations when it came to publishing other people's material as his own?
Dumas Biography
Alexandre Dumas is known today as the greatest writer of his time. He successfully left a legacy of
historical novels and plays to the reading world. Although he is extremely famous and popular today, he
started out from a childhood of poverty in France.
Alexandre Dumas was born on July 24, 1802, in Villers-Cotterts, France. He was the illegitimate son of
Marie Louise-Elizabeth Labouret and Thomas-Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie, a general in Napoleon's
army. Alexandre's father died when he was four, in 1806, leaving the family in financial trouble. Although
he did not have a lot of money and had very little schooling, Alexandre had a happy childhood growing
up in Villers-Cotterts, and he excelled in sports.

In 1818, Alexandre's mother announced that they had no money and that he needed to find a job. Unable
to get money from his father's old friends, Alexandre had to accept a clerking position for the Duke of
Orlans in Paris. Then he met a famous actor, Talma, and decided to become a play writer.
Inspired by writers such as William Shakespeare, Friedrich von Schiller, Lord Byron, and Sir Walter
Scott, Alexandre wrote his first play in 1825 entitled Napolon Bonapart. Three plays followed soon
after: Henri III et sa cour in 1829, Christine in 1839, and Antony in 1831. In these plays, Alexandre
developed the first romantic comedies that were full of theatrical conflicts, which kept the audience
awake and on the edge of their seats.
When Alexandre fell out of favor with the French king for his role in the revolution in 1830, supporting
Marquis de Lafayette, he left France to travel abroad. While away, he wrote several travel articles,
children's stories, a culinary dictionary, and twenty new plays. His most popular plays written at this time
were Richard Darlington, Mademoiselle de Belle-Isle, and La Reine Margot. After his play Le fils de
L'migr was a dismal failure, he turned to novel writing instead.
Alexandre Dumas's most popular novels are the musketeers trilogy, which includes The Three
Musketeers, written in 1844; Twenty Years After, written in 1845; and The Man in the Iron Mask, written
in 1850. This trilogy was based on a 50-year period in French history in the 17th century, and it stars three
dashing heroes out to defend the king and punish those against France. Another well-known novel, The
Count of Monte Cristo, written in 1846, features a young man avenging thieves and murderers who
crossed his path and ruined his life. Two other famous novels include Ten Years Late (1848-1850) and
The Black Tulip (1850).
Alexandre's novels usually took place in the 16th or 17th centuries in France, Spain, and England, and
they were full of action.
Known for being a womanizer, Alexandre fathered two illegitimate children of two different mothers. He
had a son, Alexandre Dumas fils (junior), born on July 27, 1824, and a daughter, Marie Dumas, born on
March 5, 1831. His son Alexandre fils also grew up to become a famous writer. On February 1, 1840,
Alexandre married a woman whom he divorced six years later, in 1846.
Deep in debt, Alexandre started a daily newspaper. It was called Le Mousquetaire, and it featured articles
on art and literature. Four years later, the paper went out of business, so Alexandre started a new weekly
published paper, called Monte-Cristo. This paper lasted only three years. After this failure, he journeyed
to Russia and then to Italy, where he worked as a curator of a museum in Naples for four years.
Alexandre returned to Paris in 1862. He arrived home to find himself in even more financial debt. To pay
the money back, he hastily produced scripts for two plays, in 1863 and 1864. They were called Madame
de Chambly and Les Mohicans de Paris. These were failures.
When Alexandre took sick, he was taken to Alexandre fils's house in Puys, France, where he died of a
stroke on December 5, 1870, still heavily in debt. Two years later, his remains were transported to the
place of his birth, Villers-Cotterts.
After his death, some people questioned whether Alexandre had truly written all his novels or if someone
else had. It was proven that, although he had help drawing up story lines from writers such as Auguste
Maquet, Florentino, Paul Bocage, and Paul Lecroix, he had actually written all the novels himself.
In 1883, France built a statue in Paris and unveiled it in honor of Alexandre Dumas. In his lifetime, he
wrote over 1000 pieces of literature. His works have been translated into the languages of many
countries and are enjoyed all over the world. Each piece expresses his creativity and genius in the written
language.