The Three Musketeers
Alexandre Dumas, 1844
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A young Gascon, d'Artagnan, rides to Paris in 1625 to join the King's Musketeers. On the way a stranger steals his letter of introduction. In Paris he provokes duels with three inseparable musketeers, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and the four of them turn against the Cardinal's men instead. They are drawn into court intrigue around the queen and the English Duke of Buckingham, and into a long fight with the woman called Milady. The story runs on swordplay, disguise and loyalty, and its motto is all for one, one for all.
Where it happens
- Meung-sur-Loire Market town where the story opens in April 1625 and where d'Artagnan's letter is stolen.3
- Gascony Region in south-west France that d'Artagnan leaves to travel to Paris.3
- Paris Capital where d'Artagnan seeks the musketeers' commander and where most of the intrigue unfolds.3
- La Rochelle Huguenot stronghold that the opening chapter names when comparing the uproar at Meung to a second La Rochelle.3
Through time
Who is in it, and behind it
Auguste Maquet scribe
Ghostwriting collaborator with whom Dumas wrote the book.1
William Robson translator
Translator of the English text this site carries.3
d'Artagnan character
Young Gascon who goes to Paris to join the King's Musketeers; loosely based on a real soldier of that name.13
Athos character
One of the three inseparable musketeers whom d'Artagnan first meets as an opponent in a duel.3
Porthos character
Second of the three musketeers d'Artagnan is set to duel and then joins.3
Aramis character
Third of the musketeers, who becomes d'Artagnan's friend after their ambushed duels.3
Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan subject
Real soldier on whom the hero is loosely based.1
Milady character
Woman first glimpsed in the opening chapter who later stands against the musketeers.3
Duke of Buckingham character
English duke whose visit to France drives the court intrigue around the queen.3
What it is about
In its own words
stumbled by chance upon the Memoirs of M. d’Artagnan , printed—as were most of the works of that period, in which authors could not tell the truth without the risk of a residence, more or less long, in the Bastille—at Amsterdam, by Pierre Rouge
On the first Monday of the month of April, 1625, the market town of Meung, in which the author of Romance of the Rose was born, appeared to be in as perfect a state of revolution as if the Huguenots had just made a second La Rochelle of it
“All for one, one for all—that is our motto, is it not?” “And yet—” said Porthos
“A fleur-de-lis,” said Athos. “She was branded.” Athos emptied at a single draught the glass he held in his hand
The executioner of Lille, the executioner of Lille!” cried Milady, a prey to insensate terror, and clinging with her hands to the wall to avoid falling
The shape of the book
69 chapters, 229,132 words. Point at a bar.
How it came to be here
Dumas wrote the novel in 1844 and published it that year, working with his ghostwriting collaborator Auguste Maquet. In the preface he says he found the Memoirs of M. d'Artagnan while researching in the Royal Library for his history of Louis XIV. The story is set between 1625 and 1628, and d'Artagnan is loosely based on a real soldier, Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan. It opened the d'Artagnan Romances and counts among the best-loved swashbuckler novels. The site carries William Robson's English translation, in the Standard Ebooks edition.
Sources
- The Three Musketeers (Wikipedia)
- Alexandre Dumas (Wikipedia)
- The Three Musketeers, translated by William Robson (Standard Ebooks)
Text: Standard Ebooks edition of the public-domain text. Standard Ebooks markup CC0 1.0; text public domain in the USA.