The Three Musketeers | Introduction & Summary (2024)

novel by Dumas, père

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Also known as: “Les Trois Mousquetaires”

Written by

David Rush David Rushis a contributor to1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2012), where an earlier version of this Britannica entry first appeared.

David Rush

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The Three Musketeers, novel by Alexandre Dumas père, published in French as Les Trois Mousquetaires in 1844.

SUMMARY: A historical romance, it relates the adventures of four fictional swashbuckling heroes who lived under the French kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV, who reigned during the 17th and early 18th centuries. At the beginning of the story, D’Artagnan arrives in Paris from Gascony and becomes embroiled in three duels with the three musketeers Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. The four become such close friends that when D’Artagnan serves an apprenticeship as a cadet, which he must do before he can become a musketeer, each of his friends takes turns sharing guard duty with him. The daring escapades of the four comrades are played out against a background of court intrigue involving the powerful cardinal Richelieu.

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Dumas wrote two sequels that concerned D’Artagnan and the three musketeers: Vingt ans après (1845; Twenty Years After) and Le Vicomte de Bragelonne; ou, dix ans plus tard (1848–50; The Vicomte de Bragelonne; or, Ten Years Later). The Three Musketeers was also adapted numerous times for film.

DETAIL: The Three Musketeers is the most famous of around 250 books to come from the pen of this prolific author and his 73 assistants. Alexandre Dumas worked with the history professor Auguste Maquet, who is often credited with the premise for, and even the first draft of, Les Trois Mousquetaires, although the text, like all his others, plays very fast and loose with the historical narrative.

D’Artagnan, the hero, is a Gascon, a young man who embodies in every aspect the hotheaded stereotype of the Béarnais people. Armed with only a letter of recommendation to M. de Tréville, head of King Louis XIV’s musketeers, and his prodigious skill with a sword, this incomparable youth cuts a swathe through seventeenth-century Paris and beyond, seeking his fortune.

The enduring quality of Dumas’s texts lies in the vitality he breathes into his characters, and his mastery of the roman feuilleton, replete as it is with teasers and cliffhangers. The Three Musketeers is a romance par excellence, and the pace of the narrative carries the reader on a delirious journey. The strength of the characters, from the “Three Musketeers” themselves, to Cardinal Richelieu and the venomous “Milady,” need scarcely be highlighted, so entrenched have they all become in Western culture. The charisma of Dumas’s swaggering young Gascon certainly remains undimmed.

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David Rush

The Three Musketeers | Introduction & Summary (2024)

FAQs

The Three Musketeers | Introduction & Summary? ›

This delightful, swashbuckling adventure follows the story of young D'Artagnan as he pursues his dream of becoming a musketeer. He arrives in Paris and finds himself befriended by Athos, Porthos, and Aramis

Aramis
René d'Herblay, alias Aramis, is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers (1844), Twenty Years After (1845), and The Vicomte de Bragelonne (1847–1850) by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and the other two musketeers, Athos and Porthos, are friends of the novels' protagonist, d'Artagnan.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Aramis
, three experienced musketeers, and they become caught up in political intrigue and court dramas.

What is The Three Musketeers about short summary? ›

The Three Musketeers, novel by Alexandre Dumas père, published in French as Les Trois Mousquetaires in 1844. SUMMARY: A historical romance, it relates the adventures of four fictional swashbuckling heroes who lived under the French kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV, who reigned during the 17th and early 18th centuries.

What is the message of The Three Musketeers? ›

Never fear quarrels, but seek hazardous adventures. All for one and one for all. All for one and one for all, united we stand divided we fall.

What is the main theme of The Three Musketeers? ›

Friendship and Loyalty

It is a friendship based on the group's mutual loyalty, which in turn is characterized by their ability to compromise their individual needs and desires for the good of their group.

What is the moral lesson of The Three Musketeers? ›

The most important lesson one can derive from the story is neatly summed-up in The Three Musketeers' motto: "One for all, and all for one." The Musketeers see themselves as part of a noble brotherhood, and every member of this band of brothers will be there for each other no matter the challenge.

What is the conclusion of the story "The Three Musketeers"? ›

The novel ends with d'Artagnan's fighting three duels with Count de Rochefort. Then Cardinal Richelieu orders them to become friends. To seal the friendship, Count de Rochefort makes Planchet a sergeant in the guards.

What is the main problem in The Three Musketeers? ›

Quick answer: The major conflicts in The Three Musketeers include the external struggle between the Musketeers and Cardinal Richelieu's guards, and D'Artagnan's internal conflicts with pride and social inferiority.

What is the famous motto of The Three Musketeers? ›

Tous pour un, un pour tous (All for one, and one for all) is a motto traditionally associated with the titular heroes of the novel The Three Musketeers written by Alexandre Dumas père, first published in 1844.

What is the timeless message of The Three Musketeers? ›

Dumas' narrative skillfully intertwines themes of honor, loyalty, and friendship with a whirlwind of action, making "The Three Musketeers" an enduring tale of adventure and camaraderie.

What happened in the end of the story The Three Musketeers? ›

D'Artagnan and Rochefort go on to duel one another three times, though both men are always left standing at the end. Eventually, they become genuine friends and Rochefort even makes Planchet a sergeant in the guards. Meanwhile, Monsieur Bonacieux never figures out what happened to his wife, nor does he plan to.

Is The Three Musketeers based on a true story? ›

However, while this adventure is known to be a work of fiction, it is inspired by a true story. The d'Artagnan that inspired Alexandre Dumas for his novel really existed. His name was Charles de Batz de Castelmore, known as d'Artagnan, and he was a captain-lieutenant of the Musketeers of the Guard serving the king.

Why do they call them The Three Musketeers? ›

Why were the Three Musketeers called musketeers when they spent all their time using swords? THE French word mousquetaire originally referred to an infantryman with a musket. Over time, the word changed its meaning, lost the connection with the weapon, and referred to a much grander person.

What does the saying Three musketeers mean? ›

They are remembered for saying 'All for one, and one for all! ', meaning that they will always support and protect one another.

What happened to Aramis in the musketeers? ›

This guilt, along with his faith in God, prompts him to initially abandon the life of a Musketeer and become a monk. However, when he reunited with his friends, Aramis decided that he was better off as a soldier rather than a monk and rejoined the Musketeers.

What is the plot of The Three Musketeers? ›

The Three Musketeers Summary. Young D'Artagnan leaves his home in Gascony, France to pursue his goal of becoming one of King Luis XIII's musketeers. Upon his arrival in Paris, D'Artagnan finds himself caught in a web of adventure, love triangles, and political intrigue.

What is The Three Musketeers play about? ›

Soon after reaching Paris, D'Artagnan encounters the greatest heroes of the day – Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, the famous musketeers – and he joins forces with his heroes to defend the honor of the Queen of France. In so doing, he finds himself in opposition to the most dangerous man in Europe, Cardinal Richelieu.

What is the point of view of The Three Musketeers? ›

The Three Musketeers has a third-person omniscient point of view.

What is the story behind 3 Musketeers candy? ›

Introduced in 1932, the 3 Musketeers Bar was the third brand produced and manufactured by M&M/Mars. Originally, each bar contained three flavors—chocolate, strawberry and vanilla—hence the name, which was derived from the 1844 novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.

What was the purpose of the musketeers? ›

The character of the musketeer mounted footsoldiers made very varied missions a possibility: escorting the royal retinue, policing operations and maintaining order but, above all, they were in the first line of the royal troops when it meant relieving a town under siege.

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