The Three Musketeers

by

Alexandre Dumas

D’Artagnan Character Analysis

D’Artagnan is a young man from Gascony who leaves his childhood home for Paris to become a musketeer. D’Artagnan is handsome, intelligent, and brave, which makes him a perfect candidate for M. de Tréville’s musketeers. However, before he can become a musketeer, he must prove himself worthy. Before long, d’Artagnan gets entangled with all manner of political intrigue along with Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Despite his young age, d’Artagnan often acts as the leader of the group. Although he’s largely a heroic character, d’Artagnan is not without his faults. He can be selfish and manipulative, as when he uses Kitty’s affection for him to get revenge on Milady. However, for much of the novel, d’Artagnan is a classic hero and his trials and tribulations eventually earn him the title of musketeer. Like his fellow musketeers, love is constantly on d’Artagnan’s mind, and he eventually finds love with Madame Bonacieux. After performing a daring feat on Madame Bonacieux’s behalf, d’Artagnan starts a formal romance with her, although the two of them are separated for the majority of the novel. Eventually, d’Artagnan is reunited with his love, but he arrives a moment too late: Milady has already poisoned Madame Bonacieux and she dies. As such, d’Artagnan’s narrative arc ends on a depressing note; unlike most heroes he does not save the damsel in distress, and in the story’s closing pages, he is left feeling isolated.

D’Artagnan Quotes in The Three Musketeers

The The Three Musketeers quotes below are all either spoken by D’Artagnan or refer to D’Artagnan. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Friendship and Loyalty Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

Fight duels at the drop of a hat, especially since duels are forbidden: that means it takes twice as much courage to fight one.

Related Characters: D’Artagnan’s father (speaker), D’Artagnan, Rochefort
Page Number: 3
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

And, as His Majesty had predicted, the cardinal was furious, so furious that for a week he did not come to the king’s card game. This did not prevent the king from greeting him graciously whenever they met, and saying in his most sympathetic tone, “Tell me about those two poor guards of yours, Bernajoux and Jussac. How are they doing?

Related Characters: D’Artagnan, Cardinal Richelieu, King Louis XIII
Page Number: 71
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

They were so closely united that they shared whatever they had and each was always ready to help the others, even at the risk of death. They made plans together and carried them out either individually or as a group; they were like four arms that sometimes joined in a single attack and sometimes separated to ward off danger from any direction. Four men like that could surely overcome all obstacles in their path, using either force or guile, and reach any goal they chose, no matter how distant or well defended it might be.

Related Characters: D’Artagnan, Athos, Aramis, Porthos
Page Number: 81
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9 Quotes

“All for one, one for all.”

Related Characters: D’Artagnan (speaker), Athos, Aramis, Porthos
Page Number: 94
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

He was thinking about Madame Bonacieux. For an apprentice musketeer, she was almost an amorous ideal: besides being young, pretty, and mysterious, she knew nearly all the secrets of the court, which gave her face a charming look of gravity, and she was suspected of not being insensitive to masculine attentions, which is an irresistible attraction for young men with little experience in love. Furthermore, d’Artagnan had rescued her from the demons who wanted to search her and mistreat her, and this had given her one of those feelings of gratitude that can easily develop into something more tender.

Related Characters: D’Artagnan, Madame Bonacieux
Page Number: 105
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

“Yes, Your Grace, because now that there’s talk of war, I must admit that I see you only as an Englishman and therefore as an enemy whom I’d rather meet on a battlefield than in Windsor Park or the halls of the Louvre. That won’t prevent me from doing everything in my power to carry out my mission; I’m prepared to die for it if necessary. But you have no more reason to feel grateful to me for what I’m doing now than for what I did the first time we met.”

Related Characters: D’Artagnan (speaker), The Duke of Buckingham
Page Number: 214
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 33 Quotes

But now he suddenly realized the advantages he could gain from the love that Kitty had candidly confessed to him: he would be able to intercept letters addressed to Count de Wardes, get useful information from Kitty, and have access at any time to her bedroom, which adjoined Milady’s. The treacherous young man was already planning to sacrifice Kitty in order to make Milady give in to him, willingly or unwillingly.

Related Characters: D’Artagnan, Kitty
Page Number: 344
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 41 Quotes

And since every good deed has its reward, d’Artagnan’s leniency had the effect of giving him back the peace of mind he had lost. He felt there was no longer any need for him to worry, because one of his two attackers was dead and the other was now devoted to him.

His serenity proved one thing: he did not yet know Milady.

Related Characters: D’Artagnan
Page Number: 416
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 44 Quotes

“Monseigneur,” Milady interrupted, “I’ll trade you a life for a life, a man for a man; rid me of this one and I’ll rid you of the other.”

Related Characters: D’Artagnan, Athos, Cardinal Richelieu, The Duke of Buckingham
Page Number: 438
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 47 Quotes

“The bearer of this letter has acted under my orders and for the good of the state.

Richelieu”

Related Characters: Cardinal Richelieu (speaker), D’Artagnan, Athos
Page Number: 457
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 51 Quotes

“We are conspirators, Monseigneur,” said Athos, “but as you saw the other morning, we conspire against the enemy.”

Related Characters: Athos (speaker), D’Artagnan, Cardinal Richelieu
Page Number: 502
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 52 Quotes

She sat motionless, her eyes glowing with murderous hatred. Now and then an angry sound like the low growl of a tigress rose from deep inside her and mingled with the roar of the waves breaking against the cliff on which the forbidding castle stood.

Related Characters: D’Artagnan, Lord de Winter
Page Number: 508
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 67 Quotes

“You’re young,” said Athos. “Your bitter memories still have time to turn to sweet ones.”

Related Characters: Athos (speaker), D’Artagnan
Page Number: 634
Explanation and Analysis:
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D’Artagnan Quotes in The Three Musketeers

The The Three Musketeers quotes below are all either spoken by D’Artagnan or refer to D’Artagnan. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Friendship and Loyalty Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

Fight duels at the drop of a hat, especially since duels are forbidden: that means it takes twice as much courage to fight one.

Related Characters: D’Artagnan’s father (speaker), D’Artagnan, Rochefort
Page Number: 3
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

And, as His Majesty had predicted, the cardinal was furious, so furious that for a week he did not come to the king’s card game. This did not prevent the king from greeting him graciously whenever they met, and saying in his most sympathetic tone, “Tell me about those two poor guards of yours, Bernajoux and Jussac. How are they doing?

Related Characters: D’Artagnan, Cardinal Richelieu, King Louis XIII
Page Number: 71
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

They were so closely united that they shared whatever they had and each was always ready to help the others, even at the risk of death. They made plans together and carried them out either individually or as a group; they were like four arms that sometimes joined in a single attack and sometimes separated to ward off danger from any direction. Four men like that could surely overcome all obstacles in their path, using either force or guile, and reach any goal they chose, no matter how distant or well defended it might be.

Related Characters: D’Artagnan, Athos, Aramis, Porthos
Page Number: 81
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9 Quotes

“All for one, one for all.”

Related Characters: D’Artagnan (speaker), Athos, Aramis, Porthos
Page Number: 94
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

He was thinking about Madame Bonacieux. For an apprentice musketeer, she was almost an amorous ideal: besides being young, pretty, and mysterious, she knew nearly all the secrets of the court, which gave her face a charming look of gravity, and she was suspected of not being insensitive to masculine attentions, which is an irresistible attraction for young men with little experience in love. Furthermore, d’Artagnan had rescued her from the demons who wanted to search her and mistreat her, and this had given her one of those feelings of gratitude that can easily develop into something more tender.

Related Characters: D’Artagnan, Madame Bonacieux
Page Number: 105
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 21 Quotes

“Yes, Your Grace, because now that there’s talk of war, I must admit that I see you only as an Englishman and therefore as an enemy whom I’d rather meet on a battlefield than in Windsor Park or the halls of the Louvre. That won’t prevent me from doing everything in my power to carry out my mission; I’m prepared to die for it if necessary. But you have no more reason to feel grateful to me for what I’m doing now than for what I did the first time we met.”

Related Characters: D’Artagnan (speaker), The Duke of Buckingham
Page Number: 214
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 33 Quotes

But now he suddenly realized the advantages he could gain from the love that Kitty had candidly confessed to him: he would be able to intercept letters addressed to Count de Wardes, get useful information from Kitty, and have access at any time to her bedroom, which adjoined Milady’s. The treacherous young man was already planning to sacrifice Kitty in order to make Milady give in to him, willingly or unwillingly.

Related Characters: D’Artagnan, Kitty
Page Number: 344
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 41 Quotes

And since every good deed has its reward, d’Artagnan’s leniency had the effect of giving him back the peace of mind he had lost. He felt there was no longer any need for him to worry, because one of his two attackers was dead and the other was now devoted to him.

His serenity proved one thing: he did not yet know Milady.

Related Characters: D’Artagnan
Page Number: 416
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 44 Quotes

“Monseigneur,” Milady interrupted, “I’ll trade you a life for a life, a man for a man; rid me of this one and I’ll rid you of the other.”

Related Characters: D’Artagnan, Athos, Cardinal Richelieu, The Duke of Buckingham
Page Number: 438
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 47 Quotes

“The bearer of this letter has acted under my orders and for the good of the state.

Richelieu”

Related Characters: Cardinal Richelieu (speaker), D’Artagnan, Athos
Page Number: 457
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 51 Quotes

“We are conspirators, Monseigneur,” said Athos, “but as you saw the other morning, we conspire against the enemy.”

Related Characters: Athos (speaker), D’Artagnan, Cardinal Richelieu
Page Number: 502
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 52 Quotes

She sat motionless, her eyes glowing with murderous hatred. Now and then an angry sound like the low growl of a tigress rose from deep inside her and mingled with the roar of the waves breaking against the cliff on which the forbidding castle stood.

Related Characters: D’Artagnan, Lord de Winter
Page Number: 508
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 67 Quotes

“You’re young,” said Athos. “Your bitter memories still have time to turn to sweet ones.”

Related Characters: Athos (speaker), D’Artagnan
Page Number: 634
Explanation and Analysis: