The Three Musketeers: Dramatic Irony 4 key examples

Having seen d'Artagnan at what he thinks is the time when someone passed a nefarious message at the Louvre, Monsieur de Tréville will now be able to clear the young man from any suspicion of involvement. Because he doesn't realize that d'Artagnan set his clock back, he will not even be lying when he provides the alibi. D'Artagnan is acting clever here, and he knows it. La Porte suggested finding a friend with a slow clock to provide his alibi, but d'Artagnan improves on this plan. Not only is Monsieur de Tréville a trusted and powerful man, but he is also most likely confident that his clock is not slow. D'Artagnan makes double sure of this when he goes back for his cane and resets the hands on the clock so no one will realize in the morning that they had been tampered with.

This is the second instance in the chapter when d'Artagnan cleverly uses dramatic irony to his advantage. He also failed to let the police know that his rooms were right over the "mousetrap" they constructed in Monsieur Bonacieux's quarters, and he was able to spy on all the interviews they conducted there. At the same time, d'Artagnan should not be too self-congratulatory. At the same time as he is using dramatic irony to his advantage with so many others, Madame Bonacieux is also using dramatic irony to her advantage with him. He is so struck by her beauty that he is willing to help her without knowing what he is involving himself with. His "act-first, think later" attitude toward women repeatedly gets him into difficult situations, and this is an early example of it.

Conveniently for d'Artagnan, the letter Count de Wardes was bringing to the harbor master was an order from the cardinal to allow him to travel, even though the cardinal has ordered the harbor closed for everyone else. Handing this letter to the harbor master, who has never seen d'Artagnan or Count de Wardes in person, gives d'Artagnan the appearance of being in league with the cardinal. When he tells the harbor master, "The cardinal has great confidence in me," he has his tongue in his cheek; he is not lying exactly, but by neglecting to specify that the cardinal has great confidence in him to cause trouble, he lets the harbor master believe that the cardinal has instead trusted him with official business. When he states that he "know[s] [d'Artagnan] very well," he is likewise leading the harbor master in the opposite direction to what he really means. D'Artagnan does in fact know himself very well, but his phrasing drives the harbor master further away from suspecting that he is speaking to d'Artagnan himself.

D'Artagnan's indulgence in verbal irony demonstrates that he is having fun with this subterfuge. Not only does he use dramatic irony to his own advantage in this scene, but he also congratulates himself on his cleverness. While it may not seem very honorable for d'Artagnan to lie about his identity to the harbor master, he does so in service of a greater mission to help the queen and thwart the corrupt cardinal. His cleverness in carrying out that mission functions in the world of the novel as its own kind of honor.

D'Artagnan is the only one who understands Athos's "somber smile" because he is the only one whom Athos has told about his history with Milady. When he discovered the fleur-de-lis on her shoulder (indicating that she was a criminal), he hanged her and ran off. He believed for years that she was dead, until d'Artagnan disclosed to him that he had encountered a murderous woman fitting her description who also had a fleur-de-lis branded on her shoulder. Coming face to face with Milady the night before confirmed at last to Athos that Milady somehow survived his attempt to kill her. When Porthos asks why Athos didn't "drown her, or strangle her, or hang her," d'Artagnan and Athos both know that hanging proved ineffective against this woman. Whereas they may once have believed, as Porthos does, that "dead people are the only ones who never come back," they now know that sometimes dead people (or supposedly dead people, at least) do come back.

The dramatic irony keeps the tension in the narrative building, as the reader continues to wonder when Porthos and Aramis will learn about Athos's history with Milady. Additionally, given the fact that d'Artagnan is in on Athos's secret, it helps build a close, conspiratorial relationship between the two characters. Dumas often describes Athos as a father-figure to d'Artagnan. While Athos is close with Porthos and Aramis, he keeps "family secrets" with the young Gascon.

The man turns out to be the brother of another man Milady manipulated. That man found himself unwittingly drawn deep into criminal behavior, and he eventually died by suicide. His brother, who also happens to be an executioner, is an old acquaintance of Athos. As a matter of honor, Athos has recruited him to share in the group's revenge against Milady.

Of course, none of the others know this backstory yet. Nor does the reader. However, the musketeers and Lord de Winter trust that Athos knows what he is doing. As for the reader, literary conventions suggest that this man will turn out to be important. For one thing, his mask suggests that at some point, there will be an unmasking. His "big red cloak" suggests that his character is wrapped in both blood and revenge. Indeed, this man ends up beheading Milady in a highly dramatic and disturbing strike of the sword.

The dramatic irony in this moment not only builds suspense, but it also demonstrates the deep sense of camaraderie and brotherhood that is driving the characters onward in their battle against Milady. The original band of "three musketeers" has grown to encompass d'Artagnan and even Lord de Winter. Now, yet another man is joining their ranks. Most of the characters do not even need to know the details of each other's quarrels with Milady to join forces. They are almost startlingly eager to bond with their fellow men over mutual hatred of a woman. The severity of the crimes they know Milady has committed is enough to convince all of them that she has surely committed more atrocities.