The Three Musketeers: Motifs 3 key examples

Don Quixote is the titular character of Miguel de Cervantes's 17th-century book about a man who reads too many romances and convinces himself that he is a knight. Before even revealing d'Artagnan's name, Dumas asks readers to imagine this deluded literary "knight." The comparison allows Dumas to convey a lot about d'Artagnan all at once. He fits the literary archetype (especially popular in the 19th century) of a sheltered young man who is obsessed with adventure and believes he knows something about the world because he has read a lot about it. Dumas is establishing his novel as comedic as well as dramatic and adventurous. He invites readers to laugh at d'Artagnan as many of them have likely laughed at Don Quixote. He is also joking at the expense of his readers and himself: the only reason this allusion works to establish d'Artagnan as a comedic figure is because Don Quixote is a familiar figure. Dumas and his readers, too, might spend too much time reading for their own good.

This is far from the only time Dumas resorts to a literary allusion to describe a character. In Chapter 32, after Porthos's deeply disappointing dinner at the Coquenard house, Dumas compares Madame Coquenard to a character in a Molière play:

Madame Coquenard sighed once again. Since Molière had not yet written The Miser, she was an earlier version of Harpagon.

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Molière was a hugely popular French playwright whose comedies are some of the most famous works of satire in French. He wrote The Miser in the 1660s, some 40 years after the action of Dumas's book takes place. Harpagon (whose name refers jokingly to a grappling hook) is the miser of the play's title. He is an old man who gets himself and his children into a series of outrageous situations due to his obsession with "hooking" other families' wealth. Dumas compares Madame Coquenard to "an earlier version of Harpagon" to underscore the comical trouble Porthos encounters getting her to relinquish any wealth. Again, he assumes that his readers are familiar with the most popular books and media of the day. This allusion not only helps him characterize Madame Coquenard as a certain type of literary figure, but it also once again establishes the book's self-consciousness as a literary work.

Don Quixote is the titular character of Miguel de Cervantes's 17th-century book about a man who reads too many romances and convinces himself that he is a knight. Before even revealing d'Artagnan's name, Dumas asks readers to imagine this deluded literary "knight." The comparison allows Dumas to convey a lot about d'Artagnan all at once. He fits the literary archetype (especially popular in the 19th century) of a sheltered young man who is obsessed with adventure and believes he knows something about the world because he has read a lot about it. Dumas is establishing his novel as comedic as well as dramatic and adventurous. He invites readers to laugh at d'Artagnan as many of them have likely laughed at Don Quixote. He is also joking at the expense of his readers and himself: the only reason this allusion works to establish d'Artagnan as a comedic figure is because Don Quixote is a familiar figure. Dumas and his readers, too, might spend too much time reading for their own good.

This is far from the only time Dumas resorts to a literary allusion to describe a character. In Chapter 32, after Porthos's deeply disappointing dinner at the Coquenard house, Dumas compares Madame Coquenard to a character in a Molière play:

Madame Coquenard sighed once again. Since Molière had not yet written The Miser, she was an earlier version of Harpagon.

Cite this Quote

Molière was a hugely popular French playwright whose comedies are some of the most famous works of satire in French. He wrote The Miser in the 1660s, some 40 years after the action of Dumas's book takes place. Harpagon (whose name refers jokingly to a grappling hook) is the miser of the play's title. He is an old man who gets himself and his children into a series of outrageous situations due to his obsession with "hooking" other families' wealth. Dumas compares Madame Coquenard to "an earlier version of Harpagon" to underscore the comical trouble Porthos encounters getting her to relinquish any wealth. Again, he assumes that his readers are familiar with the most popular books and media of the day. This allusion not only helps him characterize Madame Coquenard as a certain type of literary figure, but it also once again establishes the book's self-consciousness as a literary work.

Here, as in many other instances, Dumas compares Milady to a large cat ready to turn lethal at any moment. The fact that she is "wounded" by d'Artagnan's discovery makes her all the more dangerous. If Milady didn't have anything to hide, she would not be nearly so motivated to hunt down d'Artagnan, Athos, and their friends. But because Milady is vulnerable to them, she becomes obsessed with striking back.

In addition to large cats, Dumas repeatedly compares Milady to a snake. Like cats, snakes have the power to kill with their bite. The fact that they can be venomous makes them a fitting comparison for her given her preferred murder weapon: poison. Additionally, the biblical significance of snakes allows Dumas to emphasize Milady's innate corruption. In Genesis, a serpent tempts Eve into eating the fruit God has forbidden her and Adam to eat. According to many versions of the story, giving into the snake's temptation is what ultimately leads to humans' expulsion from the Garden of Eden and their first experience of mortality. Comparing Milady to a snake underscores her status as a dangerous temptress who is always trying to lead unsuspecting characters (especially men) to their ruin.

While the animals Dumas chooses to compare Milady to have their own symbolic meanings, the overall effect of the motif is to dehumanize her. For example, in Chapter 45, Dumas uses a simile comparing Milady to a corpse:

Pale as a corpse, Milady tried to cry out, but her tongue was frozen, and she was able to make only a hoarse sound that bore no resemblance to human speech. Pressing her back against the dark tapestry on the wall, with her hair disheveled, she was a living image of terror.

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The "living image of terror," Milady neither looks nor sounds like a living human in this moment. She pales and gets tongue-tied because Athos has pulled a gun on her. Instead of emphasizing her very reasonable fear, Dumas instead describes how she turns into something like a reanimated corpse, an image that inspires fear in onlookers. By regularly comparing Milady to non-human, threatening creatures, Dumas discourages the reader from sympathizing with her. Her two-dimensional villainy makes her an easy antagonist to hate, which helps propel the swashbuckling action forward to its triumphant conclusion.

Here, as in many other instances, Dumas compares Milady to a large cat ready to turn lethal at any moment. The fact that she is "wounded" by d'Artagnan's discovery makes her all the more dangerous. If Milady didn't have anything to hide, she would not be nearly so motivated to hunt down d'Artagnan, Athos, and their friends. But because Milady is vulnerable to them, she becomes obsessed with striking back.

In addition to large cats, Dumas repeatedly compares Milady to a snake. Like cats, snakes have the power to kill with their bite. The fact that they can be venomous makes them a fitting comparison for her given her preferred murder weapon: poison. Additionally, the biblical significance of snakes allows Dumas to emphasize Milady's innate corruption. In Genesis, a serpent tempts Eve into eating the fruit God has forbidden her and Adam to eat. According to many versions of the story, giving into the snake's temptation is what ultimately leads to humans' expulsion from the Garden of Eden and their first experience of mortality. Comparing Milady to a snake underscores her status as a dangerous temptress who is always trying to lead unsuspecting characters (especially men) to their ruin.

While the animals Dumas chooses to compare Milady to have their own symbolic meanings, the overall effect of the motif is to dehumanize her. For example, in Chapter 45, Dumas uses a simile comparing Milady to a corpse:

Pale as a corpse, Milady tried to cry out, but her tongue was frozen, and she was able to make only a hoarse sound that bore no resemblance to human speech. Pressing her back against the dark tapestry on the wall, with her hair disheveled, she was a living image of terror.

Cite this Quote

The "living image of terror," Milady neither looks nor sounds like a living human in this moment. She pales and gets tongue-tied because Athos has pulled a gun on her. Instead of emphasizing her very reasonable fear, Dumas instead describes how she turns into something like a reanimated corpse, an image that inspires fear in onlookers. By regularly comparing Milady to non-human, threatening creatures, Dumas discourages the reader from sympathizing with her. Her two-dimensional villainy makes her an easy antagonist to hate, which helps propel the swashbuckling action forward to its triumphant conclusion.

Thus far, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis have wondered whether d'Artagnan is imagining this strange man. As it turns out, the reason d'Artagnan has been seeing him everywhere is that he is Rochefort, the cardinal's right-hand man. He is working with Milady and the cardinal to come after d'Artagnan and the three musketeers.

The periodic appearance of the man from Meung helps drive the mystery and intrigue of the plot forward. The motif is also important to establishing d'Artagnan as a character who can exceed the expectations of those around him. Everyone thinks he is a naive young man from the country who is seeing ghosts because he is spooked by the backstabbing social environment of Paris. But D'Artagnan is convinced that the man from Meung is important, and he turns out to be right. Following this strange man is the key to uncovering the cardinal and Milady's plot. By regularly reintroducing the man from Meung, Dumas encourages the reader to believe in and root for d'Artagnan as the novel's protagonist.

Interestingly, despite their long rivalry, d'Artagnan and Rochefort end the novel on good terms. Their ability to overcome their differences once they are no longer being pitted against each other by the cardinal and Milady's scheming demonstrates that grudges in the world of the musketeers often have less to do with personal feelings and more to do with conflicting allegiances. As soon as they are working for the same side, they are happy to be friends again. In a way, this open-mindedness seems healthy and admirable. But Dumas also invites readers to laugh at the musketeers for waffling in their beliefs and loyalties.