The Three Musketeers

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1844

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-14

Chapters 15-31

Chapters 32-46

Chapters 47-58

Chapter 59-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Fleur-de-Lis

The fleur-de-lis, a stylized image of a lily flower, is a symbol commonly associated with France that appears on many coats-of-arms and regional flags. In this novel, however, the fleur-de-lis is not a marker of national pride; rather, it is a brand burned into Milady’s shoulder to identify her as a convicted thief. In the 17th century, severe punishments often comprised not only prison time, but also permanent physical disfigurement in the form of a fleur-de-lis brand to warn anyone interacting with the criminal in the future. Shockingly, the fleur-de-lis brand means that criminals are never done atoning for their crimes: When Athos sees this brand on Milady after marrying her, he decides that the only fitting thing to do is kill her.

In the novel, Milady’s brand is also important because it is a rare physical characteristic, especially in women of the upper class—its relative rarity allows d’Artagnan to recognize that Milady is Athos’s wife. The brand is irrefutable proof of Milady‘s identity, cutting through her many aliases.

Romantic Fantasies

Romantic fantasies are an important motif in The Three Musketeers. Characters are more interested in the narrative of romance than in real love. Porthos, for example, harbors illusions about his married mistress Madame Coquenard: He hopes that she is extremely wealthy. Porthos is with her in part because of this future promise of financial fortune—an attraction that is not based on real love. D’Artagnan, meanwhile, falls in and out of love so quickly because his love is born from sexual desire and the drive to be a rescuer. D’Artagnan doesn’t love the women he gets involved with, but simply seeks out situations where women are vulnerable because it gives him the opportunity to swoop in and save them, making him feel chivalrous. He quickly abandons Constance when she is out of sight, and projects his desire onto the beautiful and mysterious Milady. When Milady doesn’t return his feelings, he pretends to be in love with her maid Kitty. Aramis is torn between the equally romantic visions of a sexual liaison and a life devoted to God—completely diametrically opposed choices that don’t really make sense as ambitions for the same man.

Rings

While rings typically represent commitment, here, rings subvert this standard use. Throughout the story, rings change hands frequently, used as bargaining chips or markers of secretive and often immoral undertakings. Queen Anne gives d’Artagnan a diamond ring for helping keep her affair with the Duke of Buckingham a secret—a ring that celebrates duplicity and the breaking of marriage vows. D’Artagnan savors this ring as proof of his swift rise in prestige and importance. Later, Milady gives d’Artagnan a sapphire ring as a token of their secret undertaking that he will kill the Comte de Wardes. This sapphire ring represents immorality—it is a gift tied to murder. Finally, because the sapphire ring is Athos’s family heirloom, it identifies Milady’s past and real identity, thus becoming a symbol of her previous nefarious deeds.