The Three Musketeers: Lieutenant of the King's Musketeers (Lecture on Ch. XLII-LXVII)

"So I'll have no more friends," said d'Artagnan. "Alas! nothing but bitter memories..." And he let his head drop into his hands, whilst two tears rolled down his cheeks. "You are young," replied Athos, "and your bitter memories have time to turn into sweet one."

Today our sweeping saga reaches its breathtaking climax. We come to the end of The Three Musketeers, but certainly not the end of our loving readerly relationship with Alexandre Dumas.

We're discussing the history of warrior kings, what bravery means, compelling cliffhangers, melodrama, femme fatales, good vs evil, the recipe for an Alexandre Dumas novel, wars of religion, real history vs imaginative literature, the end of the story, and much more.

Timestamps:

0:00 the adventure reaches its climax

2:00 attempts on d’Artagnan’s life

4:00 when rulers were warrior kings

6:00 it’s dangerous being a monarch

8:00 succession following assassination

10:00 Cardinal Richelieu’s political burden

12:00 enemy of your enemy is your friend

13:00 Duke of Buckingham’s expedition

15:00 why did the expedition fail? 

16:00 musketeers vs Cardinal Richelieu

19:00 recalling a past chivalric era 

21:00 the cardinal schemes with Milady

23:00 artwork of the siege of La Rochelle 

24:00 warfare as biblically apocalyptic

26:00 Milady pledges her vengeance

29:00 Athos reunites with his wife

31:00 seeing through biblical paradigms

33:00 great literature comes from music

34:00 stories endure through symbolism

35:00 accusation as evil personified 

36:00 Athos warns Milady de Winter

38:00 ‘Monsieur d’Artagnan will die’

40:00 shoot-out at Saint Gervais bastion

42:00 courage is not the absence of fear

44:00 symbiotic protective relationship

46:00 why do we love the femme fatale?

47:00 how fear is a gift that keeps us alive

48:00 the value of living in the middle way

49:00 courage springs from noble aims

50:00 Dumas writing in a circle of stage fire

52:00 Milady’s captivity in an English castle

55:00 the heroine Judith vs Holofernes 

57:00 recipe for an Alexandre Dumas novel

59:00 the real life figure of John Felton

1:01:00 why was Buckingham so unpopular?

1:02:00 do you sympathise with Milady?

1:03:00 on the starvation in La Rochelle

1:06:00 St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre

1:05:00 on the blockade at La Rochelle 

1:09:00 from King Louis XI to Robespierre

1:11:00 development of absolutist power

1:13:00 the meaning of divide and conquer

1:15:00 ‘whose then is this air we breathe?’

1:17:00 abandon all hope, ye who enter here

1:19:00 from the point of view of Milady 

1:21:00 ‘Nothing is lost. I’m still beautiful.’

1:23:00 how trauma can cause bloodlust

1:25:00 how Milady manipulates Felton

1:27:00 Milady channels Sheherazade 

1:30:00 how our femme fatale escapes

1:31:00 is Milady based on a real person?

1:33:00 public response to Villiers’ death

1:34:00 race against time so save Constance

1:35:00 the poisoning of Mme Bonacieux

1:37:00 the judgement of Milady de Winter

1:39:00 why this is not a children’s book

1:41:00 reading the execution scene together

1:43:00 ‘you are a demon escaped from hell’

1:45:00 Milady de Winter meets her maker

1:49:00 how the siege of La Rochelle ends

1:51:00 appreciating the end of the novel

1:53:00 where to next for reading Dumas?

1:55:00 returning to Homer with the Odyssey

Resources to Explore:

• The Count of Monte Cristo: It's been wonderful to see how much love readers have developed for Alexandre Dumas. I know many are keen to explore more of his works. There are so many great avenues to take next. First things first: if you haven't read The Count of Monte Cristo, that is the one to make your next port of call. It's my personal favourite Dumas, one of the best works of the nineteenth century, and a real emotional rollercoaster. We also have a read-through for this phenomenal story.

• Exploring Dumas: If you are keen to spend more time with our musketeers, then the d'Artagnan Romances that follow on are excellent. You've got Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne. For a slim standalone option, The Black Tulip is fantastic. If you're looking for deep cuts Dumas, then Georges or Queen Margot (the first of the Valois Romances) might intrigue you. Or, for another interesting option, why not contrast and compare the work of father and son? The Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas fils, which inspired Verdi's La Traviata, is quite a different offering from the adventure novels of his father.

• Influence: Rather than exploring more Alexandre Dumas, perhaps you would find it rewarding to dip into some of the influences lurking in his literary DNA. We've mentioned Shakespeare, Homer, Sir Walter Scott, and the Bible, but another strong honourable mention would be the Arabian Nights, or 1,001 Nights. The King of the Cliffhanger learnt his craft from Scheherazade. The best editions I know for this treasure trove are the Penguin Classics editions masterfully translated by Robert Irwin (though Dumas would have read the iconic Antoine Galland work). Further deep influences would be found in the chansons de geste of medieval France and the Arthurian romances of medieval England.

• Painting & Music: If you would like to view the 1881 oil painting we discussed, with Cardinal Richelieu inspecting the dikes at La Rochelle, then you can check it out here. I am in complete awe of what Henri-Paul Motte produced. For a musical treat, this album compiles music inspired by Dumas from so many phenomenal classical composers and makes for a lovely soundtrack for rereading some of your favourite passages.

• Film Appreciation: Did you check out any of the wonderful film adaptations for The Three Musketeers? From the Richard Lester classic to the BBC series and on to the latest two-parter in French, we are spoiled for choice. If you've been waiting to finish the book before watching a film version, then now is the time to treat yourself. I'll personally be viewing the 1973 and 1974 films again. For another fun option, you might also enjoy The Man in the Iron Mask from 1998, starring Leonard DiCaprio and many more great stars. For another interesting choice, there's also this three-part musical Soviet miniseries adaptation, which is very interesting. Also, for a fun option that one can watch with younger viewers, there's always this direct-to-video musical animated treat.

• Thought Exercise: Alexandre Dumas and August Maquet had a mission to recast the sweeping saga of French history in compelling and popular imaginative literature. It's clear that Dumas found great inspiration in the era of the seventeenth century. But what period of history would you choose to write about? Which figures would take centre stage for you? Who would be the heroes of your serialised story?

• Our Next Masterpieces: Congratulations on reading Alexandre Dumas' exhilarating adventure novel with so much love. Thank you so much for making this such an amazing experience. For the next exciting leg of our journey, we will be returning to Homer for the homecoming of Odysseus. Reading through The Three Musketeers has given us time to digest the ideas from The Iliad, and now it's time to discover what happens in the epic masterpiece that is The Odyssey. This weekend coming, our discussion will cover the first eight books of The Odyssey. I'll be working primarily from the Lombardo translation to remain consistent with the Iliad lectures. But feel free to use the translation that sings to your soul. We have translation comparisons here and here. I am tremendously excited to share this next appreciation with you and am so grateful that you have made all of our read-throughs this year so meaningful.

Questions to Consider:

1) What did you make of the ending of The Three Musketeers?

2) What will you remember most from your journey through this novel?

3) What area connected with Dumas are you now most keen to explore?

4) How would you persuade another to read The Three Musketeers? And what advice would you give to facilitate a meaningful reading experience?

And please do share with us your impressions and favourite passages from the end of The Three Musketeers.

Congratulations on reading The Three Musketeers! All for one, and one for all!