The Three Musketeers
“The Three Musketeers” by Alexander Dumas is a classic story that has been told countless times for hundreds of years. First written in 1843, “The Three Musketeers” has become a classic has been made into several different versions and movies. It is an inspirational tale that will be told for many years to come.
We find d’Artagnan , a young, ambitious Gascon from France, searching for Monsieur de Treville, the captain of the Musketeers, in 1625. With a letter from his father, a former Musketeer, d’Artagnan hopes to follow in the footsteps of his brave and respected father. D’Artagnan discovers that he is not allowed to become a Musketeer, but if he proves himself worthy in a noble and selfless act, he is more than welcomed into the group. He befriends Athos, Porthos, and Aramis who are Musketeers. He finds the love of his life, and as a guard to the King of France, d’Artagnan is very pleased. However, when his lady is kidnapped because of a secret of the Queen, and an assassination attempt is plotted against the friends, d’Artagnan must leap into action. He soon stumbles upon a plan for the Cardinal to take control of France. With France at war with England, it is the prime time for the Cardinal to make his move. What the Cardinal does not expect is d’Artagnan and his friends to try and stop him. With the added risk of running into the Cardinal’s spies, including Lady de Winter, this mission for the four friends becomes even harder. The plot thickens even more when it is discovered the secret life of one of the Musketeers has lead to this very situation. “The Three Musketeers” is an action-packed adventure with tricks and unexpected events around every corner. It is apparent in this novel that nothing is as it seems.
“The Three Musketeers” is a novel of young ambition, deceit, love, and loyalty. It is the perfect novel to read at any age. When times are rough and the count is down, the friends have an impeccable way of sticking together and pushing through it. It is inspirational how the powerless characters come out on top and remain loyal to friends all throughout the nation’s greatest power struggle. With all the tricks and twists in the plot, and the complicated names and places, “The Three Musketeers” is worth reading a couple of times to get the full impact and meaning the novel posses.
Some people may think that they don’t need to read the book since they’ve seen the movie. The novel is so intricate that the directors leave a lot out of the movie. Every scene in the book has an important meaning and if it were all made into a movie, it would be several hours long. Therefore, the novel must be read to know of the entire story.
With characters like d’Artagnan, the young, ambitious lover, Aramis the noble, respectful introvert, and Porthos, the loud, chivalrous man of honor, the reader can’t help but root for the underdogs. The novel is so well written, the reader is always kept on edge and always worrying about the characters. Although the language is tough to understand because it is translated from French and put into old English, the novel should be read by all.
