The Three Musketeers

The cardinal acts almost always to protect France: Queen Anne’s affair with the Duke of Buckingham threatens war and invasion, while the continued existence of La Rochelle is a danger from French Protestants and from England. Why does Dumas characterize the cardinal as nefarious?

Compare two or three secondary characters, such as Treville, Bonacieux, or Lord de Winter. Explain their significance in the novel. How does Dumas use them to touch on larger issues?

Analyze d’Artagnan’s relationship with his servant Planchet. How does their dynamic affect the plot and the development of the novel’s themes?

Discuss the honor culture of the Musketeers. What is the novel’s perspective on masculinity and machismo?

Consider the novel’s paradoxical treatment of spies. Why do we disdain Rochefort and Milady, but cheer for d’Artagnan’s underhanded mission to retrieve the queen’s diamonds from the Duke of Buckingham in England?

Discuss the novel’s treatment of women. How do male characters see them? How do they see themselves? How does the novel treat women and power? Why?

Research the real figures on whom the novel’s characters are based. How does Dumas use history to advance his ideas? What does he change and why?

Analyze violence in the novel. How do different kinds of fighting add to characterization?