The Three Musketeers Study Guide

Musketeers

• Athos– Comte de la Fère: he has never recovered from his marriage to Milady and seeks solace in wine. He becomes a father figure to d'Artagnan.
• Aramis– René d'Herblay, a handsome young man who hesitates between his religious calling and his fondness for women and scheming.
• Porthos– M. du Vallon: A dandy, fond of fashionable clothes and keen to make a fortune for himself. The least cerebral of the quartet, he compensates with his homeric strength of body and character.
• D'Artagnan– Charles de Batz de Castelmore d'Artagnan: a young, foolhardy, brave and clever man seeking his fortune in Paris.

Musketeers' servants

• Planchet– a young man from Picardy, he is seen by Porthos on the Pont de la Tournelle spitting into the river below. Porthos takes this as a sign of good character and hires him on the spot to serve d'Artagnan. He turns out to be a brave, intelligent and loyal servant.
• Grimaud– a Breton. Athos is a strict master, and only permits his servant to speak in emergencies; he mostly communicates through sign language.
• Mousqueton– originally a Norman named Boniface; Porthos, however, changes his name to one that sounds better. He is a would-be dandy, just as vain as his master. In lieu of pay, he is clothed and lodged in a manner superior to that usual for servants, dressing grandly in his master's old clothes.
• Bazin– from the province of Berry, Bazin is a pious man who waits for the day his master (Aramis) will join the church, as he has always dreamed of serving a priest.

Others

• Milady de Winter– A beautiful and evil spy of the Cardinal, she is also Athos's ex-wife. D'Artagnan impersonates a rival to spend a night with her, attracting her deadly hatred.
• Rochefort is a more conventional agent of the Cardinal. Following their duel on the road to Paris, d'Artagnan swears to have his revenge. He loses several opportunities, but their paths finally cross again towards the end of the novel.
• Constance Bonacieux– The Queen's seamstress and confidante. After d'Artagnan rescues her from the Cardinal's guard, he immediately falls in love with her. She appreciates his protection, but the relationship is never consummated.
• Monsieur Bonacieux– Constance's husband. He initially enlists d'Artagnan's help to rescue his wife from the Cardinal's guards, but when he himself is arrested, he and the Cardinal discover they have an understanding. Richelieu turns Monsieur Bonacieux against his wife, and he goes on to play a role in her abduction.
• Kitty– A servant of Milady de Winter. She dislikes her mistress, and adores d'Artagnan.
• Lord Winter - brother of Milady's second husband, who died of a mysterious disease (apparently poisoned by Milady). He imprisoned Milady upon her arrival in England and decided to send her overseas in exile. Later he took part in Milady's trial.

Historical characters

• King Louis XIII of France: presented by Dumas as a fairly weak monarch often manipulated by his chief minister.
• Queen Anne of Austria– The unhappy Queen of France.
• Cardinal Richelieu: Armand Jean du Plessis, the King's chief minister, who plots against the Queen in resentment at having his advances rebuffed. Dumas describes him as being "36 or 37" though in 1625 Richelieu was 40.
• M. de Tréville – Captain of The Musketeers, and something of a mentor to d'Artagnan, though he has only a minor role.
• George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham - a handsome and charismatic man used to getting his way: he thinks nothing of starting a war between England and France for his personal convenience. His courtship of Anne of Austria gets her in trouble.
• John Felton– A puritan officer assigned to guard Milady and warned about her ways, he is nonetheless seduced and fooled by her in a matter of days and assassinates Buckingham at her request.