Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Three Musketeers, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Friendship and Loyalty
Honor
Class and Power
The Secrets of the Past
Seduction and Romance
Summary
Analysis
After Monsieur Bonacieux is arrested, his house is turned into a mousetrap. This means that several members of the police wait inside at all times and arrest and question whoever comes to the door. D’Artagnan is not affected by the mousetrap because he has his own entrance to the building. However, he does keep a close eye on the interrogations. From his window, he can see everyone who enters the house. Additionally, he’s removed a floorboard from his apartment so that he can hear everything that is said by the police and those they interrogate.
Although the cardinal’s men don’t know it, d’Artagnan is in the perfect spot to observe and investigate their actions. The floorboard he removes proves to be useful throughout his investigation because the cardinal’s men speak openly as though no one can hear them.
Themes
The night after Monsieur Bonacieux is arrested, d’Artagnan hears a knock on the downstairs door and he quickly moves to listen in on what is happening. He hears the screams of a woman who identifies herself as Madame Bonacieux and says she is acting in the queen’s service. Realizing that the guards are attempting to gag Madame Bonacieux and take her away, d’Artagnan leaps into action. He grabs his sword and rushes downstairs. D’Artagnan easily handles all four guards; only one of them is armed and they are quickly forced to flee. This leaves him alone with a half-conscious Madame Bonacieux.
Madame Bonacieux’s presence comes as a surprise considering she had supposedly been kidnapped. Nonetheless, d’Artagnan immediately jumps into action and heroically dispatches the cardinal’s guards. Apparently, d'Artagnan is more willing to oppose the cardinal’s guards if a woman is involved rather than a man. He rescues Madame Bonacieux, whereas he allows Monsieur Bonacieux to go to prison.
Themes
When d’Artagnan looks at Madame Bonacieux, he is immediately struck by her beauty. Beside her, he notices a handkerchief on the floor that contains the same symbol as the handkerchief he previously picked up for Aramis. As d’Artagnan examines the handkerchief, Madame Bonacieux regains her senses and is startled to see him standing there. However, she quickly calms down when she recognizes him as her savior. D’Artagnan explains to Madame Bonacieux that her husband employed him to save her and that he has since been taken to jail.
Again, handkerchiefs play an important role in the mystery. Evidently, Madam Bonacieux is connected to Aramis in some fashion, although it is unclear whether either one of them knows it. This moment is also the beginning of d’Artagnan’s romantic interest in Madame Bonacieux. He knows she is married but cannot help noticing her beauty.
Themes
D’Artagnan asks Madame Bonacieux who abducted her, and she describes a figure whom d’Artagnan instantly recognizes as the stranger from Meung. He asks for the stranger’s name, but Madame Bonacieux does not know it. Madame Bonacieux then tells d’Artagnan that she managed to escape her captors by tying some sheets together and lowering herself from a window. She then returns home in hopes of finding her husband.
So far, it seems as though Monsieur Bonacieux’s version of events is checking out. However, he was unaware that his wife managed to escape from the cardinal. This explains why the cardinal’s men came to arrest him.
Themes
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D’Artagnan suggests that they leave Madame Bonacieux’s house before the guards he scared off return with more men and weapons. However, Madame Bonacieux doesn’t know where to go because she isn’t sure what is safe for her at the moment. D’Artagnan suggests that she hide at Athos’s house while he gathers information for her. Madame Bonacieux agrees to this suggestion and gives d’Artagnan a location and a password he can use to get information.
D’Artagnan knows that the cardinal’s men will never think to look at Athos’s house because Athos has nothing to do with Madame Bonacieux as far as they know. Of course, they don’t know d’Artagnan is involved in the situation either, but because he lives right above the Bonacieuxes’, he cannot hide Madame Bonacieux in his apartment.
Themes
Athos is not home, but d’Artagnan knows where he hides his key. He lets Madame Bonacieux inside and then goes in search of information. Madame Bonacieux tells him to go to the gate of the Louvre, say the words “Tours and Brussels” to a man named Germain, and then ask him to send for Monsieur de La Porte. Once Monsieur de La Porte arrives, d’Artagnan must take him to Madame Bonacieux. D’Artagnan does exactly as she asks and gets the intended result all within a half hour.
Clearly, Madame Bonacieux is involved in an important plot of some sort, hence all of the secrecy. As such, it is significant that she decides to trust d’Artagnan; after only knowing her for a few minutes, d’Artagnan is already privy to more information than Monsieur Bonacieux.
Themes
Before going to meet Madame Bonacieux, Monsieur de La Porte tells d’Artagnan to go and find a friend whose clock is slow so that he can create an alibi for himself. In response, d’Artagnan heads to M. de Tréville’s house and sneaks into his study to change the hands of his clock. He then asks to see M. de Tréville. When M. de Tréville arrives, he is surprised by the time, but does not think much about it. D’Artagnan tells M. de Tréville that he fears that the cardinal is planning to do something to the queen. M. de Tréville thanks him for the information and then d’Artagnan leaves, knowing he has an alibi.
D'Artagnan once again demonstrates his resourcefulness. Rather than find a friend whose clock is slow, he slows down M. de Tréville’s clock to make an alibi for himself. D’Artagnan knows that M. de Tréville is the best person to have on his side because of his relationship with the king. Additionally, d’Artagnan’s visit to M. de Tréville allows him to catch his mentor up to speed.
Themes
