Madame Bonacieux Character Analysis in The Three Musketeers

Madame Bonacieux is one of the queen’s servants and d’Artagnan’s mistress. At the beginning of the novel, she remains loyal to her husband until Monsieur Bonacieux becomes an agent of the cardinal. Realizing her husband has betrayed her, Madame Bonacieux turns to d’Artagnan for help and eventually falls in love with him. Because she is loyal to the queen, Madame Bonacieux is regularly persecuted by the cardinal and eventually has to hide in a convent outside of Paris. Just before she and d’Artagnan are reunited, Milady poisons Madame Bonacieux. She dies in d’Artagnan’s arms.

Madame Bonacieux Quotes in The Three Musketeers

The The Three Musketeers quotes below are all either spoken by Madame Bonacieux or refer to Madame Bonacieux. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

He was thinking about Madame Bonacieux. For an apprentice musketeer, she was almost an amorous ideal: besides being young, pretty, and mysterious, she knew nearly all the secrets of the court, which gave her face a charming look of gravity, and she was suspected of not being insensitive to masculine attentions, which is an irresistible attraction for young men with little experience in love. Furthermore, d’Artagnan had rescued her from the demons who wanted to search her and mistreat her, and this had given her one of those feelings of gratitude that can easily develop into something more tender.

Related Characters: ,

Page Number and Citation: 105

Explanation and Analysis:

Although his triumph over such a mediocre man as Bonacieux could scarcely be counted as a great victory, the cardinal savored it for a moment; then, as if a new thought had just occurred to him, he smiled, held out his hand to the draper, and said, “Stand up, my friend. You’re a good man.”

Related Characters: (speaker), ,

Page Number and Citation: 146

Explanation and Analysis:

Madame Bonacieux Character Timeline in The Three Musketeers

The timeline below shows where the character Madame Bonacieux appears in The Three Musketeers. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

The man believes that his wife is being persecuted by the cardinal. He describes the man who he believes is responsible... (full context)

Additionally, Monsieur Bonacieux shows d’Artagnan a threatening letter he received urging him not to look for his wife.... (full context)

...d’Artagnan was out searching. Upon returning, d’Artagnan sends Planchet downstairs to get some wine from Monsieur Bonacieux and then starts to tell his friends about his new mission. Together, they discuss the... (full context)

As d’Artagnan and his friends attempt to figure out what happened to Madame Bonacieux , they are interrupted by Monsieur Bonacieux, who yells for help. Several of the cardinal’s... (full context)

After Monsieur Bonacieux is arrested, his house is turned into a mousetrap. This means that several members of... (full context)

The night after Monsieur Bonacieux is arrested, d’Artagnan hears a knock on the downstairs door and he quickly moves to... (full context)

When d’Artagnan looks at Madame Bonacieux , he is immediately struck by her beauty. Beside her, he notices a handkerchief on... (full context)

D’Artagnan asks Madame Bonacieux who abducted her, and she describes a figure whom d’Artagnan instantly recognizes as the stranger... (full context)

D’Artagnan suggests that they leave Madame Bonacieux ’s house before the guards he scared off return with more men and weapons. However,... (full context)

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... (full context)

Before going to meet Madame Bonacieux , Monsieur de La Porte tells d’Artagnan to go and find a friend whose clock... (full context)

On the way home from M. de Tréville’s residence, d’Artagnan thinks about making Madame Bonacieux his mistress. D’Artagnan is not only struck by Madame Bonacieux’s beauty, but also by her... (full context)

Wanting to talk more about Madame Bonacieux , d’Artagnan heads to Aramis’s house. On the way there he sees a woman wrapped... (full context)

...turns around. As she does so, d’Artagnan realizes that the woman is none other than Madame Bonacieux . (full context)

D’Artagnan follows Madame Bonacieux , partially out of curiosity and partially out of jealousy. However, Madame Bonacieux quickly realizes... (full context)

Although Madame Bonacieux refuses to tell d’Artagnan anything of significance, she asks him to escort her to her... (full context)

As he walks away from where he left Madame Bonacieux , d’Artagnan runs into Planchet who tells him that Athos was just arrested. Apparently, Athos... (full context)

...own home, d’Artagnan walks near the Louvre where he sees someone who looks suspiciously like Madame Bonacieux . This person is walking with a man who looks like he might be Aramis.... (full context)

After entering the Louvre, Madame Bonacieux escorts the duke through a variety of corridors, before finally leaving him in a locked... (full context)

Shortly after he is arrested, Monsieur Bonacieux is thrown in jail and taken to an interrogation room. He is then questioned by... (full context)

After he is interrogated, Monsieur Bonacieux is thrown into a cell by himself. He is terrified and convinced that he will... (full context)

After Monsieur Bonacieux is done confessing, the officer instructs some nearby guards to bring d’Artagnan into the room.... (full context)

That night, Monsieur Bonacieux is escorted to a carriage by some guards. He begs them for mercy, but no... (full context)

Despite Monsieur Bonacieux ’s fears, he is not taken to be executed. Instead, his carriage is parked and... (full context)

The cardinal begins asking Monsieur Bonacieux about his wife’s activities. Monsieur Bonacieux tells him that he knows about the cardinal’s plan... (full context)

Next, the cardinal questions Monsieur Bonacieux about some of the locations his wife often frequents. In response, Monsieur Bonacieux mentions the... (full context)

Because he wants to speak to his soldiers in private, the cardinal sends Monsieur Bonacieux out of the room. One of his guards then informs him that the duke and... (full context)

When Monsieur Bonacieux returns, the cardinal mocks him for thinking that his wife was actually visiting linen drapers... (full context)

After Monsieur Bonacieux leaves, the cardinal finally turns his attention to Rochefort. Rochefort tells the cardinal that he’s... (full context)

...Madame de Chevreuse because he thinks they know one another’s secrets. The cardinal thinks that Madame Bonacieux is the go-between for these two women. (full context)

...hand. She feels she is alone and has no one to trust. Just that moment, Madame Bonacieux comes in and offers her services to the queen. She promises to get a letter... (full context)

When Madame Bonacieux arrives home, she tells her husband that she has a job for him to do.... (full context)

Realizing that her husband is more likely to betray her than help her, Madame Bonacieux purposely doesn’t reveal any information about the mission itself. Indeed, she is right to be... (full context)

D’Artagnan immediately insults Monsieur Bonacieux and tells Madame Bonacieux that her husband is not trustworthy. In sharp contrast, d’Artagnan is... (full context)

Outside, Madame Bonacieux hears her husband talking to someone and realizes that they need to hide. D’Artagnan suggests... (full context)

Rochefort asks Monsieur Bonacieux if his wife knows that he is acting as a spy. Monsieur Bonacieux assures him... (full context)

...that Aramis is worried about the woman he saw in Aramis’s house while spying on Madame Bonacieux . D’Artagnan tells Aramis not to worry about the woman because she went to Tours... (full context)

...queen stands up and gives d’Artagnan a diamond ring as payment for his services. After, Madame Bonacieux returns (she was the woman in black) and tells d’Artagnan to return to his apartment.... (full context)

...has another dangerous mission in mind. On his way out the door, d’Artagnan runs into Monsieur Bonacieux who immediately starts telling d’Artagnan about his time in jail. Additionally, D’Artagnan tells Monsieur Bonacieux... (full context)

D’Artagnan is too distracted by thoughts of his planned meeting with Madame Bonacieux to even notice that something is wrong with Monsieur Bonacieux. As such, he continues on... (full context)

At 9 p.m., d’Artagnan and Planchet head to the bungalow where d’Artagnan expects to meet Madame Bonacieux . Although he is excited, d’Artagnan is still cautious and he arms himself with two... (full context)

D’Artagnan continues on to the pavilion where he expects to meet Madame Bonacieux . However, she does not show up. After an hour, d’Artagnan is convinced that something... (full context)

...with the lit window. He eventually finds a ferryman who tells him that he transported Madame Bonacieux at 7 p.m. Now, d’Artagnan knows for sure that something is wrong. He heads to... (full context)

D’Artagnan asks what the men who kidnapped Madame Bonacieux looked like. The old man describes their leader, who d’Artagnan immediately recognizes as his man... (full context)

...agrees and heads home to prepare for his journey. When d’Artagnan returns home he sees Monsieur Bonacieux and realizes that he was one of the men responsible for his wife’s kidnapping. Monsieur... (full context)

...returns to Paris, he is upset to find that there is still no update on Madame Bonacieux . Meanwhile, it is only 15 days before the musketeers and d’Artagnan must ride off... (full context)

...Milady. Athos wonders aloud whether d’Artagnan has fallen in love with Milady and forgotten about Madame Bonacieux . D’Artagnan assures Athos that he is still in love with Madame Bonacieux, he simply... (full context)

...leaves. D’Artagnan is left alone with Aramis and tells him about his plan to rescue Madame Bonacieux . (full context)

...that he still cares for her and has no interest in any other women, including Madame Bonacieux . (full context)

...up and hands d’Artagnan two letters. The first is from a woman that might be Madame Bonacieux who wants d’Artagnan to meet her on a nearby road. The second is a letter... (full context)

Together with his friends, d’Artagnan rides to the spot where he hopes to see Madame Bonacieux . Indeed, at the time stated in the letter, a carriage passes by d’Artagnan, and... (full context)

...letter he found on one of Milady’s assassins. Among other things, the letter implies that Madame Bonacieux was transported to a convent. D’Artagnan asks his friends if they could help him locate... (full context)

...killing him. They then return to their conversation. Apparently, the letter contains the location of Madame de Bonacieux . She is currently living in a town called Bethune. To ensure that the cardinal... (full context)

...to Paris, Aramis gets a letter from his contact that will allow them to get Madame Bonacieux from her convent. This is very exciting for all four of the musketeers, as it... (full context)

...to Paris, the musketeers take a leave of absence so they can go and find Madame Bonacieux . Just as d’Artagnan is finally feeling good, he sees Rochefort ride by. This scares... (full context)

...she gets some rest. Milady does as she is told and then awakens to find Madame Bonacieux at the foot of her bed. Madame Bonacieux introduces herself to Milady and then vaguely... (full context)

When Madame Bonacieux realizes that Milady has connections in Paris, she starts asking her about who she knows.... (full context)

Madame Bonacieux tells Milady that she thinks d’Artagnan and his friends will be coming soon. This worries... (full context)

After Rochefort leaves, Madame Bonacieux returns to Milady’s room to speak with her. Milady tells Madame Bonacieux that Rochefort is... (full context)

Pretending to be helpful, Milady tells Madame Bonacieux that she should leave along with her when her carriage arrives. Afraid and unsure of... (full context)

...and for a moment he is reunited with his love. However, after a few moments, Madame Bonacieux becomes weary, and she falls to the floor. She tells d’Artagnan and his friends about... (full context)

Shortly after Madame Bonacieux ’s death, Lord de Winter arrives on the scene. They explain to him what happened... (full context)

...they become genuine friends and Rochefort even makes Planchet a sergeant in the guards. Meanwhile, Monsieur Bonacieux never figures out what happened to his wife, nor does he plan to. One day,... (full context)

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Madame Bonacieux Character Analysis

Madame Bonacieux Quotes in The Three Musketeers

Madame Bonacieux Character Timeline in The Three Musketeers

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for every book you read.