The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers

by

Alexandre Dumas

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Three Musketeers makes teaching easy.

Milady de Winter Character Analysis

Milady de Winter is an agent of the cardinal, as well as Athos’s former wife. As a young woman, she was branded with a fleur-de-lis because she stole sacred objects from a church. Later, she married Athos and did not disclose her criminal status. When Athos found out, he tried to kill her. Eventually, she also married Lord de Winter’s brother-in-law while still she was still technically married Athos. Shortly after their marriage, Lord de Winter’s brother-in-law died, and Lord de Winter suspects foul play may have been involved. Milady is very beautiful, and she successfully seduces many characters throughout the novel and gets them to do her bidding. This includes John Felton, a stoic and religious man who she eventually convinces to kill the Duke of Buckingham. The only person who gets the better of Milady is d’Artagnan, who tricks her into thinking that he is the Comte de Wardes. D’Artagnan’s betrayal fuels Milady’s desire for revenge and ultimately leads to the deaths of both the Duke of Buckingham and Madame Bonacieux (whom she poisons). Throughout the novel, Milady relies on her intelligence and beauty to get by. Although she has allies in high places who she tries to please, her actions are entirely self-serving. Ultimately, her selfishness leads to her downfall. In the climax of the novel, the musketeers and Lord de Winter sentence her death and then execute her.

Milady de Winter Quotes in The Three Musketeers

The The Three Musketeers quotes below are all either spoken by Milady de Winter or refer to Milady de Winter . 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:
Friendship and Loyalty Theme Icon
).
Chapter 7 Quotes

Unfortunately, Porthos knew no more about Athos’s life than what hearsay told him. It was said that he had suffered great afflictions in his love affairs and that a monstrous betrayal had poisoned his life forever. What that betrayal had been, no one knew.

Related Characters: Athos, Porthos, Milady de Winter
Page Number: 75
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

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: Cardinal Richelieu (speaker), Milady de Winter , Madame Bonacieux
Page Number: 146
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Three Musketeers LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Three Musketeers PDF

Milady de Winter Quotes in The Three Musketeers

The The Three Musketeers quotes below are all either spoken by Milady de Winter or refer to Milady de Winter . 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:
Friendship and Loyalty Theme Icon
).
Chapter 7 Quotes

Unfortunately, Porthos knew no more about Athos’s life than what hearsay told him. It was said that he had suffered great afflictions in his love affairs and that a monstrous betrayal had poisoned his life forever. What that betrayal had been, no one knew.

Related Characters: Athos, Porthos, Milady de Winter
Page Number: 75
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

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: Cardinal Richelieu (speaker), Milady de Winter , Madame Bonacieux
Page Number: 146
Explanation and Analysis: