Milady de Winter Character Analysis in The Three Musketeers

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:

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: , ,

Page Number and Citation: 75

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:

Milady de Winter Character Timeline in The Three Musketeers

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

...decides to leave the inn to go meet a woman he only refers to as “Milady.” Before he goes, however, he wants to take a look at the letter relating to... (full context)

...he is told, but almost immediately runs into the stranger. The stranger is talking to a beautiful woman in her early 20s. The stranger gives her a box and tells her to immediately... (full context)

...calls for one of his servants. He gives the man a letter to bring to Milady. The letter contains instructions for a job that the cardinal wants done. He tells Milady... (full context)

...two of them are missing. He believes they were likely stolen by Lady de Winter (Milady) on behalf of the cardinal. (full context)

...not to notice. When church ends, the beautiful lady leaves and d’Artagnan recognizes her as Milady. (full context)

Porthos attempts to offer holy water to Milady as she exits the church, knowing that doing so will enrage the woman who has... (full context)

After d’Artagnan sees Milady at the church, he decides to follow her. However, he loses her when she gets... (full context)

...tells Athos that he and Planchet are going to take the horses in search of Milady. Athos wonders aloud whether d’Artagnan has fallen in love with Milady and forgotten about Madame... (full context)

While searching for Milady, d’Artagnan and Planchet comes across Lubin, the servant of Comte de Wardes. D’Artagnan asks Planchet... (full context)

Planchet gives the note to d’Artagnan. The note is from Milady and is addressed to Comte de Wardes. Apparently, Milady is trying to set up a... (full context)

D’Artagnan and Planchet continue to follow Milady. At one point, they witness her having an argument with a man on a horse,... (full context)

...end of the duel, D’Artagnan spares Lord de Winter’s life because of his interest in Milady. Lord de Winter is impressed with the musketeers and so he gives them some money... (full context)

While conversing with Lord de Winter, d’Artagnan manages to secure an invite to Milady’s residence. Lord de Winter tells him to stop by later in the evening. This excites... (full context)

When d’Artagnan gets Milady alone, he tries to learn everything he can about her and flirts with her constantly.... (full context)

D’Artagnan continues his nightly visits to Milady and continues to fall in love with her. One night, while d’Artagnan is leaving, Milady’s... (full context)

Kitty tells d’Artagnan that she doesn’t want to help him because she doesn’t think Milady will ever love d’Artagnan. Additionally, she admits to being in love with d’Artagnan herself and... (full context)

Milady enters the room next to Kitty’s and d’Artagnan hears her say that she thinks she... (full context)

When he knows that Milady is gone, d’Artagnan steps out of the closet and kisses Kitty again. Although d’Artagnan does... (full context)

The next day, D’Artagnan goes to Milady’s and finds his hostess in a good mood. As Kitty serves them food, d’Artagnan thinks... (full context)

Milady tells Kitty to shut off all of the lights in the house. Kitty does as... (full context)

D’Artagnan relates these events to Athos and shows him the ring Milady gave him. When Athos sees the ring, he becomes pale. He tells d’Artagnan that the... (full context)

Milady is surprised when d’Artagnan stops visiting her. Confused, she sends him a note telling him... (full context)

However, when d’Artagnan sees Milady, he is immediately entranced by her beauty. He also notices that she’s been crying. Almost... (full context)

D’Artagnan heads home to think about what to do in regard to Milady. He knows he is in love with her, but he doesn’t think that she cares... (full context)

D’Artagnan tries to ignore the issue for the time being, but Milady won’t let it go. Eventually, convinced that Milady has some feelings for him, d’Artagnan decides... (full context)

In response, Milady picks up a dagger and tries to kill d’Artagnan. Shocked, d’Artagnan grabs his sword so... (full context)

...if he is sure that his ex-wife is actually dead. Athos asks d’Artagnan to describe Milady. The woman d’Artagnan describes sounds exactly like Athos’s former wife. Neither Athos nor d’Artagnan know... (full context)

D’Artagnan gives Athos the sapphire ring gifted to him by Milady. The two men decide that they will sell it and use it to buy their... (full context)

...make plans to meet at 4 p.m. at Athos’s place. Afterwards, Athos and d'Artagnan sell Milady’s ring and use the funds to buy new horses and their equipment for war. (full context)

...excited and ready to go, as is d’Artagnan. However, as d’Artagnan gets ready to leave, Milady plots her revenge. She pays two men to join D’Artagnan’s company. Although the exact nature... (full context)

...knows that they cannot be enemy soldiers, so he assumes they were probably sent by Milady. (full context)

...wants to kill him. As d’Artagnan suspected, the man was sent to kill him on Milady’s behalf. (full context)

The assassin also tells d’Artagnan that his companion possesses a letter that states Milady’s intent. D’Artagnan carefully gets the letter from the corpse and keeps it as evidence. He... (full context)

...However, his friends have no idea what he is talking about. Realizing this might be Milady’s second attempt at revenge, d’Artagnan heads back inside to see one of the men who... (full context)

...next day, d’Artagnan talks to his friends about the letter he found on one of Milady’s assassins. Among other things, the letter implies that Madame Bonacieux was transported to a convent.... (full context)

As it turns out, the cardinal is speaking to Milady, who he is sending to England on a mission. Her job is to speak with... (full context)

...only started in the first place because of the duke’s love for the queen. However, Milady also wants to know what happens if the duke declines to surrender. In that case,... (full context)

Milady promises to settle this matter for the cardinal if he will allow her to kill... (full context)

After his meeting with Milady, the cardinal returns to the common room of the inn where he finds Porthos and... (full context)

...the cardinal’s guards who are standing watch that he has a message to deliver to Milady from the cardinal. The guards allow Athos to proceed, and he makes his way to... (full context)

Athos tells Milady that he knows all about what she’s been up to since allying herself with the... (full context)

...then departs. After, Athos tells his friends that he got ahold of the letter. Meanwhile, Milady makes her way to the ship that will take her to England. Although she no... (full context)

...themselves. While Grimaud prepares breakfast, they begin loading the weapons. D’Artagnan is also told that Milady and the cardinal are conspiring to kill him. Before they can get any further in... (full context)

...cheer them on. As they eat, the four men return to their conversation and discuss Milady’s plan to kill the duke. Athos promises d’Artagnan that it won’t be that easy for... (full context)

...brainstorms ideas on how to handle their current situation. Porthos thinks that they should kill Milady before she can kill anyone else. D’Artagnan has a different idea, but before he can... (full context)

...to Aramis who composes a brilliantly subtle letter. The letter tells Lord de Winter that Milady wants him dead, and it makes a reference to the brand on her shoulder. Because... (full context)

...For the next eight days, the friends nervously await Planchet’s return. They are worried that Milady could strike at any moment and the sooner Planchet gets back, the better. Planchet returns... (full context)

Milady is still furious because of her encounter with Athos. As quickly as she can, she... (full context)

The man takes Milady to a carriage and implores her to get in. He then takes her way out... (full context)

Eventually, the carriage comes to a castle that sits on a cliff. Milady is then removed from the carriage, taken into the castle, and thrown into a jail... (full context)

Milady still doesn’t know what is going on. She assumes it has something to do with... (full context)

Before long, Milady realizes that d’Artagnan told Lord de Winter that she wants to kill him for his... (full context)

Before he leaves, Lord de Winter warns Milady that her jail cell is impossible to escape from. He also lets her know that... (full context)

...starting to get concerned that it hasn’t happened yet. He wonders what has happened to Milady. (full context)

Throughout the early part of her first day in captivity, Milady sits and stews in her anger. However, eventually she pulls herself together and reminds herself... (full context)

Lord de Winter comes to look at Milady’s performance and immediately starts laughing. He tells Felton that this is the first of many... (full context)

After Lord de Winter leaves, Milady angrily grabs the knife that came with her dinner. She is disappointed when she learns... (full context)

Milady dreams about d’Artagnan’s death before she is woken up by Felton. Early in the day,... (full context)

Later in the day, Lord de Winter visits Milady and mocks her for her supposed religious views. Felton hears this conversation but says nothing.... (full context)

Now that she has his attention, Milady schemes up ways to get Felton alone. She even starts to enjoy Lord de Winter’s... (full context)

Milady continues her prayers because she hears Felton approaching. When Felton reaches her, she asks him... (full context)

That night, Lord de Winter comes to Milady and asks her what penal colony she would like to go to. In the process,... (full context)

The next day, when Felton goes to check on Milady, he finds her making a noose. Genuinely concerned, Felton urges her not to take her... (full context)

Lord de Winter asks Felton what Milady was asking for and he replies honestly and says that she wants a knife. Although... (full context)

With only a few days left before she is sent to a penal colony, Milady realizes that she has to put every ounce of her talent into her upcoming meeting... (full context)

Now that Felton has fulfilled his side of the deal, it is time for Milady to fulfill hers. Milady starts telling Felton a story that she’s made up. It is... (full context)

Milady ends her story by telling Felton that her kidnapper branded her so that her reputation... (full context)

Milady also tells Felton that Lord de Winter’s brother, her former husband, had planned to kill... (full context)

Some of Lord de Winter’s guards hear voices coming from Milady’s cell so they decide to check up on what’s been happening. The guards knock on... (full context)

Just as Lord de Winter assumed, Milady’s wound is minor. Milady is satisfied with herself; she knows she’s done what is necessary... (full context)

The same night, a storm rages. At some point in the evening, Milady hears someone at her window. She gets up and finds Felton. He promises to rescue... (full context)

Eventually, Milady and Felton reach the ground. Felton then takes Milady to a boat he chartered to... (full context)

When Felton sees the duke, he gives him the order that is meant to exile Milady to a penal colony. Felton doesn’t care about the order itself; he only wants to... (full context)

...de Winter apologizes to him for his grave error. Once he realized that Felton and Milady had escaped, he rushed to the duke as quickly as he could. However, he was... (full context)

...tells Lord de Winter that he killed the duke as an act of revenge for Milady. Lord de Winter tells Felton that he is a fool. The next moment, all of... (full context)

Milady arrives at the convent in Béthune where she meets an abbess who welcomes her warmly.... (full context)

Milady asks for the identity of the other woman, but the abbess doesn’t give a name.... (full context)

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

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

Milady goes outside to speak with Rochefort. There, she tells him that Madame Bonacieux is in... (full context)

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

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

...scene. They explain to him what happened and together all five men swear to track Milady down and seek vengeance. Although everyone agrees that they should go after Milady, Athos urges... (full context)

...map and sends each of the musketeers’ servants down a different road in search of Milady. While the servants complete their search, Athos grabs his sword and then goes looking for... (full context)

Together, the group rides off in search of Milady. It is a stormy night, which makes travel more difficult than it would be otherwise.... (full context)

Athos peers in the window of the house and spots Milady. Milady sees Athos and screams. Before she can escape, Athos smashes the window of the... (full context)

Together, the musketeers hold a trial for Milady. Everyone goes around and lists the crimes Milady has committed. Even Athos talks about his... (full context)

The musketeers’ servants drag Milady to the spot where she will be executed. On her way there, Milady begs for... (full context)

...this fact to the musketeers who warn him that there is no use going after Milady. This warning is concerning to Rochefort, who asks what happened. Athos tell him that he... (full context)

...crimes. As proof, he gives the cardinal the letter that the cardinal initially gave to Milady, which states that any crimes committed by the person who holds the letter are committed... (full context)

...a valuable ally in the future. Additionally, he is somewhat relieved to be rid of Milady because she is so unpredictable and untrustworthy. Instead of punishing d’Artagnan, the cardinal promotes him... (full context)

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Milady de Winter Character Analysis

Milady de Winter Quotes in The Three Musketeers

Milady de Winter Character Timeline in The Three Musketeers

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