French Classics: The Three Musketeers (Part II)

I just finished reading Part II of The Three Musketeers, a masterpiece of French author Alexandre Dumas. Published in 1844, the novel consists of 67 chapters (including Epilogue) in two parts: Part I for Chapters 1-37 and Part II for the remaining 29 chapters. Having read Part I four weeks ago, I have now finished Part II as well. The first of the author's three d'Artagnan Romances, The Three Musketeers is among the most widely translated French novels ever written. The version I read was an English translation by William Robson, published in 1894.

Despite its lighthearted opening in Part I, The Three Musketeers does not really end happily, with its tone changed entirely at the end. The levity of the opening chapters has been replaced with a kind of uneasy calm, after Dumas's meticulous depiction in the final chapters of Milady's twisted life and brutal death. To this end, it is as if a veil of innocence has been lifted from the musketeers' world.

At the heart of this shift in tone is the dissolution of the musketeers. According to the Epilogue immediately following the novel's conclusion, Porthos and Aramis leave the service of the king, and d'Artagnan is promoted over Athos. They are no longer four friends, all for one and one for all. They are clearly no longer inseparable. This touch seems to be an upsetting strike of realism. In one sense, however, this sort of ending is characteristic of Romance. The story of wonderful chivalry and daring deeds is only a moment in time; it can only last for so long and cannot be maintained all the time.  

The most extraordinary development of Part II is Milady's remarkably methodical seduction of John Felton, the Puritan naval officer. To make the seduction seem credible given what an unlikely situation he presents, Dumas uses a full fifty pages of meticulous work on Milady's part. As the narrative notes, Milady seduces a man who is not worldly at all, who leads a monkish life. As it turns out, she not only succeeds in seducing Felton but also succeeds in turning him against Lord de Winter--in less than a week--a man whom he had been loyal to for over ten years.

Having enjoyed the fascinating story and plot development of the novel, I also gained insight into the rich history and culture of France through extended reading. Above all, I was most impressed by the fleur-de-lis--a physical brand burned into a criminal's shoulder, serving as a mark of supreme disgrace, denoting someone removed from polite society. It is the secret of Milady, the antagonist of the novel. She kills anyone who finds it out--her left shoulder is branded with the Fleur-de-Lis, a mark put on the worst criminals.

The Huguenots are a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. At its peak in the mid-16th century, the Huguenot community made up as much as 10% of the French population. By 1600, it declined to 7–8%, and was reduced further later in the century by persecution under Louis XIV, who instituted the Dragonnades to forcibly convert Protestants, and then finally revoked all Protestant rights in his Edict of Fontainebleau of 1685. By 1686, Protestants comprised just 1% of the population, concentrated in the southern and western parts of the Kingdom of France. 

The Siege of La Rochelle (1627–1628) was a historical event that occurred in La Rochelle, a city on the west coast of France and a center for the Huguenots. Following the declaration by Louis XIII and his Chief Minister Cardinal  Richelieu, that suppressing the Huguenot revolt was the kingdom's highest priority, the English came to the aid of La Rochelle by sending a major expedition under the Duke of Buckingham, triggering the Anglo-French War. The expedition, however, ended in a fiasco for England with the siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré. Meanwhile, cannon fire was exchanged between La Rochelle and the royal troops. This resulted in the siege of La Rochelle in which Cardinal Richelieu blockaded the city for 14 months, until the city surrendered and lost its mayor and its privileges.

To conclude my reading of this timeless classic, I watched the 1974 film The Four Musketeers, a sequel to the 1973 film The Three Musketeers that I had watched after reading Part I of the novel. Same as its prequel, the film stars Michael York as d’Artagnan, and Oliver Reed, Frank Finlay, and Richard Chamberlain as the three musketeers, alongside Charlton Heston, Raquel Welch, and Faye Dunaway, among other notable actors and actresses. I was particularly impressed by Faye Dunaway, who brilliantly portrays Milady, the mysterious, beautiful, dangerous, and ultimately evil character and the central figure of Part II of the novel.

While I have read a few English translations of French literary works, The Three Musketeers marks a significant milestone in my new journey into French literature. I look forward to experiencing more adventures through other works of Alexandre Dumas, notably The Count of Monte Cristo.