The Three Musketeers · Chapter
Fatality explained
Milady, consumed by rage and a desire for revenge against d'Artagnan and Athos, attempts to persuade the captain to let her return to France, but he refuses.
What happens
Milady, consumed by rage and a desire for revenge against d'Artagnan and Athos, attempts to persuade the captain to let her return to France, but he refuses. After a nine-day voyage, she arrives in England, where she is met by a mysterious English officer who escorts her to a remote, fortress-like castle, effectively making her a prisoner.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Disguise
Milady attempts to manipulate the English officer with her charm and feigned calmness, but her true fury is barely concealed.
Justice and Vengeance
Milady's burning desire for revenge against d'Artagnan and Athos drives her actions, even as she finds herself imprisoned.
Characters to notice
- Milady de Winter
Drunk with passion and vengeance, she is escorted by an English officer upon landing in England and taken to a castle, becoming a prisoner.
- Duke of Buckingham
Seen briefly at the port, glittering with diamonds and surrounded by his staff, as Milady arrives in England.
Key passages
“Milady, drunk with passion, roaring on the deck like a lioness that has been embarked, had been tempted to throw herself into the sea that she might regain the coast, for she could not get rid of the thought that she had been insulted by d'Artagnan, threatened by Athos, and that she had quit France without being revenged on them.”
Milady, furious and desperate, considered jumping overboard to return to France, obsessed with avenging the insults from d'Artagnan and Athos.
Highlights Milady's intense rage and fixation on revenge.
“Milady compared herself mentally to Judith, the terrible Jewess, when she penetrated the camp of the Assyrians and beheld the enormous mass of chariots, horses, men, and arms, which a gesture of her hand was to dissipate like a cloud of smoke.”
Milady saw herself as a biblical heroine, Judith, about to single-handedly destroy Buckingham's powerful army.
Shows Milady's grandiose self-image and her mission to undermine Buckingham.
“The officer desired to have Milady’s packages pointed out to him, and ordered them to be placed in the boat. When this operation was complete, he invited her to descend by offering her his hand.”
The officer had Milady's luggage transferred to the boat and then politely offered his hand to help her descend.
Illustrates the officer's formal but firm control over Milady's movements.