Character traits, personality and emotions of D’Artagnan
A hero is such a big word for us and when we hear it a lot of traits pop up into our heads. Heroes are very powerful people to us that give us their help when we need it the most and we look up to them. In the novel, The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas really describes the character traits and personality of d’Artagnan as brave, persevering and fickle which leads to a lot of problems throughout the story as well as to the rescue of some people and death of others.
In the novel, d’Artagnan always has a way through his problems whether it’s by being brave or rash. These traits come from him in part because he is a Gascon. He shows us that he is a very brave man when he tells a stranger, “You’ve mocked me for the last time sir! Turn and face me so I won’t have to run you through from behind.” He was very brave to do this because he really doesn’t know what the stranger can do to him. Later on, d’ Artagnan decides to fight Athos, Porthos and Aramis all in one day without even thinking about the consequences. He took the risk of fighting all of them because he’s rash and doesn’t think before doing or saying something. Therefore, d’Artagnan’s heroic character traits helped him a lot through his adventures because he knew exactly how to defend himself and how to overcome obstacles that would cross his way.
D’artagnan’s personality also tells us a lot about the persevering character that he plays in the novel. He will do anything to get who or what he wants. When he was leaving his home in the beginning, his dream was to become a musketeer, he accomplished this and at the end of the novel, the cardinal even offered him to be the lieutenant of the musketeers. D’artagnan was also very persevering because he never gave up on something that he had promised to do. In the novel, he has promised to get the diamond tags back to the queen on time. He tells her “And I swear to you before God that if I’m caught while carrying out your orders, I’ll die rather than do or say anything that would compromise anyone.” He is willing to die for the queen’s honor and this also shows us chivalry because he is being a gentleman and protecting a woman’s honor. To sum up, d’Artagnan’s perseverance led him to a great position and he also saved a lot of people.
Lastly, the emotions of d’Artagnan reveal a lot about his persona and what a fickle but loving character he is. He is fickle because he falls in love with Constance and at a point with Milady too and somehow has seduced Kitty but he really doesn’t know who he wants. He says that he loves Constance with his heart and Milady with his head. This tells us how undecided he is about them. Although he is very fickle, his loving emotions are still present. We can tell that he loves Constance when he tells her “Be generous, Madame, confide in me. Haven’t you seen in my eyes how much devotion and sympathy there is in my heart?” He is letting her know that because his love is so big for her, he will do anything to help and protect her. Clearly, d’Artagnan shows us what a loving gentlemen he is although young.
To conclude, in the novel, The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas does a great job at describing d’Artagnan’s character as strong, persevering and fickle. His traits are a big part of being able to discover who Milady really was and what her evil purposes were. D’Artagnan is the biggest hero in this novel and anyone can look up to him and admire him as a great character.
