Drudgery would have practically knocked me down had I not found this book in my father's mini library. I grabbed it the moment I saw it . Flipping through it, savoring the fragrance of its yellowing pages (that being a 1961 edition), the latent reader in me sat to devour it hungrily.
I never knew that in the course of the coming few days, I would fall head over heels in love with "The three musketeers". The book hardly needs any introduction and with this write, I neither intend to summarize the plot nor critically review it. Being a mere mortal, the last thing that I would want to do is offending the spirit of Alexandre Dumas.
Yeah, I should have read this earlier. Agreed! But, as the age old adage goes "better late than never" , I am really glad to have read it in my lifetime.
Having an undefined inclination towards European History, the plot attracted me in numerous ways. Its hard to reckon that its a work of fiction when the backdrop against which it is set has such a historical importance. The French aristocracy of the 17th century (the reign of Louis XIII, precisely) leaves one but with enchantment.
It took me a couple of pages to go through to be comfortable with the archaic style of English writing. Rhetoric? Yes it is! But, as your interest in the plot builds up, you find yourself flowing and greatly accustomed with the language. The old style is characterized by lengthy sentences. Its a fairly common observation to notice one sentence stretched to form one whole paragraph! This "stretching" ain't forced. It is just that the unrestrained flow has such powerful currents that it breaks the dams of periodical full stops.
The bygone style has a mystic melody concealed, that unfolds as the reader's inquisitiveness raises. "A worded poem", to put it succinctly. If one goes into the subtleties, one is left with awe to see how generously the figures of speech have been used rendering the description an arrant beauty, timeless charisma that retains its sheen even against the tempests of time. The plot is built in a manner that the reader feels him to be an integral part of it, invisibly witnessing every scene.
The characters have been sketched arduously and the sincerity in the hard work reflects itself. The minutest details, that easily skip a reader's eyes are taken care of and thus my veneration for Dumas has altogether reached a new summit.
On the book cover , the subtitle "The adventures of Athos, Porthos , Aramis and d'Artagnan" was a bit bewildering. Although, the saga recounts the journeys of 4 protagonists, yet it is titled as "The three musketeers"!
The story exclusively revolves around d'Artagnan , the 20 year old prudent Gascon who leaves his home and ventures on a journey to become a musketeer in the Royal Regiment. The 3 musketeers in the King's regiment Athos, Porthos and Aramis appear more as supporting characters. The book actually details the journey of how a Gacon lad with his sheer prudence , bravery and with the support of the 3 musketeers, finally becomes a musketeer himself.
As the story unfolds, a series of densely entangled plots surface out. As every plot unravels, the friendship of our four heroes deepens and they seem to be one - a unison of 4 starkly different personalities, united with one common bond of nobility, unflinching courage, loyalty and a charismatic chutzpah to accost any adversary. Their dictum "All for one and one for all" sets an epitome of unity.
My personal favorites would be Athos and Milady. Athos is portrayed as the reticent musketeer. A man of words, wisdom and nonchalance. He has a hidden madness about him that gets unlocked in very rare occasions. He lives life on the edge (in fact, every musketeer lives but Athos lives with passion). Enveloped by a thin film of mystic air , he raises the reader's curiosity.
Milady, on the other hand , is portrayed as a criminal , who has no regret to commit a crime. Does it with flair , she is the evil, vengeful woman who burns in an infernal joy at the thought of the decapitated heads of our four heroes (especially d'Artagnan's) . She is a blend of beauty, voluptuousness and intelligence that can cast a magical spell on any man. The saga however, ends with the "good conquering over the evil" note yet Milady renders a tumultuous suspense that makes the reader doubt if the story would end in Milady's favor. She hooks the reader's interests. In fact, lassos it.
In my sojourn of six days with my musketeers, I have gathered indelible memories- the memory of a pleasurable reading, the memory of my inextinguishable love for the characters, the memory of being deeply awe-inspired, moved and forming an unbreakable emotional connect with every character. I would savor this clandestine love forever and I hope my kids inherit this inexplicable love for my heroes too :)
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