Summary
The novel opens in April 1625 in the French town of Meung. A young man named D'Artagnan has just arrived in the town on a shabby horse. D'Artagnan is from the region of Gascony, and is journeying to the royal court in Paris. When he left home, his father gave him a horse and some money, while his mother gave him a healing ointment. D'Artagnan's father also gave his son a letter introducing him to a nobleman named Treville, who is an influential figure at court.
D'Artagnan is sensitive about his unimpressive horse, so he takes great offense when, outside of the inn at Meung, he overhears a man mocking him. D'Artagnan insists on trying to start a fight with the man, but ends up being attacked by the innkeeper and two locals who beat him badly. Eventually, D'Artagnan faints from his injuries, and the innkeeper takes him inside to care for him. While tending to his wounds, the innkeeper finds the letter to Treville, and reports this information to the man who had initially mocked D'Artagnan. The man is surprised and begins preparing to leave the inn, wondering if D'Artagnan could have been sent by Treville to kill him. In the meantime, D'Artagnan has regained consciousness. He sees the man he challenged speaking to a beautiful woman in a carriage. He challenges the stranger again, but this time the man abruptly flees. D'Artagnan stays at the inn to recover for two more days, and when he goes to leave, he cannot find the letter. The innkeeper suggests the strange man must have taken it. D'Artagnan continues on to Paris.
Once arrived, D'Artagnan goes to Treville's lodgings to introduce himself. Treville has risen from obscure origins to a position of great power: he was hand-picked by King Louis XIII to lead the Musketeers (a unit of specially trained soldiers, known for being young, boisterous, and particularly spirited fighters). The Musketeers are fiercely loyal to Treville, and the only men who are more powerful than him are the King himself, and the Cardinal (a highly influential politician and adviser). The lodgings are full of Musketeers and other men involved in court life. While he waits to meet Treville, D'Artagnan listens to gossip about the Cardinal's corruption, and watches two musketeers named Porthos and Aramis squabble. Treville gives D'Artagnan a friendly greeting but is distracted by another task: he calls over Porthos and Aramis to rebuke them for causing a public commotion. As a result of the chaos (which included someone named Athos, who seems to be absent due to wounds he suffered in the fight) the musketeers fought with the Cardinal's guards, and Treville is angry about their bad behavior and poor performance in the fight.
Porthos and Aramis defend themselves, arguing that they bravely stood up for one another. With D'Artagnan still watching quietly, the group is joined by Athos. Athos is trying to pretend he is not wounded, but ends up collapsing. His injuries make everyone angry with the Cardinal and his guards. Once Athos has received medical treatment, Treville and D'Artagnan are finally left alone to talk, and D'Artagnan expresses his desire to become a Musketeer. D'Artagnan also explains about losing his letter of introduction and the story grabs Treville's attention. He clearly knows who the man who took the letter is, but he is also now suspicious of D'Artagnan's loyalties. While Treville prepares a letter to help D'Artagnan gain entry into a training program, D'Artagnan looks out the window and catches sign of the man from Meung. He rushes out in pursuit.
As D'Artagnan chases after the man from Meung, he bumps into Athos. The two men quarrel, and end up deciding to fight a duel the following day. D'Artagnan continues his pursuit, but ends up colliding with Porthos as well, which leads to another quarrel and another appointment for a duel. D'Artagnan has now lost sight of the man he was pursuing, but encounters Aramis. D'Artagnan ends up embarrassing the musketeer by drawing attention to a handkerchief embroidered with a woman's initials. This leads to a third duel appointment.
Analysis
D'Artagnan is introduced as an impulsive, headstrong, and short-sighted young man. The novel will focus on his development from an immature boy to a brave man with the integrity and wisdom to truly be a hero. The plot device of D'Artagnan leaving his ancestral family home on a journey to Paris symbolizes his journey from boyhood to manhood: his parents have decided it is time for him to move from an isolated life in an obscure place into a much more public and visible role. D'Artagnan is eager to be taken seriously and assert himself, but this eagerness actually leads to him being ridiculous. He is far too sensitive, and eager to pick a fight over very small and trivial matters. First at Meung, and then in Paris, D'Artagnan's clumsy and irritable nature leads to a number of violent encounters. This tendency suggests that he does not yet understand how a truly brave man conducts himself. Someone who is a skilled fighter will only fight when he has to, and does not need to show off and avenge his pride, whereas D'Artagnan is often motivated by his ego.
Some of this sensitivity and pride comes from D'Artagnan's awareness of his class position. While he is from a noble family, his shabby horse and relatively small amount of money signal to a reader that the D'Artagnan family is not wealthy. The one valuable thing his father can give him to help D'Artagnan get a start in the world is a connection to Treville. At this time in history, patronage from wealthy and influential individuals could be a significant determining factor in how far someone progressed. D'Artagnan is presented as an ambitious and even an idealistic young man. The comparisons to Don Quixote (a literary character famous for his unrealistic and idealized aspirations which were totally disconnected from the reality he was experiencing) suggest that D'Artagnan is a bit of a dreamer. However, the narrator is also clear that this a time of political volatility when ambitious men can achieve immense amounts of power if they play their cards correctly. The Cardinal seems to have almost as much power as the King himself, and Treville is a self-made man who has risen to extremely high status. D'Artagnan is an interesting character because he needs to learn some big lessons if he hopes to realize his dreams of power and influence, but he does exist in an environment where these dreams might be achievable.
One thing which might support D'Artagnan in becoming the man he dreams of being is mentorship and guidance. However, in this section Treville seems relatively disinterested in helping D'Artagnan. He will offer some helpful connections, but none of the privileged insider information that seems to be what actually allows individuals to gain power. The first section of the novel hints that characters such as Treville, the man from Meung, and the Cardinal are already intertwined without giving specifics of these previous relationships. Mystery is created through hints such as the beautiful woman in the carriage, the mysterious man from Meung, and even the hints that Aramis may be involved in some sort of illicit relationship. Introducing these elements almost immediately propels the suspense of the plot forward: as Michael Dirda explains, "Because Dumas started out as a playwright, his books always move along briskly, while emphasizing dialogue and action" (n.p.). As soon as D'Artagnan leaves the safety and simplicity of his childhood home, he starts to run into people who have secrets and motives which may not be fully revealed. Because he is ignorant about these secrets and intertwined histories, D'Artagnan blunders around in a world he is unfamiliar with.
Despite his lack of knowledge, subtlety, and finesse, D'Artagnan does not shy away from getting in the middle of everything. He literally ends up tangled up with the musketeers, who are irritated by the awkward and unskilled younger man. The musketeers represent another possible source of masculine guidance for D'Artagnan, and are likely even more appealing to him than Treville. While Treville might be able to teach him how to be a good politician who can use information and influence to achieve power, the musketeers represent a flashy bravado which is deeply impressive to D'Artagnan. Like an overeager younger brother, he just ends up irritating them by trying to catch their attention. While it's comical for D'Artagnan to have ended up with three different duels to fight, it also represents a moment of failed hopes, where it seems like all his plans to go to Paris and become a powerful man will end up amounting to nothing.
