Summary
Because D'Artagnan does not know anyone in Paris, he has no one who can serve as his second in a duel (a friend and helper who witnesses the duel and provides emergency assistance). He goes to meet Athos alone, and explains his lack of a second. Athos is hesitant about whether to fight a young, inexperienced boy. Eventually, Porthos and Aramis arrive; they are Athos' close friends, and have naturally planned to act as his seconds. The fact that D'Artagnan has duels planned later with each of them creates some confusion. Nonetheless, Athos and D'Artagnan begin their duel only to be almost immediately interrupted by the Cardinal's guards, led by a man named Jussac. Since duels are illegal, they are all at risk.
Refusing to submit to arrest by the Cardinal's guards, the musketeers and D'Artagnan fight back. The four of them successfully defeat the five guards, killing one man and injuring several others. After Jussac commands his men to stop fighting and surrender, D'Artagnan and the musketeers triumphantly go to tell Treville about their victory. Treville is proud of them, but is also shrewd enough to know he needs to ensure the King's sympathies. That night he goes to the Louvre palace where King Louis is gambling. Treville tells the King that the fight broke out after his musketeers came across five guardsmen whom he suspects were in the area to fight duels. The King sides with Treville and the musketeers, and expresses interest in D'Artagnan, since he knows the young man must be an exceptional fighter to have held his own against Jussac and the guards. The King asks to meet D'Artagnan and the musketeers the following day.
The next morning, before the planned meeting with the King, D'Artagnan passes time watching the musketeers play tennis. While he lingers, another guardsman named Bernajoux insults him, and D'Artagnan quickly challenges him to a duel and then begins the fight out in the open. D'Artagnan seriously wounds his opponent, which leads to other men loyal to the Cardinal's guard joining in the fight, and the musketeers rushing to D'Artagnan's assistance. By the time the musketeers get to Treville, he has heard about this latest fight. When the group reaches the palace, the King is in a bad mood, so Treville approaches him alone. The King is frustrated because he keeps hearing about the reckless behavior of Treville's musketeers, but with the help of a nobleman named the Duke of Tremouille, Treville is able to reassure King Louis that the most recent fight was the fault of the guardsmen.
Nonetheless, when King Louis finally meets with D'Artagnan and the musketeers, he rebukes them for all of the fighting. Still, he is impressed with D'Artagnan, and he gives the four of them some money. He also suggests that D'Artagnan be placed with the Guards of Monsieur Dessessart as a step towards eventually becoming a Musketeer. With his new wealth, D'Artagnan acquires a servant named Planchet. He now spends a lot of time with Porthos, Athos, and Aramis, and gets to know the character of each man. D'Artagnan is so devoted to the idea of becoming a Musketeer that he is reluctant to accept the position with Dessessart, but his friends promise him that they will still help him even though he serves in a different company.
Despite the newfound bond between them, all four men quickly struggle with a lack of money. One day, D'Artagnan receives a visit from his landlord, Monsieur Bonancieux. Bonancieux explains that his wife works as the seamstress to the Queen, and has been kidnapped. He believes the man who abducted her is working in service of the Cardinal. The Queen is known to have some sort of romantic relationship with the Duke of Buckingham, an English nobleman. This relationship angers the Cardinal because he wants the Queen himself. Bonancieux believes his wife has been abducted so that she can be used against the Queen. If D'Artagnan will help him to save her, D'Artagnan will receive a reward and free rent for life. Based on Bonacieux's description, it sounds like the kidnapper is the man from Meung, so D'Artagnan is very excited when he glimpses the man from Meung outside on the street. He rushes out after him.
Analysis
The combination of D'Artagnan's hot-headed recklessness with his puppyish innocence continues to generate chaos and comedy in this section of the novel. The three musketeers are unsure how to treat him because they know he is friendless, naive, and unfamiliar with the complex politics and manners of Parisian court society. D'Artagnan is determined to be taken seriously; he repeatedly asserts that he should be treated like a man, not a boy. His strong fighting skills do suggest that there is more to him than meets the eye. However, part of what makes D'Artagnan a formidable opponent is that he fights in a fairly natural and unsophisticated way. While dangerous, much of the fighting undertaken by the musketeers and guardsmen was intended to be showy and skillful, not roughly efficient. In a sword fight, D'Artagnan's lack of sophistication actually serves him well because it makes him unpredictable.
What D'Artagnan, the musketeers, and the Cardinal's guards all have in common is a willingness to erupt into violence at any moment. The serious wounds and death which result from these fights don't seem to register with anyone, creating a flippant disconnect between how quickly a quarrel might get started, and how serious the consequences might be. As David Coward explains, Dumas' "huge readership identified closely with his dashing heroes who reject the shabby delays of real life and solve all problems with a thrust of a flashing blade. Dumas politicized good and evil and mythologized the hero" (pg. 78). In a society where bravery and honor seem to be prized above all else, asserting these virtues becomes the most important thing. But when a quibble over tennis balls leads to a violent brawl with multiple casualties, it's hard not to question the privilege of characters who seem to have the luxury of doing nothing except looking for reasons to get offended and start fights.
The culture of violence and machismo amidst the musketeers and the guardsmen is reinforced by the behavior of their leaders. Treville privately supports the musketeers seizing any chance they can to assert their dominance over the Cardinal's men because it acts to reinforce his own power. In contrast to their recklessness, however, Treville is subtle enough to understand the value of image management and public relations. He makes sure that there is always a convincing story to explain why the fighting was justified. Because of his canny political maneuvering, the musketeers can continue to behave as if they are basically invulnerable. King Louis also wavers between attempting to assert some lawfulness and taking pleasure in the power struggles. As the highest political authority, his unwillingness to insist on law and order means that men like Treville and the Cardinal can continue their plotting.
D'Artagnan's persistence and bravery eventually do earn him the respect of the musketeers. Despite his lack of status, money, or connections, he is able to set himself on the path to becoming a respected guard. Within the quest narrative structure of D'Artagnan's journey to adulthood, his innate nobility and integrity ensures that other people eventually see his value. Once he becomes part of the brotherhood of the Musketeers, he has role models who can guide him on the path to becoming the valiant warrior he dreams of being. However, despite their success at fighting, the musketeers have their own secrets and flaws. The question of money reveals that there are certain realities which still exist even in a world of courtly heroism. With the introduction of the Bonancieux plot, the courtly and the pragmatic collide. D'Artagnan seems somewhat duty-bound to help someone in need, especially when the safety and honor of women is at stake. At the same time, Dumas makes it clear that the unheroic appeal of free rent is also a significant motivating factor. This awareness of class constraints brings a thoroughly modern perspective into a work of historical fiction.
