Jun 21, 2010 10:30 PM
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(Updated Jun 21, 2010 10:40 PM)
'One for all and all for one'. How beautiful it is!! If we ever fantasise about the beauty of this relation, The Three Musketeers is a must read.
The young, poor and courageous D'Artagnan starts his journey to the capital with a letter given by his father addressed to M de Treville, the third powerful man of the country, after the King and the Cardinal. The letter is taken by an unknown fighter and he lands up without the letter. His ambition is to join as one of the musketeers. There he was met with 3 musketeers, Athos, Porthos and Araamis. Their initial meetings were troublesome. However, when a common enemy approached they united to fight and become an unbeatable force of friends. The friendship will take our hearts when these friends defend their friends without asking a question even if they are bleeding and life is under threat.
The four comrades enter to the socio political realities of the 17th century. The cold war between the two power centres i.e. the King's and the Cardinal's and the role played by M de Treville, the Queen and personal relations - the novel simply throw us image after image of the era beautifully. The clashes between Catholics and the Protestants the life of poor people affected by it, The Three Musketeers is an 'epic' on its own right. It also shows how the politicians tried to possess the powerful. If any novel which states the simplicity and thoughtlessness with which a war is started without considering the cost, the novel gives an idea about it.
The novel introduces one of the most memorable female villains after passing the half way and the novel takes a nail biting ride till the finale attempting a style which later was adopted by James Hardy Chase. In any case, even if we forget the hero of the novel, one cannot forget the villain of it. Such was the power she was been created. The author takes his sides and made sure that she represented the best of enemy.
The plus point of The Three Musketeers over other mentioned classics is that it's Narrative is simple and pace is comfortably fast. Once you start travel with the young D'Artagnan, you neither like any interventions in the journey nor like to keep the book down. The author tries his best to make your journey happy by filling it with fights, romance & betrayals. The author never stops his narrative to preach, nor writes history at the cost of the story. It also got a powerful undercurrent left for the thoughtful.
'War and Peace' and 'Crime and Punishment' due few thanks to Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. Then, now I can say, Les Miserables got its inspiration from The Three Musketeers in some part! You can identify Constance of The Three Musketeers to Cosette of Les Miserables and the convent episode complete resembles it. Then wait a minute....The Cardinal of The Three Musketeers, didn't I saw him earlier? Yes, I do remember. How I can forget the Bishop of the Hunchback of Notre Dome? So, it is a mutual admiration company or mutual inspiration company. Alexandre Dumas takes inspiration from Victor Hugo and Victor Hugo from Alexandre Dumas. Tolstoy and Dostoevsky taken light from these masters as well....what an age it must have been in the history?
People who love adventures should not miss this book, so is people who love romance. What a strange combination isn't it? And read how Alexandre Dumas combine them to a volcanic socio political situation and make a BOLD statement!!!
Take this ride, you will like it!!!
