M. d'Artagnan the elder

M. d'Artagnan the elder is the father of the young Gascon adventurer d'Artagnan, and his brief but decisive appearance in the opening chapter establishes the moral and material foundation upon which his son's entire Parisian career is built. A gentleman of Bearn, he embodies the old provincial nobility—poor in money but rich in pride, tradition, and martial counsel. His farewell scene, in which he bestows three gifts and a set of maxims, is the novel's originating event, and his values of courage, honor, and loyalty echo through every subsequent adventure of his son and the three Musketeers.

Identity and Background

M. d'Artagnan the elder is a Gascon gentleman of ancient lineage, his family having "worthily borne" the name of gentleman for five hundred years . He lives on his estate in Bearn, a region known for its fierce independence and poverty. He has served in the religious wars as a volunteer but has never appeared at court, a fact he mentions without regret . His neighbor and former play-fellow was the young Monsieur de Treville, who later became captain of the king's Musketeers—a connection that proves crucial for his son . He is a man of practical wisdom and deep affection, though he considers it "unworthy of a man to give way to his feelings" . His wife, Mme. d'Artagnan, is a woman who weeps abundantly at her son's departure, while the father maintains a stoic composure, kissing his son "tenderly on both cheeks" and giving him his benediction before girding his own sword around the young man .

The Three Gifts and the Counsels

On the first Monday of April 1625, as his son prepares to leave for Paris, M. d'Artagnan the elder bestows three paternal gifts: fifteen crowns, a yellow Bearn pony of twelve to fourteen years old, and a letter of introduction to Monsieur de Treville . The counsels he gives are thrown into the bargain but prove far more valuable than the money. He instructs his son never to sell the horse but to let it "die tranquilly and honorably of old age" . He urges him to "sustain worthily your name of gentleman" and to "endure nothing from anyone except Monsieur the Cardinal and the king" . Most emphatically, he commands: "Never fear quarrels, but seek adventures. I have taught you how to handle a sword; you have thews of iron, a wrist of steel. Fight on all occasions. Fight the more for duels being forbidden, since consequently there is twice as much courage in fighting" . He presents Monsieur de Treville as the model to emulate—a man who began as he begins, who fought a hundred times, and who rose to be captain of the Musketeers despite edicts and ordinances (E00105-E00106).

The Farewell and the Mother's Contribution

On leaving the paternal chamber, d'Artagnan finds his mother waiting with the famous recipe for a balsam that she had from a Bohemian, which has "the miraculous virtue of curing all wounds that do not reach the heart" . The adieux on this side are longer and more tender than they had been on the other. Mme. d'Artagnan weeps abundantly, and despite the young man's efforts to remain firm "as a future Musketeer ought," nature prevails, and he sheds many tears, of which he succeeds with great difficulty in concealing the half . The mother also secretly gives her son some ornamental braiding taken from an almost-new doublet of the elder M. d'Artagnan, which d'Artagnan sews onto his own doublet and hose upon arriving in Paris .

Thematic Significance

M. d'Artagnan the elder represents the old Gascon nobility—impoverished but proud, fierce in its independence, and unwavering in its code of honor. His counsels are the moral compass that guides his son through the treacherous waters of court intrigue, duels, and love affairs. The father's respect for the cardinal, whom he describes as a man who "dreads nothing," stands in ironic contrast to the son's eventual enmity with Richelieu . The father's instruction to "endure nothing from anyone except Monsieur the Cardinal and the king" becomes a complex principle that d'Artagnan must learn to apply with nuance. The elder d'Artagnan's voice is heard again in the young man's thoughts during moments of crisis, and his values—particularly the insistence on courage and the pursuit of adventure—are the bedrock upon which d'Artagnan builds his friendship with Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, and his eventual rise to lieutenant of the Musketeers.