Puritans

The Puritans appear in The Three Musketeers not as a mass movement but as a distinct ideological force whose uncompromising faith and political opposition to the Crown make them a dangerous weapon in the hands of Cardinal Richelieu. Their most significant embodiment is John Felton, the young English lieutenant whose rigid Puritanism renders him both morally incorruptible and tragically susceptible to manipulation. Through Felton, the novel explores how religious zealotry can be twisted into an instrument of political assassination, and how the Puritan hatred of the Duke of Buckingham—whom they regard as a Satanic figure—aligns with the cardinal's own vengeful ambitions.

Identity and Beliefs

The Puritans are defined by their austere piety and their fierce opposition to the Catholic-leaning monarchy of Charles I and to the Duke of Buckingham, whom they execrate as a symbol of moral corruption and political tyranny. Milady, recognizing Felton's faith, immediately identifies him as a Puritan by his "plain arrangement of the hair, by that costume of extreme simplicity, by the brow polished like marble and as hard and impenetrable" . She knows that Puritans like Felton are "furious against Buckingham," and that their preachers "designate him as the Antichrist" . This religious hatred provides the psychological opening Milady needs to turn Felton into an assassin.

Narrative Role: The Assassination of Buckingham

Felton's Puritan convictions are the engine of the novel's most consequential act of violence: the assassination of the Duke of Buckingham. Milady, having been captured by Lord de Winter and imprisoned in his castle, systematically seduces Felton not through physical allure but through a calculated performance of shared religious persecution. She presents herself as a fellow Puritan martyr, a victim of Buckingham's depravity, and she invokes the language of divine mission. She cries out to him, "Do you not know me, Felton? I am neither an angel nor a demon; I am a daughter of earth, I am a sister of thy faith, that is all" . Felton, already predisposed to see Buckingham as the Antichrist, is convinced that killing the duke is an act of God's justice. He declares, "The hand of the Lord is stretched over him; he will not escape the chastisement he deserves" . This fusion of personal devotion and religious fanaticism drives Felton to stab Buckingham in his own chamber, a murder that alters the course of the war between England and France.

The Puritan as a Tool of the Cardinal

Cardinal Richelieu, in his secret conversation with Milady, explicitly identifies the Puritans as a potential resource for political murder. He muses that "the Puritans are furious against Buckingham, and their preachers designate him as the Antichrist" , and he suggests that a fanatic could be found to act as an instrument of divine justice. Milady, who has already identified Felton as her target, assures him, "He will be found" . The novel thus presents the Puritans not as a coherent political force acting on their own behalf, but as a volatile energy that can be channeled by more worldly powers. Felton himself, after the assassination, insists that he acted alone and for personal reasons—"I killed the Duke of Buckingham because he twice refused you yourself to appoint me captain; I have punished him for his injustice, that is all" —but the reader knows that his act was orchestrated by Milady and, through her, by the cardinal.

The Puritan Ethos and Its Limits

Felton's Puritanism is characterized by an extreme, almost inhuman self-control. When Milady first encounters him, he is described as "impassive" and "mute," a man who seems "a statue of marble" . He is immune to ordinary seduction; Lord de Winter warns Milady that "it requires more than the tricks and coquetry of a woman to corrupt me" . Yet this very rigidity makes him vulnerable to a different kind of seduction—one that appeals to his spiritual pride and his sense of righteous mission. Milady's strategy is to make him believe that he is not betraying his faith but fulfilling it. She stages a mock suicide attempt, recites Puritan psalms, and presents herself as a martyr for their shared religion. Felton's downfall is that his faith, which should have been a source of moral strength, becomes a lever for manipulation. His final act, after realizing that Milady has abandoned him, is one of resigned fanaticism: "God has so willed it!" .

Thematic Significance

The Puritans in The Three Musketeers serve as a cautionary example of how religious extremism can be exploited by political power. They are a force of disruption, but one that is ultimately directed by the cardinal's Machiavellian statecraft. Felton's tragedy is that his sincere faith is used to commit a murder that serves the interests of a Catholic cardinal, the very antithesis of everything a Puritan stands for. The novel thus suggests that in the world of court intrigue and power politics, even the most principled convictions can be turned into weapons by those who understand how to manipulate them. The Puritans remain offstage as a movement, but their presence is felt in the single, decisive act of violence that changes the fate of nations.