Twenty years after
Alexandre Dumas
Contains spoilers for the entire book.
Discussion topics
Topic 01 of 08
Twenty years on
How have d'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis changed in the twenty years since The Three Musketeers?
Keep the conversation going
- Which of them has aged best?
- Why is d'Artagnan still only a lieutenant?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.
Discussion topics
How have d'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis changed in the twenty years since The Three Musketeers?
Keep the conversation going
- Which of them has aged best?
- Why is d'Artagnan still only a lieutenant?
How does Cardinal Mazarin compare with Richelieu as a master for d'Artagnan?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of Mazarin's meanness and cunning?
- Is he a villain or simply a politician?
How does the Fronde put the four friends on opposite sides, and how do they keep faith with each other?
Keep the conversation going
- Which matters more to them, the cause or the friendship?
- What did you make of the scene where they meet as enemies?
What drives Mordaunt, Milady's son, and how did you feel about him?
Keep the conversation going
- Do the musketeers bear some of the blame for what he has become?
- How did you respond to his fate at Athos's hands?
Why do the four friends risk their lives for Charles I of England?
Keep the conversation going
- How did you respond to Athos beneath the scaffold, and the king's word "Remember"?
- How does Dumas use real history in his adventure?
What does Athos's love for his son Raoul show about how he has changed?
Keep the conversation going
- What does he want to teach Raoul?
- Is Athos the novel's moral centre?
What do Porthos's longing for a barony and Aramis's double life as abbé and intriguer tell you about them?
Keep the conversation going
- How does d'Artagnan's own ambition compare?
- Do any of them get what they want?
How does the novel's ending compare with The Three Musketeers?
Keep the conversation going
- What does the book say about loyalty in middle age?
- Which adventure in it did you enjoy most?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.