I agree on Athos! How hard can it be? I tortured myself by watching The Man in the Iron Mask again, just to make sure I wasn't overly harsh on it as a kid, and nope. Still awful, and the worst thing in it is Athos who is petty and balding and seems to hate d'Artagnan and just no. It's not even about appearance, no one ever gets his character right! Filmmakers seem to have a problem with Dumas's mysterious brooding men, I've never seen a proper Monte Cristo either
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BBC Athos as an AU!Athos I can definitely get behind! I have grown fond of scruffy, broody Athos, and he does have adorable smile-crinkles around his eyes. I guess what I miss most is that sense of nobility that Athos had in the books - his (outwardly, anyway) nerves of steel, his elegant manner, his intellectual and social superiority. Athos was a natural leader (at least, of Aramis and Porthos) and I always got the impression that they followed d'Artagnan because Athos did. But then, I'm probably biased because Athos was always my favourite musketeer! It is a very close run race though, because I genuinely adore them all
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D'Artagnan was my favourite when I was younger, followed closely by Athos because he was so very noble and tragic. I didn't really get Aramis until I was older, but now he might be my favourite, in the first book anyway... I've got more issues with Athos now. He's a great character, but he's also very much a product of his time - his unwavering belief in royalty and nobility don't always make him the nicest person despite his many good qualities. I always thought he felt that he had a God-given right to treat those of lower station in whichever way he pleased. The fact that Dumas can present this kind of a character as a romantic hero probably tells something of his audience and their expectations. The reader is expected to cheer on a character who despite his bravery and nobility might not be such a good person. This sort of ambiguity is more rare in a hero these days, I think. It's something to do with the way he's presented. And, of course, he's seen through the eyes of d'Artagnan who worships him
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Aramis first! You've convinced me that Aramis was genuinely religious in the first book! I had forgotten about the cat of nine tails... I imagine only an over abundance of guilt and despair would have provoked him to that... or maybe he was quite convinced that it was the right thing to do? Either way, Aramis fascinates me these days, especially since I just finished 20Yrs and Aramis was definitely my favourite by the end! I still love Athos but he's changed so much from the cool, noble, violent, emotionally distant Athos that I fell in love with all those years ago. First he gets all mopey about killing Morduant, then he resolves never to draw his sword again unless he has no other choice! Athos, Athos! You're the best swordsman in the books! You have nerves of steel! You don't mope and faint and sit in corners trembling
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Aramis is brilliant in 20yrs, he's really having the time of his life! I love the bit where d'Artagnan goes to meet him and sees his organised system of rope ladders and such for meeting his mistress/es. Athos has his moments in this book, too - although d'Artagnan is the one to bring about the reunion, Athos is the one holding the group together. But there is too much emphasis on feelings and fainting. He does kill Mordaunt in the end, though, so we haven't lost him yet, but I can see the way to 10yrs from there on
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Hello there! I hope you will forgive me for being such a terrible correspondent. I would offer excuses but excuses are rather lame, so I will offer sincerest apologies instead
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His mother and father can see just how much Anne means to him and how earnestly he vouches for her. Athos stakes his word, his heart, his father's reputation and the good name of his estates on the fact that Anne is, as she told him, a girl from a respectable past, with no secrets, and no desires but to love him and to make him happy
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Hi again! No apologies needed, especially as I disappeared off the internet for a couple of weeks myself... I'm not tired of musketeering, just slow in responding
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Oh no, I don't have time to read this entire thread now even though I desperately want to. I will have to come back to it later. Just one thing, though:
In fact, I'm almost convinced that Aramis is the most ruthlessly rational of them all, and that he's actually an atheist.
YES! Aramis is into religious debate as as form of intellectual exercise. He considers it a form of intellectual entertainment in the same way as writing a poem with one-syllable verses. The entire chapter with Aramis and his thesis is all about silly quibbles (and I bet Dumas was howling with laughter when he wrote that argument as a typical pseudo-intellectual discussion among nerds who, in that era, happened to be a Jesuit and a curate rather than, say, LotR fanboys), about "manus" vs. "manum", hand or hands. It's a discussion about grammar and text interpretation, not about faith or god. BBC Aramis has been given a much more innocent, visceral kind of faith. Book Aramis wants to enter the church, because a woman left him he enjoys the academic debate and
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I confess that when I read that scene as a 12 year old (the height of my Musketeers phase), I found it boring and pointless... but when I reread it earlier this year, I realised it was hilarious! I think Aramis was distracting himself with the thesis (rather like the cat'o'nine tails!) for 'Marie Michon' having left him
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In fact, I'm almost convinced that Aramis is the most ruthlessly rational of them all, and that he's actually an atheist.
YES! Aramis is into religious debate as as form of intellectual exercise. He considers it a form of intellectual entertainment in the same way as writing a poem with one-syllable verses. The entire chapter with Aramis and his thesis is all about silly quibbles (and I bet Dumas was howling with laughter when he wrote that argument as a typical pseudo-intellectual discussion among nerds who, in that era, happened to be a Jesuit and a curate rather than, say, LotR fanboys), about "manus" vs. "manum", hand or hands. It's a discussion about grammar and text interpretation, not about faith or god. BBC Aramis has been given a much more innocent, visceral kind of faith. Book Aramis wants to enter the church, because a woman left him he enjoys the academic debate and ( ... )
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