Monsieur de Treville The captain of the King's Musketeers, he is an old friend of d'Artagnan's father; thus he will be a special protector of the youthful and impulsive d'Artagnan. He also acts as d'Artagnan's special confidant and advisor and, being genuinely fond of the young man, he watches over him carefully.
Monsieur Bonacieux d'Artagnan's unprincipled landlord who seeks d'Artagnan's help when his young wife is kidnapped; later, he becomes one of the cardinal's toadies, and he even assists in the kidnapping of his own wife.
Constance Bonacieux Bonacieux's wife; she is more than thirty years younger than her husband. Through the influence of her godfather, she has become the queen's linen maid; she is fiercely loyal to the queen. When d'Artagnan first rescues her from the clutches of the cardinal's men, he falls madly in love with her. Consequently, she is able to convince him to go to London in order to save the queen's reputation. Constance eventually realizes that she is in love with d'Artagnan.
Milady, alias Lady de Winter She represents the quintessence of evil in the novel; she is d'Artagnan's wicked nemesis (someone bent on revenge). At first, d'Artagnan is deeply attracted to her physical beauty and charm; however, even after he hears how much she despises him and how she plans to have him murdered, he is still captivated by her loveliness. She acts as the cardinal's personal spy and is responsible for the deaths of (1) a young priest; (2) the duke of Buckingham; (3) de Winter's assistant, John Felton; (4) Constance Bonacieux; and (5) she is probably responsible for her husband, de Winter's, death. In all probability, she is responsible for the deaths of many other innocent, insignificant people who got in the way of her crafty machinations. Milady is finally tracked down by d'Artagnan. the three musketeers, and her brother-in-law, and she is tried and beheaded for her numerous and brutal crimes.
Lord de Winter Lady de Winter's brother-in-law; he suspects that Milady killed his brother in order to inherit vast family properties. When she arrives in England, he knows of her intent to murder Buckingham and himself, so he has her imprisoned. After Felton helps free her and Buckingham is murdered, de Winter joins the others who are determined to punish her. He accuses her of the deaths of his brother, of Buckingham, and John Felton, and he votes for her beheading.
King Louis XIII The king of France — but not a very strong or effective king. He resents Cardinal Richelieu, but he recognizes his dependence on this powerful man.
Queen Anne, or Anne of Austria The king's Spanish queen; she is romantically involved with the duke of Buckingham, a powerful politician in England. Since France is at war with England, Buckingham is an enemy of France; nonetheless, Anne is in love with him, and it is her intrigue with Buckingham which causes d'Artagnan to go on his first adventure to London to retrieve a gift that the queen made to the duke. Despite her love for the masterful Buckingham, Anne is faithful and loyal to her husband, the weak and incapable king of France.
Cardinal Richelieu Historically, he was one of the most powerful diplomats of his time, controlling both individual people and nations with his clever and astute machinations. In this novel, he is presented as the antagonist to the queen — primarily, we are led to believe, because she rejected his romantic advances. Richelieu has spies throughout the country, constantly monitoring the activities of the musketeers, yet he clearly respects their bravery and courage — especially d'Artagnan's, to whom he offers a commission, a lieutenancy.
George Villiers, duke of Buckingham Next to the King of England, he is the most powerful man in England; just as the cardinal controls France, so the duke controls England. These two powerful men once vied for the love of Queen Anne, but since the duke won, he has been an enemy to the cardinal — in matters of politics and love. Buckingham is reputed to be the most handsome man in Europe, besides being one of the most powerful and wealthy, and he is willing to use all of his power, wealth, and influence simply to be near the queen. His love for Anne is so great that he would make any compromise for her. The cardinal knows about this devotion and uses it to his advantage. Buckingham is killed by John Felton, a puritan fanatic.
John Felton A neurotic puritan whom Milady is able to manipulate by pretending to be a "persecuted puritan." Felton's blind devotion to his religion renders him impossible to judge the greatness of Buckingham or to look upon Buckingham as anything but a libertine who should be put to death. Felton is Milady's instrument whereby she can bring about the duke's death.
"The Man from Meung" (Count de Rochefort) This man, the personal representative of the cardinal, is also d'Artagnan's nemesis. He is the man who steals d'Artagnan's introduction to Treville while d'Artagnan is on his way to Paris, and it is de Rochefort who continually appears at various places at unexpected times. He is the man who is twice in charge of abducting Constance Bonacieux, and he is the man who finally tries to arrest d'Artagnan for the cardinal, who ultimately orders the two men to become friends.
