The Musketeers in Marketing

The four musketeers and their distinctive personalities have been employed as advertisement. I thought this was pretty clever. Although not touching on all the same traits as I, this company also classified the famous four.  They captured certain dominant traits in two words and a cider in the picture and then described each man and the matching cider on the side of their webpage.  The descriptions of the characters are accurate and the descriptions of the ciders fit well with their characters.  Clever, clever. Well done. Even the colors of the cider are appropriate!
Click here to open the cider webpage in a new window.

The Musketeer Series: Post 5, Athos

Athos always seemed to command respect. This is surprising when looking at some of his behavior for he was a heavy drinker and ridiculous gambler in the first book. However he is good with the blade, brave, and possesses nerves of steel. He speaks little, but is observant. This dual feature is one that marks him as a Pleg-Mel.  One of my brothers is the same way.  Dumas tells us directly that Athos is phlegmatic, but doesn't say that he is melancholy, however his sensitivity and deep emotions are evidence of this.

Calm

Phlegmatics are quiet people with a dry wit who love peace and tranquility yet can be tenaciously stubborn (Littauer). They also have a desire to be respected because they can be overlooked due to their quiet steadiness (Littauer). They hide their emotions (Personality Plus 65) and are natural mediators (Littauer). One Phlegmatic flaw is "in-action."  Because they love to take their ease, they are not seeking advancement or trying to finish lots of things like a Choleric. Instead they are content to sit were they fall. According to Littauer, they think of all potential actions in terms of energy conservation: they try to use as little as possible.  When the four friends were in need of money to buy equipment for the military campaign they were about to embark on, each employed their own strategy for finding it.  Athos' was quite unique. He decided that he would do nothing and stay at his lodgings waiting for money to come to him (Dumas). If it did not, then he would find some of Richelieu's soldiers to fight with and die in an honorable dual (Dumas).  The reason for this tactic: he did not want to "risk a step to find equipment." In other words, he did not want to waste a step. He would rather not "waste" energy trying to find equipment but would wait, and if it did not come he would go and die fighting in a duel for the king and save himself the trouble of finding equipment. Certainly eccentric, yet definitely Phlegmtatic.  

Phlegmatics can also be very obstinate (Your Personality Tree 49). Most of the time they just don't care enough to be obstinate, but when they do, they are immovable. Regarding the incident above, Dumas says, "He was resolved to not risk a step to equip himself." To this resolution Athos held firm.  Another time, Athos went ballistic and shut himself and his servant in a wine cellar for 15 days. He more than avenged himself for being falsely accused of paying with fake money (Dumas 358,361).    

One Phleg-Mel trait is the dislike of conversation.  I say this because both my brother and Athos possess this attitude. Athos economizes his words and communicates with his servant by gestures and even rebukes his servant for speaking aloud without permission. In regards to his servant, his philosophy seemed to be, "why use two words when one will suffice? And why use any words when a hand signal will suffice?"  For some Phlegmatics, this desire to cut back on talk stems perhaps stems from their desire to avoid conflict. Discussion can easily turn to debate or to uncomfortable topics. Littauer finds that Melancholies like to work alone because conversation slows progress (Personality Plus 34). For me, as a Melancholy, I find that this is true and that conversation disrupts my thought process for I can't think when people are talking loudly, even if they're not specifically addressing me. And so, putting all of this together I surmise that speech is disruptive to the Phlegmatic's desire for peace and the Melancholy's desire to think deeply.  Phleg-Mels have no use for useless chatter: it requires a response from them which is work and disrupts their thoughts which are engaged on a deeper level and are more important (in their eyes) than small talk.
Littauer tells us that Phelgmatics are not emotional and hide their emotions.  Melancholies on the other hand, are emotional but often hide their feelings deep inside themselves, subtly giving clues or suddenly exploding when they can't take it any longer (atleast, that's what I do).  Athos hides his feelings and can act very calm when he is afraid.  Dumas remarks multiple times the "Sang-froid" of Athos, in other words, his ability to be "calm, cool, and collected," which Littauer in turns declares to be a Phlegmatic trait (with these words exact).
In the sequel Athos received a short visit from his son Raoul. Raoul asked his permission to go and visit some friends which Athos lovingly granted, but as soon as Raoul left the room he laments how quickly the lad's thoughts turned from him to others.  Typical Melancholy. Giving to those they love even when it pains them and feeling hurt about it. They read farther into little things others might not even notice and take them to heart. (Based on Littauer).
There is so much that could be said, so much more that could be analyzed, but this is pretty long already so I think I'll leave off here.... ; )

 « car au milieu de l’effroi général lui seul avait conservé ce calme et ce sang-froid de grand seigneur qui ne le quittaient jamais » -Dumas

"For, in the middle of the general terror, he alone had conserved this calm and this composure of a great lord that quitted him never. -Dumas (Translation by Edana A.)

            

The Musketeer Series: Post 3, Porthos

« Parce que, Porthos parlant plus haute que nous tous, il l’a pris pour le chef » -D'Artagnan

Porthos is Sanguine. Sanguines are talkative and like to draw attention to themselves (Littauer, Personality Plus 14, 22).  They also like new things, like presents or clothing, and dislike a structured routine, they like things to be exciting and fun (153-154) Florence Littauer (a Sanguine herself) says that Sanguine women want lots of clothes, money, and parties (154). She also said that even just little gifts will make them happy so when her husband brings home a loaf of bread he presents it to her as if it were a gift, even though it is really just groceries (Littauer). 

The first time we see Porthos in the book, he is surrounded by a group expressing his ideas loudly while wearing his new golden baldric (Dumas 251).  Here, Porthos is exhibiting three very typical Sanguine behaviors: talking loudly, wearing a new and beautiful baldric that also draws more attention to himself, and finally, he is the center of attention. As a Sanguine, he must have been thoroughly enjoying himself! 

Porthos' Sanguine personality is visible in other occurrences. We see his loud, attention drawing characteristics during the quest for the diamond ferrets.  One of Richelieu's spies singled out Porthos as the leader of the group because he spoke louder than everyone else (Dumas 251).  Florence Littauer wrote, "The most obvious way to spot a Popular Sanguine is by listening in on any group and locating the one who is the loudest and chatting the most constantly" (Littauer, Personality 21).

I already mentioned that the Sanguine's love of new clothes. I think a fairly accurate way to describe them would be "spiffy dressers."  At any rate, Porthos is one for Dumas mentions several times that Porthos dressed well and it was evident that he had a taste for the show of luxury. One time d’Artagnan finds Porthos dressed in "magnificent clothes covered with splendid embroideries" and looking at himself in the mirror (783).  Going back to that first scene with the golden baldric, Dumas uses the word « bizarrerie » to describe his costume. This words can mean, "eccentricity, peculiarity, or strangeness," Dumas continues by saying that this outfit drew the general attention and that the crowd admired his baldric with enthusiasm. This baldric was decorated with embroidered with gold that shone.  So, we see that Porthos is dressing quite Sanguine. 

Sanguines love to talk and listen to themselves talk, be the center of attention, and perform for others.  While Sanguines exhibit the above characteristics, their main drive in life is to have fun and when they are doing these things, they are having fun. In Vingt Ans Après, Porthos is wealthy but unhappy because he is bored. D'Artagnan discovers this fact and appeals to his Sanguine nature with promises of adventure and that the title of Baron will be bestowed on him if he will join him in the service of Cardinal Mazarin.  

The Three Musketeers

The Musketeer Series: Post 2, D'Artagnan

D'Artagnan is Choleric. Cholerics are natural leaders who want to accomplish lots (all manner of things).  They have a strong desire to achieve their goals (Littauer, Your Personality Tree 24).  They are born leaders that act quickly in most situations (Littauer, Personality Plus 16).  Unfortunately, they can be controlling and bossy (Littauer, Your Personality Tree 24) and are more interested in achieving goals than understanding the emotions of others (Littauer, Personality Plus 55).  D'Artagnan does not boss his friends but he does use his influence to reach his goals. He doesn't worry about the pain he causes others or the "necessary losses."

For example, when he discovers that Ketty, a servant of Milady, is in love with him, he encourages that love in order to achieve his goals: vengeance on Milady and a night in Milady's room.  By feeding Ketty's love (through kisses and pretending that he loves her), he could attain letters addressed to his adversary, intelligence, and access to Ketty's room at all hours which is connected to Milady's own (431).  We see that Ketty's sentiments were nothing to him for Dumas writes that d’Artagnan had already sacrificed Ketty in his mind in order to obtain Milady by her will or by force (431). « Le perfide, comme on le voit, sacrifiait déjà en idée la pauvre fille pour obtenir Milady de gré ou de force » (431).  In the end d'Artagnan had his way.  He avenged himself and he made love with Milady (468-472).

The three musketeers and d’Artagnan went on a quest to bring back the Queen’s ferrets (jewelry) and so save her from trouble (Dumas 219-282).  D’Artagnan was the head of this mission (249). The mission succeeded but he was very hard on the horses because he felt extreme hast was necessary for the success of the mission.  One horse fell with blood running from his nose and eyes.  Thus, the mission succeeded because he was dedicated to the goal and did not count the lives of horses as worthy reasons to halt.

In Vingt Ans Après, d'Artagnan is forty years old and thus is a seasoned adult; no longer a brash young man.  Yet, his choleric temperament is in some ways more pronounced than ever.  In Les Trois Mousquetaires, d’Artagnan frequently asks his friends for advice and they formulate their plans together, while in the sequel, he just tells Porthos what the plan is.   Vingt Ans Après starts with d'Artagnan frustrated that he has not advanced in life. He is still a lieutenant of the musketeers which is where Dumas left him in Les Trois Mousquetaires.  He did not advance up the ranks of command, but stayed in the same position for twenty years. Our Choleric compares his status and wealth with that of his friends and laments that his friends moved up in life while he did not. Since Cholerics want to be in control (Littauer Your Personality Tree 44) and want to be rising up the social ladder, his frustration is demonstrative of his personality.     

Remember that "choler" refers to "anger"?   Dumas mentions several times that d'Artagnan became very angry whenever anyone put impediments in his way.  In chapter 27, during a desperate pursuit of the escaped M. de Beaufort, d'Artagnan asks a soldier at the castle questions about the escape. The man was rather uncooperative and d'Artagnan becomes angry, yells at the man, and threatens to kill him, and is soon supplied with the information he sought.  My loose translation of Dumas' description of the angry d'Artagnan: "The anger rose in d'Artagnan's face, his brow furrowed, his temples colored" (323).  This is classic unbridled choleric behavior.  Florence Littauer recounts many stories of angry and frustrated Cholerics shouting at or bossing others. 

D’Artagnan is still up to his horse killing trick, for on that same mission, he ran two different sets of horses until they collapsed (Dumas, chapter 27).  At one point Porthos suggests giving the horses a breather, but d’Artagnan replies “Tuons-les au contraire, tuons-les! Et arrivons," (324) which translates too, “Let’s kill them on the contrary, let’s kill them! And arrive.”  He means to run the horses until they die and arrive at their goal without delay.

Statue of d'Artagnan in Paris

This mission was a mad one too. He was trying to capture the escaped de Beaufort who had a two hour and a quarter lead (323).  He said, “two hours and a quarter, that’s nothing, we’re well mounted, right Porthos?”  Porthos replied with a sigh, knowing what misery was to come for his horses.  Again, he doesn’t care about the horses being focused on the goal.  Cholerics are so goal focused that they will and can undertake what other temperaments would not.  They take pleasure in being in control and reaching their goals, while the other temperaments would see it as out of reach and not even attempt it.  Littauer writes, “Powerful Cholerics not only like to achieve goals, but they thrive on opposition. If popular Sanguines set out to accomplish a task, and someone says it can’t be done, they thank the person profusely—and quit. Perfect Melancholies regret the time they’ve spent in planning and analyzing the situation, and Peaceful Phlegmatics are grateful it can’t be done, because it sounded like too much work in the first place. But tell Powerful Cholerics it’s impossible, and it just whets their appetite” (Personality Plus 57).

Sources:

Dumas, Alexandre. Les Trois Mousquetaires.  Paris, Garnier Frères:1966

Dumas, Alexandre. Vingt Ans Après. Paris, Garnier Frères: 1962 

Littauer, Florence. Personality Plus. Rev. and exp. ed. Tarrytown, New York: Fleming H Revell Company Pub., 1992

Littauer, Florence. Your Personality Tree.  Dallas: Word Publishing, 1986.

Image:  http://versaillesgossip.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/statue_dartagnan_paris.jpg

The Three Musketeers

humanscience.wikia.com

Soon to come will be a series of posts on The Three Musketeers and Twenty Years Later (The sequel) focusing on the personalities of the characters (though there may be a few smaller posts about other observations). As I was reading Les Trois Mousquetaires I found myself analyzing the main characters. I've long loved learning about personalities and studied the humoral personality types (Melancholy, Sanguine, Choleric, and Phlegmatic), so as Dumas recounted in detail the appearance, thoughts, actions, and idiosyncrasies of the famous four, I naturally began to classify them. (Can you tell I'm a Melancholy?)
These books are truly well written. The characters are very three-dimensional and act in ways that are consistent enough to be analyzed.  They are very much like real people yet they are also like the larger than life characters of legends...or like the people highlighted in books about personality as examples since they can be very "over the top" and eccentric.  It is these extremes that lend them so well to analysis.
I hope you enjoy the series to follow.

The Effects of Literature on Behavior

Don Quioxte and Les Trois Mousquetaires

You are what you read. This is especially true if you are Don Quioxte! He read so much about knights that he came to believe that he was one. Most of us don't go mad because of the things we read, but they certainly affect us. I am currently reading Les Trois Mousquetaires by Alexandre Dumas (yes, in French!) and I must tell you that it is affecting me. The last two days I've had a hankering to fight someone with our larp swords. Yesterday, I was trying to think of witty insults (but not anymore) and I even -jokingly- challenged a table to a duel after it hurt my foot. Ok, ok, so the table wasn't exactly walking around, I hit my foot on it. But in Les Trois Mousquetaires, it seems thus far that every provocation warrants a duel. Athos scheduled a duel with D'Artagnan after the latter smacked into his injured shoulder causing him increased pain. I thought my situation was fairly parallel, provided that you pretend, along with me, that it was the table who hurt me, not me hurting myself on the table.  
Ironically, one of my friends just told me that she put on a trench coat after reading some spy books.    
So, maybe not everyone relives the drama of our favorite stories, but if you engage in a little self-analysis, you may find that the books you have been reading are affecting your behavior in certain situations, how you view yourself, or giving you ideas of what kind of person you want to be.

 Elrond sleeping on the dictionary

By the way, I'd love comments! Please share any stories of your own, or your thoughts about this topic!