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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