Milady de Winter

The most important female character in the novel, Milady appears in the first chapter and reappears at the conclusion of the story, which ends with her execution by the Musketeers. While her physical appearance is described at the start of the book, Milady nevertheless remains mysterious. The reader discovers her secrets throughout the novel. 

From a psychoanalytical point of view, she embodies the figure of an incestuous mother as she enters into a relationship with the man who is like a son to her, d’Artagnan. Traditionally considered the villain, Milady is a character that must be examined more deeply: on the one hand, d’Artagnan rapes her, on the other hand, she is assassinated, with no other judgment than that of her victims. These elements lead the reader to have a different vision of her than simply the “bad” character.