Strength of Love and Strength of Hate

One major theme in this novel is the idea of the strength of love as well as the strength of hate. Both these strong emotions motivate characters in the novel to act a certain way. Athos, Aramis, Porthos, and d'Artagnan are all motived out of love. This love between the four friends keeps them from turning against one another or harming one another even though they are fighting for different causes. Athos, individually, is a wonderful example of what a man motivated by love can do. When d'Artagnan and Porthos visit Athos after their twenty-year separation, they expect to find the man old and broken down as a result of his drinking problem. Instead, Athos is in excellent shape and is living on a beautiful estate. Athos tells his friends that all that he has done has been for the benefit of...