What if...

[Mrs.Dormer]

What if Mordaunt is Athos' son? When I read "Twenty Years After" I couldn't help, but to think so.All his strange behaviour torward him. And it has something to do with the time look: in 1649 years (the date was in the book) athos said that he's 49 years, so in 1548, he was also, unless he was born in new years cuz then it was something like the begining of january. So he was born in 1599. And it's said that athos was 25, when he married milady, so they got marry in 1624. Mordaut was born in 1625 (in 1648 he was 23, unless his bithday is in new years). So....they divorced in summer I believe, cuz it's said that June and july was the worst month for athos , and summer + 9 month (or 8) it equally 1625.
Maybe..I'm not good at math..Just wanna some discussion, because I'm borring

[kiki1982]

Nono, I think you are on to something there. I think that Dumas wanted to imply that Athos also thought that Mordaunt was his son. Hence the compasion he shows explicitly when Mordaunt is almost drowning in the sea. Even after all the nasty things Mordaunt has done, even to Athos during the book. In view of his dedication to Raoul who is definitely his son, it definitely denotes some bias on Athos's side to Mordaunt, something d'Artagnan and the rest cannot comprehend (yet).

[AthosESK]

Yes, I'm pretty sure that's intentional. He COULD be Athos' son... or not... after all, his mother wasn't exactly the model of fidelity . Also, I'm amused at how you called it "divorced." I believe the technical term is "hanged her on a tree." Hee hee hee.

[Mrs.Dormer]

Oh My God, how people interpret "Twenty Years after". This perhaps is not-in-theme subject, but one my friend said that Athos helped Mordaunt, cuz he was desperately in love with him, and she's creating a "soup opera" about them. I laughted about two hours yesterday, and still can't help laughting.

[AthosESK]

That's hilarious! I'm generally in favor of slash, but that's just WRONG! LOL

[Mrs.Dormer]

I found a place where they are disusing this matter (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/clubdumas/). To be fair, I don't know if Mordaunt is Athos son or not, but I'm certainly sure, that he thought so. I don' remember which chapter, but there was duel between Mordaunt and d'Artagnan, and before it our dear friend the avenger asked for duel with Athos, and he refused by saying something like: "the duel between us is impossible" if he refused only because he felt guilty, than he could say "i won't fight you" or something. Why "the duel between us is impossible"? In the end Athos killed Mordaunt, but wasn't it only because he decided to give up his doubts, for facts? He doubted Mordaunt's parentage, but was sure of Raoul, and with last sentence he clarified that " I have a son, I wished to live", Athos perhaps wanted to compare the reality with his speculations, and make up his mind not to torture himself with this question, weather Mordy is his son or not, he did this not for himself, but for another son Raoul.
Also, I'm not sure if you have seen " The Man in the Iron mask" (1998), but if you have, than wasn't d;Artagnan's concern for Luis, the same same as Athos concern for Mordaunt? boths concerns where misunderstood by friends and the others, and Athos behavior in the movie was quite like d'Artagnan's behavior in the book ( since Luis wan't the saint himself, was he)?
Well, I hope you understood my ideas, since I have no talent of expresing my thoughts