Porthos (BBC)

Porthos (Howard Charles) is one of the four titular main protagonists of the BBC series, The Musketeers.
Though fairly competitive and sometimes boisterous, Porthos is loyal and protective of his fellow Musketeers. He, Athos, and Aramis befriend D'Artagnan, whom they all train in the ways of the Musketeers for him to join their ranks. Together, they fight for the King and country. Porthos may be the son of a former slave and faces prejudice, he gets on with the support of his friends. 
He is based on the character of the same name from The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.
==Background==
Porthos is one of the noblest Musketeers along with his friends with d'Artagnan, Athos and Aramis. 
According to the episodes, "Commodities" and "The Prodigal Father," Porthos was born  Marie-Cessette and the Marquis de Belgard). Porthos' mother died when he was very young and raised in the court of Miracles, where he was friends with Charon and Flea, who at one point had a romance with Porthos. He was made a Musketeer by Captain Treville, who felt guilty in his part for his part in Porthos and his mother's ordeal.
Porthos has a strong bond with Aramis and Athos before D'Artagnan. 
=== Personality ===
Porthos is never afraid to back down from a fight and takes any challenge. This behavior was exhibited in the first chapter and in Athos' accounts of the events. He challenged a Red Guard to a card game and also went on to fight him. Porthos was the least of all disappointed when Athos used one of the pitchers to knock the Red Guard out. He later drew D'Artagnan into one at the end of episode 1.
Though a reserved character, underneath, Porthos is deeply emotional about his background. Porthos was haunted by his mother's terrible situation. especially when it led him to grow up in the Court of Miracles. According to Aramis, Porthos is a "little touchy" when it comes to his life in the Court of Miracles. He feels angered when it comes to slavery because his mother was once a slave and Porthos lashed out at Emile Bonnaire, a slave trader.  He held his mother in the highest regard, even dismissing her former lover as his father and named his adoptive daughter after her
He once never hesitated to help a friend or fellow Musketeer in need. When Athos was imprisoned, Porthos was determined to prove his innocence. Porthos could also be understanding, as he did appear to sympathize with D'Artagnan about his father's death.
Porthos was also insightful, such as warning Aramis to be careful about his feelings for the Queen. 
==The Musketeers==
===Series 1===
Porthos first appears in the series, where he is conning Dujon, a Red Guard in a card game. Athos enters the tavern, while also warning Porthos. Throughout the game, Porthos is cheating. The Red Guard is outraged that he lost to Porthos and challenges him to a duel. However, Athos knocks Dujon out and informs Porthos that Treville is looking for them. Asking where Aramis is, Porthos implies he is with his lover, Adele Bessett. When D'Artagnan appears, first meeting Porthos and the other Musketeers, he and Athos duel one another. Aramis is impressed that D'Artagnan is sticking well with Athos but Porthos notes that Athos is trying not to harm the young man. They go to defend Athos when D'Artagnan refuses to stand down but Athos is arrested for being suspected of being the person who killed D'artagnan's father and highway robbery. Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artagnan can prove Athos never committed the crimes accused of by finding Gaudet, one of the Red Guards and the man responsible for said crimes. At the end of the episode, Porthos asks D'Artagnan to join him for a card game as Aramis leaves while Athos gets drunk 
===Series 2===
===Series 3===
==Relationships==
=== Athos ===
Porthos and Athos both are very good friends, having known each other for years, and have a strong companionship that resembles a brother relationship. Athos also enjoys Porthos' humor, as he smirked when he saw that Porthos kept a king card in his sleeve; then a second time when Queen Marie de' Medici was in town and he insulted Marie's bodyguard, Vincent. Both in turn have helped each other when each was accused of a crime that they did not commit. Athos had helped prove that Porthos did not kill a young man and Porthos took part in proving that Athos did not commit robbery and murder.
=== Aramis ===
Out of all four Musketeers, Porthos seems to be the closest with Aramis, considering each other as best friends. Meeting under unknown circumstances, they probably met each other when they joined the Regiment. He and Porthos worked together with D'Artagnan to prove that Athos was accused of murder. Aramis was highly concerned for his best friend when Porthos was nearly fatally injured by a group of bandits and made his healing his top priority. Aramis is also confident that Porthos is not a person capable of murdering a person, even manhandling D'Artagnan when saying Porthos probably did do it, showing that Aramis doesn't like it when even a friend accuses Porthos of something he didn't do. In the same episode, Aramis killed Porthos' friend Charon but no animosity formed between the two, as Aramis was protecting Porthos.
However, despite their closeness, Aramis does not tell Porthos of his romantic relationship with the Queen and shows concern for Porthos when he and the other Musketeers think he is in danger in the presence of his father. Porthos remained unaware of Aramis' brief relationship with Queen Anne until part one of the series two finale, where Porthos expressed anger that Aramis slept with the queen and did not tell them about it.
=== D'Artagnan ===
Porthos and D'Artagnan initially did not get along, since the latter challenged Athos to the duel and would have killed him had Porthos nor Aramis not intervened. After proving Athos' innocence, Porthos once invited D'Artagnan to play a card game at the end of the episode. They gradually become very good friends throughout the series. Porthos seems to take pride in training D'Artagnan. During his false duel, D'Artagnan did a trick that Porthos taught him, while proudly he prolly told Aramis and Athos that he taught the young man that move  During one of their missions escorting a secret slave trader to Paris, D'Artagnan felt empathy for Porthos when he expressed his hatred towards slavery and agreed with what Porthos felt about it. There was that one time when D'Artagnan thought Porthos was possibly guilty of killing that young man but immediately dismissed it when Aramis pointed out that Porthos was still himself and would never kill an innocent man. (Ironically, Porthos did consider himself to be guilty for a brief while). After this episode, D'Artagnan never doubted Porthos again.
Throughout the series, Porthos is protective of D'Artagnan akin to how an older brother protects his younger sibling. For example, he came in between D'Artagnan and  Marsac, a Musketeer who fell from grace when the latter attempted to start attacking D'Artagnan and threatened to stop Marsac's breathing if he hurt him. He was also worried about D'Artagnan and King Louis when they were abducted by slave traders.
=== Constance ===
Porthos is also good friends with Constance, probably before the series even began. Porthos knew of D'Artagnan and Constance's feelings for each other and often supported their relationship despite her being a married woman. He once commented that she was a strong girl to D'Artagnan, (but it was more-or-less a form of Porthos apologizing about what he said about her earlier.
=== Treville ===
Porthos has known Treville since his youth when the captain of the Musketeers found him on the streets of Paris and offered him a position in the Musketeers because Porthos deserved it after what Treville had done to Porthos and his mother, also because Porthos was talented in a sword fight. Since then, Treville has been seen as something of a father figure to Porthos and the other Musketeers. He also once stated he would believe in the innocence of Treville rather than the word of a dishonored musketeer.
Treville also knew of Porthos' father's name, but they didn't reveal that until season 2. In "The Prodigal Father," their relationship is strained in the episode, Porthos and Treville eventually reconcile when Porthos learns that Treville was trying to protect him from the truth about his biological father.
==Quotes==
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