At the age of nineteen, EdmondDantès seems to have the perfect life. He is about to become thecaptain of a ship, he is engaged to a beautiful and kind young woman, Mercédès,and he is well liked by almost everyone who knows him. This perfectlife, however, stirs up dangerous jealousy among some of Dantès’sso-called friends. Danglars, the treasurer of Dantès’s ship, enviesDantès’s early career success; Fernand Mondego is in love with Dantès’sfiancée and so covets his amorous success; his neighbor Caderousseis simply envious that Dantès is so much luckier in life than heis.
The Count of Monte Cristo Questions and Answers. The Question and Answer section for The Count of Monte Cristo is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Jan 25, 2002 'The Count of Monte Cristo' is an adaptation of the Alexander Dumas tale by the same name. Dantes, a sailor who is falsely accused of treason by his best friend Fernand, who wants Dantes' girlfriend Mercedes for himself. Dantes is imprisoned on the island prison of Chateau d'If for 13 years, where he plots revenge against those who betrayed him. Start studying The Count of Monte Cristo Study Guide. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Together, these three men draft a letter accusing Dantèsof treason. There is some truth to their accusations: as a favorto his recently deceased captain, Dantès is carrying a letter fromNapoleon to a group of Bonapartist sympathizers in Paris. ThoughDantès himself has no political leanings, the undertaking is enoughto implicate him for treason. On the day of his wedding, Dantèsis arrested for his alleged crimes.
The Count of Monte Cristo. Show dates: July 24 - Oct 21, 2021. Outdoor amphitheatre. Music by Frank Wildhorn Book and Lyrics by Jack Murphy Based on the novel.
The deputy public prosecutor, Villefort, sees throughthe plot to frame Dantès and is prepared to set him free. At thelast moment, though, Dantès jeopardizes his freedom by revealingthe name of the man to whom he is supposed to deliver Napoleon’sletter. The man, Noirtier, is Villefort’s father. Terrified thatany public knowledge of his father’s treasonous activities willthwart his own ambitions, Villefort decides to send Dantès to prisonfor life. Despite the entreaties of Monsieur Morrel, Dantès’s kindand honest boss, Dantès is sent to the infamous Château d’If, wherethe most dangerous political prisoners are kept.
While in prison, Dantès meets Abbé Faria, an Italianpriest and intellectual, who has been jailed for his political views.Faria teaches Dantès history, science, philosophy, and languages,turning him into a well-educated man. Faria also bequeaths to Dantèsa large treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo, and he tellshim how to find it should he ever escape. When Faria dies, Dantèshides himself in the abbé’s shroud, thinking that he will be buriedand then dig his way out. Instead, Dantès is thrown into the sea,and is able to cut himself loose and swim to freedom.
Dantès travels to Monte Cristo and finds Faria’s enormoustreasure. He considers his fortune a gift from God, given to himfor the sole purpose of rewarding those who have tried to help himand, more important, punishing those who have hurt him. Disguising himselfas an Italian priest who answers to the name of Abbé Busoni, hetravels back to Marseilles and visits Caderousse, who is now strugglingto make a living as an innkeeper. From Caderousse he learns thedetails of the plot to frame him. In addition, Dantès learns thathis father has died of grief in his absence and that Mercédès hasmarried Fernand Mondego. Most frustrating, he learns that both Danglarsand Mondego have become rich and powerful and are living happilyin Paris. As a reward for this information, and for Caderousse’sapparent regret over the part he played in Dantès’s downfall, Dantèsgives Caderousse a valuable diamond. Before leaving Marseilles,Dantès anonymously saves Morrel from financial ruin.
Ten years later, Dantès emerges in Rome, calling himselfthe Count of Monte Cristo. He seems to be all knowing and unstoppable.In Rome Dantès ingratiates himself to Albert de Morcerf, son of FernandMondego and Mercédès, by saving him from bandits. In return forthe favor, Albert introduces Dantès to Parisian society. None ofhis old cohorts recognize the mysterious count as Edmond Dantès,though Mercédès does. Dantès is thus able to insinuate himself effortlesslyinto the lives of Danglars, Mondego, and Villefort. Armed with damningknowledge about each of them that he has gathered over the pastdecade, Dantès sets an elaborate scheme of revenge into motion.
Mondego, now known as the Count de Morcerf, is the firstto be punished. Dantès exposes Morcerf’s darkest secret: Morcerfmade his fortune by betraying his former patron, the Greek vizierAli Pacha, and he then sold Ali Pacha’s wife and daughter into slavery. AliPacha’s daughter, Haydée, who has lived with Dantès ever since hebought her freedom seven years earlier, testifies against Morcerf infront of the senate, irreversibly ruining his good name. Ashamed byMorcerf’s treachery, Albert and Mercédès flee, leaving their taintedfortune behind. Morcerf commits suicide.
Villefort’s punishment comes slowly and in several stages. Dantèsfirst takes advantage of Madame de Villefort’s murderous intent,subtly tutoring her in the uses of poison. As Madame de Villefortwreaks her havoc, killing off each member of the household in turn,Dantès plants the seeds for yet another public exposé. In court,it is revealed that Villefort is guilty of attempted infanticide,as he tried to bury his illegitimate baby while it was still alive. Believingthat everyone he loves is dead and knowing that he will soon haveto answer severe criminal charges, Villefort goes insane.
For his revenge on Danglars, Dantès simply plays uponhis enemy’s greed. He opens various false credit accounts with Danglars thatcost him vast amounts of money. He also manipulates Danglars’s unfaithfuland dishonest wife, costing Danglars more money, and helps Danglars’sdaughter, Eugénie, run away with her female companion. Finally,when Danglars is nearly broke and about to flee without paying anyof his creditors, Dantès has the Italian bandit Luigi Vampa kidnaphim and relieve him of his remaining money. Dantès spares Danglars’slife, but leaves him penniless.
Meanwhile, as these acts of vengeance play out, Dantèsalso tries to complete one more act of goodness. Dantès wishes tohelp the brave and honorable Maximilian Morrel, the son of the kindshipowner, so he hatches an elaborate plot to save Maximilian’sfiancée, Valentine Villefort, from her murderous stepmother, toensure that the couple will be truly happy forever. Dantès givesValentine a pill that makes her appear dead and then carries heroff to the island of Monte Cristo. For a month Dantès allows Maximilianto believe that Valentine is dead, which causes Maximilian to longfor death himself. Dantès then reveals that Valentine is alive.Having known the depths of despair, Maximilian is now able to experiencethe heights of ecstasy. Dantès too ultimately finds happiness, whenhe allows himself to fall in love with the adoring and beautifulHaydée.
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact motive Dumas had in mind when he wrote The Count of Monte Cristo. He wrote the novel in 1844 and it was published in 18 fragments between the years 1844-46. This was at the same time that Dumas embarked on his project including the D'Artagnan romances. These romances were written in conjunction with his collaborator Auguste Maquet starting in 1837. Their objective was to reconstruct French National history through a series of novels. The Three Musketeers is such a novel. In any case, The Count of Monte Cristo, also written with a team of collaborators, was written at the same period as these novels, which had a distinct didactic purpose. It was Dumas goal to teach the French people their historical heritage. The plots of the D'Artagnan romances are thus restricted to actual historical events and the characters reflect actual historical personages. The Count of Monte Cristo is only loosely based in fact, and thus does not fit the category of the D'Artagnan romances. History forms a mere backdrop to the plot. Dumas thus had much more freedom to create the imaginative plot and to develop the characters' role. Does this mean that The Count of Monte Cristo is not didactic in nature? Most likely the novel was created as a relief from the genre of the D'Artagnan romances, however , this is not to say that one cannot find historical events within the novel. Historical and social values are still contained within the work, though they are reduced to the backdrop. The work covers the period of French History from 1814-1838.
The Count Of Monte Cristo Pdf
Historically one is carried through the closing Hundred days of Napoleon's Dynasty, the reigns of Louis XVIII, Charles X, and Louis Philipe, and the Revolution of July. These events however, do not particularly intrude upon the story.
Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo also covers French societal customs of the period. It was completely possible that a political prisoner should be forgotten in prison, though political prisoners normally stayed for a year. Another feature of 19th century post-Napoleonic society that Dumas illustrates is the humble origins of many of the most influential persons of Parisien society. Danglars, The Count de Morcerf and
Villefort represent three different means by which an individual of humble origin entered elite Parisien society. One is financial (Danglars), Morcerf represents military and political advancement, and Villefort's advancement is judicial. Other features of society outlined by Dumas are the theatrical shows the elite attend (such as the Opera), and the trend to purchase a house in Parisien suburbs, such as the Count did in Auteuil. Though Dumas' purpose in writing the novel was not didactic, it certainly contained many historical and societal realities.
Perhaps Dumas wrote this novel as a tribute to the spirit of his father who he never knew. His father had been a General in Napoleon's army, and had led a life full of adventure and intrigue. Perhaps Noirtier, the old Bonapartist hero in this tale is thus a tribute to Dumas' father.
The Count Of Monte Cristo Quotes
These are not the reasons why The Count of Monte Cristo is often listed as one of the ten best novels of all time. It is rather the imagery of man acting as a force of divine justice that enthralls the senses. The Count if Monte Cristo focuses on man-man hatred. This hatred is far more powerful than the man-woman love contained within the work. The psychological portrayal of vengeance is one that fascinates yet it is a portrayal that also repels. Monte Cristo's character does not arouse sympathy, yet somehow his actions are justified. He is almost a mythological hero. A supernatural aura creates an adventure tale that is hard to resist.