Edmond Dantes Reborn as the Count of Monte Cristo Essay

While he was successful in his goal, the pain and suffering he caused to innocent people like Edouard, the son of Villefort, and Mercédès, the wife of Fernand, throws the question of whether Dantes was really successful into doubt, as he wanted to reward the innocents and not hurt them. While Dantes was getting his vengeance on the Villeforts, he unintentionally kills Edouard. Dantes immediately regrets what he did when Dumas states, “Monte Cristo paled at the horrible sight. He realized that he had gone beyond the limits of rightful vengeance” (485). Dantes immediately feels regret for killing the innocent boy when he sees him. Dumas emphasizes this regret and sorrow even more by stating how Dantes was pale from the sight of the consequences of his actions, something that only happens when you truly feel terrified of what you’ve done. He acknowledges for the first time in the story that he was wrong in his pursuit of revenge, so he himself admits that he went too far. He realized that while he did get his revenge on the Villeforts, this was too much as Edouard never did anything besides be related by blood to them. Dantes tries to revive Edouard, but he failed to bring him back, which is the first point in the story where he fails during his quest. He punished the bad and was highly successful with that, but the suffering that he caused upon innocent people made him realized his justice was not worth it or even good. Furthermore, the death of Edouard caused Dantes to become the wrongdoer this time, as he unjustly killed a person for no reason. His original idea was to bring justice to all these criminals, but he ended up only becoming one himself and bringing more undeserved tragedy to people. After everything had happened and Dantes achieved the vengeance he wanted, he reflects on his actions when Dumas says, “Having arrived at the summit of his

The three people that Dantes swears vengance against are the Count de Morcerf, Baron Danglars, Villefort.

During the Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantes, also known through other aliases, is an example of the Shapeshifter. Throughout the text, he can be seen switching from ally to enemy and suddenly back again. Other instances, such as Fernand Mondego, Villefort, and Danglars as the Shadow; Abbe Faria the Mentor; Caderousse the Herald; and Jacopo the Ally

In this quote, Villefort finds out that Dante’s is about to get married and starts to actually feel sorry for the man because he himself was also about to get married. I chose this quote because I think it symbolizes that even though Villefort is mainly an antagonist he still has good aspects to him as well.

As Edmond Dantes loses his dignity, he takes a new role as Count of Monte Cristo and other personas that was only a secret to himself and the audience, which is a form of dramatic irony. After Dantes escaped from prison, he goes to Monsieur Marseilles and tells him that he was “the head clerk of the firm of Thomson and French,”(Dumas 111) whose role he uses to buy an investment. Here he disguises himself as the head clerk of the firm of Thompson and French to prevent others from knowing, which is dramatic irony since the audience knows something that the characters in the novel don’t. Not only were his personas a form of dramatic irony, but incidents that occured after Edmond’s imprisonment were also a type of dramatic irony. Noirtier had hidden the fact that he “killed [Frank’s father]”(Dumas 310) from Franz, which is a form of dramatic irony since the audience knew about it. Through this fact, the reader can view Noirtier as very dangerous individual but also as a protective grandparent since he hid this fact from Valentine to protect her. Later, Caderousse and Andrea plans a robbery that will take place in the Count of Monte Cristo’s house, but this robbery didn’t stay a secret for long. The Count of Monte Cristo was given a letter that warned him of an upcoming robbery, and the Count inferred that “they want to kill me,”(Dumas 330) which led him to be prepared. Dumas uses dramatic irony here because it leads the Count to be prepared without Caderousse knowing, which

Douglas Horton once said, "While seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself". The Count of Monte Cristo, a truly captivating novel written by Alexandre Dumas, lives to tell the tale of a young French Sailor, Edmond Dantés, who is forced to spend fourteen years in prison due to the actions of his jealous enemies or so-called "friends". When he eventually escapes, he is left with the feelings of a strong hatred and a thirst for revenge which sets him up to be the man he develops into throughout the novel. Throughout the novel, the Count of Monte Cristo seeks relentless revenge on all of the people who had wronged him many years ago. Dantés, completely unrecognizable after being freed, became only a prisoner of himself due to his need

Edmond Dantes: the man of many faces including The Count of Monte Cristo, Chief clerk of Thomson, Abbe Busoni, Lord Wilmore, M. Zaccone and Sinbad the Sailor. Edmond is Incredible resourceful, his plan for vengeance against the people who tarnished his innocents and threw him into jail is so large and so complex. The reader gets distracted by the small things, caught up with what is going on not paying to the big picture then boom Edmond shows us his hand. Edmond hustles and cons everyone in the room to doing what he wants them to do. And develops a serious gods complex throughout the novel till he realize later on that he is not the messenger of god, and the world he has created around himself comes crashing down around

These leaps of faith allow him to make life-altering decisions for everyone involved. “Social scientists interpret these leaps of faith either as escape from rationality or simply a different level of rationality” (Sherman 1). The Count had a brutal life as Edmond Dantès; he had an extensive imprisonment, lost his love to his enemy, and was framed by people he believed to be his friends. The vengeance that Dantès seeks when he escapes the Château d’ If can be viewed as an escape from reality. Rather than accept what he has lost, Dantès wants to ruin his enemies’ lives; he refuses to continue life and deal with the pain. To escape from reality he uses his newly acquired wealth to buy himself a new title and a new life: all in the name of revenge. When Dantès becomes the Count and begins to plot his revenge he takes on a God-like image. His immense wealth and manners leave the Parisians awestruck. They have faith in him because he appears to be knowledgeable and well traveled. It is easy to hold someone with such impressive qualities to the standard of a godly figure. The Count takes on a father-like relationship with many of the young men in the novel such as Maximilien and Albert. God is also viewed as a fatherly figure, bringing support and comfort to his “children.” ‘The God-creator whom believers call father, Freud writes, ‘really is the father, with all the magnificence in which he once appeared to the

The main theme that is presented within The Count of Monte Cristo is that revenge and manipulation is easily able to hurt someone, but also benefit another. In this case, Edmond Dantès takes the side of benefit and those brought underneath his vengeance had been ruined. After a plan carefully schemed by three of his false friends, Dantes was thrown into prison and placed under a situation of betrayal and resentment. This long wait in the chateau d’If had put a need for revenge into Dantès head which had transformed him into the Count of Monte Cristo. Although the Count was considered bitter and cold, his seek for revenge had only benefitted him into a more creatively malicious character. Furthermore, this manipulation that Dantès had been put

Edmond Dantes was a 19 year old man who became captain of a ship name the Pharaon. He was much loved by everyone. He is pretty gullible and becomes vengeful when the one guy he considered his friend betrayed him the other two who he was not to fond of ruined his life. He was a respectable young man who showed that numerous times like when he had to leave Morrel while he was talking to him; he said “I beg you excuse me, Monsieur Morrel (Dumas 5). He was to be betrothed to a girl named Mercedes who he’d loved very much but he loved his father most of all. He felt bad when he found out his father was broke from paying his debt causing him to fall to his knees and said “may God forgive me” (Dumas 9). Dantès is a pretty unique character who

They do not grow wise. They grow careful."(261). Hemingway seems to use the character of the Count for several purposes. The Count is a man on the cusp of death. He shows that though the body may get old and die, the spirit still lives on strong. Yet he also refutes the notion that age is wisdom. The Count is just another example of a man dealing with death, he also seems to be a vision of what Frederic will become in the future.

The Count's perception of himself as a humble military man is challenged when he is asked to identify the Marquise's assailants. The Count lies and says that he can not recognize them. He lies because of his own embarrassment in committing the act that the Marquise's attackers attempted and not

Count treated his wife as a beautiful woman throughout the story. He was least concerned about her feelings and emotional requirements. It was clear on many occasions. First, in the beginning when Countess was very angry with her husband even at that situation Count found her very beautiful. He did not try to find out why his wife is upset. Even in the end when Countess revealed that she has never been unfaithful to him, he immediately starts feeling the same without the least concern about the fact that what made his religious wife to lie even at the altar of Christ. Thus proving that for a man, it is lust that is of utmost importance in their relationship with woman. Noble emotions are used as facades to dignify their ignoble

Fernand married Mercédès, adding jealousy to his anger. Fernand’s deeds led the Count to hate him. When the Count speaks of Fernand to Mercédès, “He [Monte Cristo] pronounced the name of Fernand with such hatred that Mercédès felt a shudder of fear run through her body” (375). During this conversation, Mercédès pleads to Monte Cristo for her son’s life. The Count knows that killing Albert would ruin Fernand both emotionally and socially. However, his love for Mercédès is so strong that it completely cancels out all of his hatred for Fernand. He gives up enacting revenge on Fernand then and there, because anything that will hurt Fernand will hurt Mercédès. Human nature is such that people will always choose love over spite. Monte Cristo does a similar thing later. As Novels for Students puts it, “A major step in Monte Cristo's recovery of his ability to love comes when he goes to great efforts to ensure that Valentine is united with Maximilien.” The Count tries to impose misery on a man named Villefort, a key player in his imprisonment, through the death of his daughter, Valentine. The Count refers to Villefort as a “cursed breed” (Dumas 402). Even though he hates Villefort and all of

The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas is an adventure and historical fiction novel that encompasses forgiveness, power, and vengeance. The story follows the adventure of Edmond Dantès, who dedicated the rest of his life to getting vengeance on the men who crossed him. Critics Justin Kaplan and Bryan Aubrey both explain their views on Dumas’ work, in great detail. Kaplan, in Treasure and Vengeance, speaks of his own life, and connects it with Dumas’ work. Aubrey, in his critical essay, on the other hand analyzes Dumas’ piece strictly based upon Edmond’s morality.