The Secret Life of Edmond Dantès The Count of Monte Cristo written by Alexandre Dumas, is an adventurous novel where revenge is being seeked, due to a great injustice done to the main character, Edmond Dantès. Right as his whole life got on track and he is preparing to marry the love of his life named Mercédès, Edmond Dantès is betrayed by four people who falsely accuse him of being a bonapartist and is sentenced to life in prison. After fourteen long years of suffering, he manages to escape prison, and is now determined to get revenge on the four men who caused his agony. Transformed into someone completely different, and extremely rich, Edmond Dantès, now goes by the name of Monte Cristo.
One of the men that Dantès gets revenge on is
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He later breaks into The Count of Monte Cristo’s house and is stabbed by Andrea Cavalcanti, and then dies after the Count reveals his true identity.
The third person that Edmond Dantès gets revenge on is the man who married his supposed to be wife, Mercédès, and mailed the letter accusing Dantès of being a bonapartist; named Fernand Mondego. Fernand loves his family, so Dantès decides to kill his son, Albert in a duel. When word spread to Albert's mother, Mercédès, she comes to Dantès begging him to spare his life, and kill her instead which makes him feel bad, so he changes his decision, and decides not to kill anyone. “How stupid I was,” he said to himself, “not to have torn my heart out the day I chose to avenge myself”(315). Instead, Dantès informs his wife and son that Fernand is a traitor, and they abandon him and his wealth. “He rushed to his bedroom to catch one last glimpse of all that he had loved on earth, but the carriage went past without either of their heads appearing at the window to take a farewell glance at the lonely house, or the forsaken husband and father”(328).
The fourth, and final person that Edmond Dantès gets revenge on was the judge that sentenced him to life in prison, named Gérard de Villefort. Dantès learns that Villefort buried a newborn baby alive in his garden and slowly begins to use that against him as revenge. The baby was rescued by one of Monte Cristo’s
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.
Edmond Dantès, the main character of The Count of Monte Cristo, is an innocent and unsuspecting young man who is thrown in jail by those who were jealous of him. Once Edmond escaped, he changed his identity to the Count of Monte Cristo, and plotted a harsh revenge against his enemies. At the beginning, he said “Happiness is like one of those palaces in fairy tales whose gates guarded by dragons: we must fight in order to conquer it.” (Dantes 18) He thinks that his marriage with Mercédès is too good to be true, according to his statement. As it turned out, it was, and he was put in prison for fourteen years, and it was fifteen years before he saw her again. The only thing Edmond sought after he escaped from jail was revenge. So he took
Edmond Dantès is the only human being in the bunch so his story is more relatable. At the dawn of his tale he is portrayed as innocent and foolish. “Heaven knows I did not seek this good fortune: it has happened, and I really cannot affect to lament it.” (pg.15) As the chosen one, he is of worth and his success receives a grudge from said ‘companions’. He is sent to prison for a crime he had unknowingly committed. Imprisonment for thirteen years drove him mad until he crossed paths of Abbé Faria, who became his mentor. Edmond
In this quote, the author is showing how Dante’s finally learns about how he has gotten mistreated throughout the whole prison affair. I chose this quote because it shows the how gullible and trusting Dante’s was as a person and how it quickly changed into a fury that would not be extinguished.
Faria, a priest, completely changes Dantés' perspective on life when he helps Dantés figure out who put him in prison and why. Faria regretted what he had done to Dantés' innocent mind. Dumas writes, "Faria looked at him [Dantés] steadfastly and said, 'I regret having helped you clarify your past and having told you what I did.' 'Why?' 'Because I have instilled in your heart a feeling that wasn't there before: vengeance" (Dumas 58). When Faria dies, Dantés considers killing himself, but ends up vowing to get revenge instead. After a dramatic escape, Dantés sets out to destroy the lives of those who turned on him using his riches, important friends, and vast amount of knowledge. Dantés states, "He doomed these unknown men to all the tortures his fiery imagination could contrive, but even the cruelest ones seemed too mild and too short for them, for after the torment would come death, which would bring them, if not rest, at least the insensibility which resembles it" (Dumas 42). After life in prison, Dantés was no longer recognizable. He had been changed from the innocent, carefree, living life to the fullest boy of nineteen to a hardened and cynical adult man. Dantés' path of life had now become reversed the second he hits the water. He now lies to and uses everyone around him to further his own agenda of gaining revenge similar to the way
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
Supporting the statement that Edmond devotion and care is set towards his loved ones, for he does not worry about his well being because prospering with his family means he is the best he can be. Edmond’s fortunate life included perspectives of those who purged at his life virgiousling stated “Dantes will certainly carry the day; he will marry their fair damsel, become captain, and have the laugh over us, unless….’ a livid smile was seen to pass over his lips ‘unless I set to work’”(Dumas, 20). Danglars is sarcastically boasting of Dante’s blessed life to infuriate Fernand, who envied Dantes’. The life of Dantes’ was not always so fortunate, though he did not sense this hatred among his companions, it was still prevalent to his death. Consequently, this envious perspective lead to Dante's’ framed imprisonment, for he suffered and his enemies prospered. Edmond is a naive being who believed he was always admired, however Danglars and his accomplices were outliers. When one thrives, others attempt to hinder that growth, and in this case Danglars succeeded with the death of Dante's. Dante’s was not admired by all, for his fortune and purpose in life to prosper with his loved who he cared deeply about was
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
Throughout the book edmond seeks out his revenge for his wrongful imprisonment against those who put in the hell of his prison he. When he was released he immediately began planning his revenge. For this paper i will go in depth about his revenge.
In The Count of Monte Cristo, one can see the unjust subjugation and imprisonment of Edmond Dantes for a crime he did not commit. While imprisoned for just over a decade, he becomes skilled
He has morphed into a new man, with new values, a new character, and an almost completely different disposition. Ever since Abbe Faria solved the mystery to who framed him, Dantes has had a deep need for revenge. “At those moments Dantes' face would darken, for he remembered the oath of vengeance he had sworn, and he thought of how much harm a man could do to his enemies in our modern times with such fortune” (Dumas 72). With these thoughts there is no doubt Dantes has changed from his innocent, naive 19-year-old self to an educated vengeful man of 30. This shapes the entire story into the journey and the completion of a man's goal. Dantes becomes a dark man with only one purpose in life, to enact revenge upon his enemies. He begins by extracting the treasure from its resting place and repaying a man called Jacopo, who aided him once he was shipwrecked. Later, he returns to his home and disguises himself as a priest. Dantes will impersonate the voice of god in order to fulfill his vengeance. He speaks with Caderousse and finds all the men who are guilty and how they punished him. Then, he begins to carry out his plans, beginning with befriending Albert, Mercedes son, and Franz d'Epinay. As a whole, Dantes has become a man so set on revenge, he will not think of anything else. The very words he speaks reflect on what he will do to his accusers and what he thinks of the men he is speaking to. Dantes questions, “If a man has tortured and
Edmond Dantes eventually escapes prison but rapidly realizes the prison of secrecy he places upon himself. Edmond cannot reveal his identity when he leaves and therefore he is forced to become someone new with all the knowledge of his past self. This burden morphs into the remoteness he had felt inside his cell slowly eating at him. When he first returns to the land where he had once resided he is described
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
In Treasure and Vengeance, Justin Kaplan speaks about The Count of Monte Cristo in the highest regard. After a brief back story on himself, he quickly transitions into connecting it with the book itself. Kaplan claims that “in a singular sense, [Edmond’s] motive was disinterested: not the means to anything else and with no purpose other than its own fulfillment” (Kaplan). This is a key aspect in Kaplan’s criticism. He adds that his “revenge, driven by the festering sense of injustice” is what drives Edmond throughout the story (Kaplan). The whole story revolves around Dantès’ dire need to get revenge on Fernand, as well as others who have crossed him. In fact, the Count himself says that “for all evils there are two remedies - time and silence” (Dumas 523). His sole mission is to retaliate against Mondego, who was the cause of his wrongful conviction. He intends to get his revenge for his own needs