The Count of Monte Cristo summary

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The Count of Monte Cristo summary

Book Title: The Count of Monte Cristo Author: Alexandre Dumas

Genre: Adventure Pages: 509

Plot Summary: Edmond Dantes is a sailor who has just returned from a voyage on the ship that he helps crew. He finds out as soon as he gets back that he is going to be appointed the new captain of the ship when he is only 19. However there are three people that don’t like Dantes because of his success. Danglers the ships treasurer is jealous of Dantes early success. Fernand is friends with but also in love with Mercedes the girl that Dantes is engaged too. Finally, was Dantes neighbor Caderousse who is just jealous of dantes success. Together, these three men wrote a letter accusing Dantes of being a bonapartist. There is some truth to their accusations. As a favor to his recently deceased captain, Dantès is carrying a letter from Napoleon to a group of Bonapartist sympathizers in Paris. Though Dantes himself has no political views the police take Dantes to jail on the day of his wedding. The prosecutor M. Villefort, sees through the plot to frame Dantès and is prepared to set him free. At the last moment, though, Dantes jeopardizes reveals the name of the man to whom he is supposed to deliver Napoleon’s letter. That man Noirtier is M. Villefort’s father so Villefort decides to send Dantès to prison for life. Despite the protest of Monsieur Morrel, Dantès’s kind boss, Dantès is sent to the infamous Château d’If prison. Dantes in prison is very deppressed but right before he is about to kill himself he meets the man inprsoned next door to him. This man is Abbe Faria a preist. Abbe teaches dantes all sorts of things like philosohy and math and science and tells Dantes of a massive hidden treasure that is burried on the isle of Monte Cristo if Dantes every escapes. When Abbe dies Dantes hides himself in Abbes body bag and gets thrown into the ocean where he just barely makes it to safety. Dantes then travels to Monte Cristo and finds his enormous tresure. He buys a yacht and stores all his money there and travels back to his old home to visit caderousse who is now and innkeeper. He doesn’t recognise Dantes because Dantes now looks so differnent and says his name is Abbe the preist. Caderousse fills Dantes in on everything that happened in 14 years. Danglers is extremely rich. Fernand ended up marrying Mercedes and Dantes father is dead. Dantes then leaves but before he does he gives M. Morrel his old boss a huge amount of money in a red purse to save his buissness. Dantes does this anonymously though. The book then skips ten years and Dantes is in Rome Italy. He is now known as the Count of Monte Cristo. He saves Albert de Morcerf from bandits at the coliseum. Albert is Mercedes and Fernand’s son. The Count of Monte Cristo is now on a mission to get revenge on the three people who put him in jail. Fernand Morcerf, is the first to be punished. The Count exposes Morcerf’s secret. Morcerf made his fortune by betraying his former friend the Greek vizier Ali Pacha, and he then sold Ali Pacha’s wife and daughter into slavery. Ali Pacha’s daughter, Haydee who is very beautiful has lived with The Count ever since he bought her freedom seven years earlier testifies against Morcerf in front of the senate, irreversibly ruining his good name. Ashamed by Morcerf’s treachery, Albert and Mercedes leave Paris. But before they go too far Fernand Morcerf commits suicide. The count then gets back at Danglers. He opens various false credit accounts with Danglars name that cost him vast amounts of money. He also manipulates Danglars wife, costing Danglars more money, and helps Danglars’s daughter Eugénie, run away from home. Finally, when Danglars is had just lost a large amount of money and about to flee without paying any of his creditors, The Count Dantès has the Italian bandit Luigi Vampa kidnap him and take all his money leaving him broke. The last revenge is on M. de Villefort. The count takes advantage of Mme. De Villefort who is crazy and poisons he entire familly including Valentine who is in love with Maximillion Morrel, the son of The Counts old boss. The Count helps Valentine fake her death. Maximillion is so sad he thinks he cannot live anymore with Valentine gone. But then The Count reveals that Valentine was actually alive the whole time and Maximillion is so happy he can’t believe it. M. de Villefort then gets charged in court and goes insane. Dantes sails away never to see any to see any of them again but before he leaves Haydee declares he love for him and The Count takes her with him because he loves her too.

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The Count of Monte Cristo summary

The Count of Monte Cristo

ALEXANDRE DUMAS

Novel, 1844. Film, 1934, 1954, 1961, 2002. Summary. Television film, 1975.

This story has been made into a film numerous times by French and American filmmakers, but as yet no film has succeeded in capturing the entire plot of the book. Neither will this outline, for the plot is extremely intricate.

The story begins in France, where Napoleon is in exile for the first time. Edmond Dantès is a young man, handsome, in love, and about to become captain of a ship, the Pharao. On the day before his wedding all his plans come to an abrupt halt: He is arrested for a crime he is not aware of and transported to Castle If, the prison island in the harbor of Marseille. There he stays and stays; he almost goes mad trying to figure out what happened to him. Several years into his incarceration he meets another prisoner, the mad Abbé Faria, who, trying to escape, managed only to dig his way into Edmond’s cell. The Abbé is a learned man, and upon their meeting Edmond’s true education begins. The Abbé teaches him languages, chemistry, history, science, politics, economics, and intrigue. Through the Abbé’s insight Edmond learns who is to blame for his downfall: Fernand, who wanted Edmond’s girlfriend, Mercedes, for himself; and Danglars, who didn’t want Edmond to become captain because he wanted the job for himself. These two men put together a letter denouncing Edmond as a Bonapartist (supporter of Napoleon). Villefort, the prosecutor, was also part of the plan; he knew that Edmond was innocent but condemned him to oblivion, because if he let Edmond go, it would implicate Villefort’s father as a Bonapartist and put an end to Villefort’s own career.

Faria dies, but just before his death he tells Edmond why everyone considers him, Faria, to be mad: It is because he claims to know of a treasure on the island of Monte Cristo. Edmond escapes from prison by donning the burial garments meant for the Abbé and pretending to be him. He figures he can dig his way out of the soft earth, but to his horror he is not buried in a cemetery; he is thrown into the ocean. He is picked up by smugglers, and he embarks on a new life. First he visits Monte Cristo and finds the treasure, which does indeed exist. Then he sets out to gain his revenge (or what he sees as divine retribution), fourteen years after having been thrown into prison.

It takes years and careful planning. Certain that God has chosen him as his instrument of retaliation, Edmond (who is now the Count of Monte Cristo) seeks out his old enemies, who have all done well for themselves. Fernand has married Mercedes and is a war hero. Danglars is a rich banker, and Villefort holds a position similar to that of attorney general. Piece by piece the Count’s revenge falls into place. He inflicts defamation, ruin, and death on the three culprits and their families, until he realizes that in the process he has caused innocent lives to be lost. He understands that no man can play God, and he tries to make amends to the blameless survivors. One of these is Mercedes, who recognized him from the start. She tells the Count that she is as guilty as any of the three, because she didn’t wait for Edmond but believed him dead. Edmond, however, is through with revenge; he lets Mercedes and her grown son go, and he awards them a pension and a small house—his own home in Marseille, the very house they were to have been married in.

Study Questions

1. Do you believe that Edmond’s vengeful actions were justified? How might Edmond’s approach be criticized?

2. If you can’t expect society to retaliate against a crime on your behalf, is it all right to take matters into your own hands? Why or why not?

3. Some scholars think there is a difference between revenge and retribution. Are they right? Why or why not?

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The Count of Monte Cristo summary

STUDY GUIDES: THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (ABRIDGED VERSION)

Part One – Chapters 1-19 (pp. 1-109)

CHAPTER ONE

1) Describe the setting: date, place, and name of the ship that’s docking. Include the city and country in which the ship is docking.

2) Who is nervous about the boat?

3) Who was the captain of the boat? What happened to him?

4) Who is the ship’s purser? Intuit the purser’s job.

5) How does Danglars feel toward Dantés?

6) Why did they stop at Elba? Who is the "emperor" they refer to?

7) Who is the first mate on the ship?

8) What does Danglars tell Morrel?

9) Who is Mercédès?

10) What new position does Morrel offer Dantés?

11) Note the last sentence of the chapter. What is important about it?

12) Who is Monsieur Morrel?

13) Danglars is described as being "obsequious to his superiors and arrogant to his subordinates" (2). What does obsequious mean?

14) Dantés asks for two weeks of leave for what two reasons?

15) Danglars is characterized negatively in this chapter. Name several things that make him seem to be bad.

16) Dantés is shown to be a polite, honorable young man. Name several things that make him seem to be so.

CHAPTER TWO

1) Who is Caderousse? How does he enter the story?

2) Why was Edmond’s dad forced to live on 60 francs per month?

3) Note Edmond’s mumbled phrase on page 7. What is important about it?

4) What is Caderousse’s profession?

5) What seems to be going on between Danglars and Caderousse?

6) Where would a Catalan be from?

7) Caderousse says Dantés is in for an unpleasant surprise. What is that surprise?

CHAPTER THREE

1) What is the Catalan’s name and whom does he love?

2) How does Mercédès feel toward Fernand?

3) Bad luck is foreshadowed at least three times in this chapter. What three things give an inkling of bad luck?

4) What does Fernand yell as he runs away?

5) Explain the allegiance between the three characters on pages 12-14.

6) Fernand says, "All a man needs is a *** and a good ***."

7) Danglars guesses that Dantés is going to Paris in order to . . .

CHAPTER FOUR

1) According to Dantés, how is happiness like a palace in fairy tales?

2) What happens to break up the betrothal feast?

CHAPTER FIVE

1) Who is Villefort’s dad?

2) What political party does Villefort support?

3) What political party does Noirtier support?

4) What is Villefort’s job?

5) To whom is Villefort set to be married?

6) Why was Edmond arrested?

7) Why must Villefort act severely AGAINST Bonapartists (those in league with Napoleon)?

8) Of what is Morrel suspected?

9) What is Edmond’s response when asked about his political opinions?

10) To whom was the letter addressed?

11) On page 24, what is Villefort’s dilemma?

12) What does Villefort do with the letter?

13) What is Villefort’s idea on how to use the letter to his advantage?

14) Royalists supported which king?

15) What was a Girondin?

CHAPTER SIX

1) Where does Dantés find himself in the beginning of this chapter?

2) What is the Chateau d’If?

3) Where does Dantés end up because he acts like a mad man?

CHAPTER SEVEN

1) What is Louis XVIII informed of? By whom?

2) Describe how Villefort lies about Edmond.

3) Why won’t Villefort stay with his father?

4) What does Louis XVIII give to Villefort? How does Villefort react? What does this tell you about Villefort?

CHAPTER EIGHT

1) In the beginning of the chapter, who is in power in France?

2) How is Villefort saved from Napoleon’s wrath?

3) What is so despicable about Villefort’s wedding plans?

4) Why did Morrel stop seeing Villefort after Waterloo and the 2nd Restoration?

5) What became of Danglars?

6) What became of Fernand?

7) How does Mercédès feel?

8) What happens to Edmond’s dad?

9) Why was it so courageous for Morrel to pay for the funeral and discharge the debts of Dantés’ father?

CHAPTER NINE

1) Why does Dantés stop eating? Why does he start eating again?

2) For how long has Edmond been imprisoned?

3) What exciting thing happens at the end of the chapter?

CHAPTER TEN

1) Who is Dantés’ new friend?

2) What is the other prisoner’s "prison history"?

3) Describe the things the Abbé Faria had made.

4) Describe how Faria pieces together the cause of Edmond’s downfall.

5) What does Faria teach Edmond?

6) What is Faria’s new plan on page 50?

7) What foils the escape attempt?

CHAPTER ELEVEN

1) The treasure about which Faria found out belonged to a family named ***.

2) Explain how Faria discovered where the treasure had been hidden.

CHAPTER TWELVE

1) What happens to Faria?

2) What "medical" test is given to prove Faria dead?

3) How does Edmond escape?

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

1) How and why does Edmond disguise himself?

2) How does Edmond explain his long hair and beard to the sailors?

3) What is the name of the captain who saved Edmond’s life?

4) How long has it been since Edmond was arrested?

5) On whom does Edmond swear revenge?

6) What is the name of the ship Edmond is on?

7) How old is Edmond now? How does he look?

8) Why does the captain of the Jeune-Amélie decide to stop at the isle of Monte Cristo?

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

1) How is Edmond able to go off on his own while on the isle of Monte Cristo?

2) What is the ultimate word of human wisdom?

3) What does Edmond find in the chest?

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

1) Describe two examples of Dantés’ generosity.

2) How does Dantés manage to get by the gendarme?

3) What news does Jacopo bring Edmond?

4) Where does Dantés go next?

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

1) What is Dantés’ disguise?

2) Whom does the priest visit?

3) What does Caderousse know about the death of Dantés’ father?

4) The preist says Dantés left a diamond in his will for three friends and his fiancee. Who are the friends?

5) What is Danglars now called and what became of him?

6) What is Fernand’s new name and what became of him?

7) What is the first name of Madame de Morcerf?

8) What does the priest do with the diamond?

9) What does the priest ask for in exchange?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

1) What is Dantés’ new disguise?

2) Who is Monsieur de Boville?

3) Why do you think Dantés buys de Boville’s investment?

4) What does Dantés steal from his prison file?

5) How was Morrel’s letter used against Dantés?

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

1) Who is Emmanuel Herbault?

2) Who is Julie?

3) What is Morrel’s last hope?

4) What bothers Morrel the most?

5) What happens to the Pharaon?

6) Who is Penelon?

7) What does Morrel insist on doing in spite of Penelon’s objections?

8) Dantés, still in disguise as the clerk, gives Morrel how long to pay his debt?

9) The "clerk" makes Julie swear to what promise?

CHAPTER NINETEEN

1) Morrel left Marseilles to ask *** to guarantee a loan for him but was refused.

2) What is Morrel’s son’s name?

3) What does Morrel decide to do to "wash away dishonor"?

4) Who confronts Julie and what does he tell her to do?

5) What does the purse contain?

6) Why does Morrel think the purse looks familiar?

7) What other gift does Dantés anonymously gove Morrel?

8) Re-read the last two paragraphs of this chapter. Predict what Dantés will do next.

Part Two – Chapters 20-44 (pp. 109-267) – due Mon. 2/22

CHAPTER TWENTY

* Realize this: Viscount Morcerf = Albert de Morcerf = Fernand Mondego’s son

*We meet viscount (pronounced "vie - count") Morcerf and Franz d’Epinay

1) What is Albert’s friend’s name?

2) What "admirable philosophy" does Albert hold?

3) The Count is really who?

4) How has Dantés changed since the beginning of the novel?

5) Summarize the count’s philosophy of vengeance.

6) Franz says, "Hatred is ***, anger is ***, and he who pours out *** risks having to drink a bitter draft."

7) Explain how vengeance can be a bitter draft.

8) The count agrees with Franz’s assessment of vengeance only for those who are *** and ***, not for those who are *** and ***.

9) What event do the count, Franz, and Albert go to see?

10) When one of the prisoners is pardoned at the site of the execution, how does the other react?

11) How does the count react to the executions?

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

1) Why does Franz let Albert have the carriage to himself so often?

2) After flirting with the ladies for some time and after giving one of them a letter, what does Albert receive?

3) What happens to Albert as he carries out his instructions?

4) Who is Luigi Vampa?

5) How does the count know the messenger who brought the letter?

6) How is Albert saved from the bandits?

7) Where is the count supposed to go on May 21?

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

1) Who are Albert’s parents?

2) How does Max Morrel celebrate the anniversary of his father’s salvation from ruin?

3) On pages 140-141, we find out two things about the count that go against the morals of most people today. First of all, inside an emerald case he keeps ***. Secondly, for giving an emerald to the Grand Seigneur, he received ***.

4) He gave yet another emerald to the pope and received in exchange a man’s life. Who do you think that man was?

5) We find out that Albert hopes to marry ***.

6) The count’s valet, Ali, has a physical impairment. What is it?

7) Who is the count’s steward?

8) Instead of having a mistress, the count has a ***.

9) How do the guests at lunch react to the count?

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
1) What in particular did the count notice in Albert’s house?

2) In this chapter the count finally meets *** and ***.

3) How does the count treat Fernand?

4) Describe Mercédès’ physical reaction to meeting the count.

5) When Albert says that "Franz claimed the count was a man who had come back from the next world," what kind of a movement does Mercédès make?

6) Mercédès almost seems to know who the count is. Give one bit of evidence that makes us aware of this. Do not use as evidence answers to previous questions.

7) Give one example of dramatic irony found in the NEXT TO LAST paragraph of the chapter.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

1) Where is the count’s house located?

2) Where is the second house he buys?

3) What is Bertuccio’s initial reaction to learning the count is buying a house in Auteuil?

4) What does that reaction foreshadow?

5) That foreshadowing is made stronger on page 151. Describe Bertuccio’s actions as they left for Auteuil.

6) What is the name of the former owner of the house?

7) What villain is Saint-Méran related to?

8) What happened to Renee Saint-Méran Villefort?

9) Why had Bertuccio told Villefort he would kill him?

10) Saint-Méran had rented the house at Auteuil to a young widow called ***.

11) Bertuccio watched Villefort even when he moved to Versailles to be public prosecutor. He found that Villefort made secret trips to see ***.

12) What was Villefort burying in the garden before Bertuccio stabbed him?

13) What significance do the letters "H.N." have?

14) Who adopted the baby?

15) Who was the innkeeper that helped Bertuccio in his smuggling?

16) What was the baby named?

17) In what year did Bertuccio escape the police by hiding in the innkeeper’s secret room?

18) What else had happened in that year?

19) What business transaction took place at the inn while Bertuccio was hiding?

20) Who was killed in the inn?

21) Who was originally accused of the murders?

22) Who do you think the Abbé Busoni really was?

23) Who was eventually rightfully imprisoned for the murders?

24) What role did the Abbé Busoni play in the downfall of Caderousse?

25) What happened to Assunta?

26) Abbé Busoni said, "For every evil there are two remedies: *** and ***."

Part Three – Chapters 45-72 (pp. 268-441) – due Wednesday, 3/3

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

1) Danglars stops by to see the count, but the count is said to be otherwise engaged. However, Danglars knows that the count will eventually have to speak with him. Why?

2) What possession of Danglars’ does the count send Bertuccio to purchase?

3) Bertuccio is sent to buy what next and in whose name?

4) The count requests how much credit from Danglars and presents how many letters of reference from reliable and prestigious firms?

5) Who is visiting Madame Danglars?

6) Why does Madame Danglars become angry with her husband?

7) What does the count do to gain the favor of the Danglarses?

8) Why does the count ask Ali if he could stop various animals with a lasso?

9) Whom does Ali save?

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

1) Who visits the count? Why?

2) What impression of himself does MC give to Villefort?

3) Who is now living with Villefort?

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

1) Whom does MC visit in this chapter?

2) What does he tell her?

3) What is the one thing MC asks her NOT to do?

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

1) When MC visits the Morrels, who opens the door?

2) Who else is still with the Morrels?

3) While Max, Julie and her husband, Emmanuel, and MC are discussing "Sinbad, the Sailor," what surprising statement does Max make?

4) How does MC react upon hearing this?

5) Do any of them guess his identity or have suspicions?

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

1) Whom does MC meet at the Villeforts’?

2) What subject do MC and Madame de Villefort discuss?

3) What is the outcome of their discussion?

CHAPTER THIRTY

1) Who calls on MC?

2) Who objects to the upcoming marriage of Albert and Eugenie Danglars?

3) Why is Albert going to marry her?

4) Why do MC and Albert plan that the Morcerfs will be out of town for the dinner party MC is planning?

5) Whom does MC say he is expecting a visit from the next day?

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

1) Who sends Cavalcanti to MC?

2) What is the cause of Cavalcanti’s unhappiness?

3) What surprise does MC have for Cavalcanti?

4) Viscount Andrea Cavalcanti has a letter of introduction signed by whom?

5) Are the two really related?

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

1) Where does this chapter take place?

2) Who is secretly waiting for whom?

3) Why is the meeting delayed?

4) How does Valentine let Max know why she is delayed?

5) What do the two girls talk about?

6) What would Eugenie really like to do?

7) Why does Madame de Villefort want Valentine to enter a convent instead of getting married?

Special information:

a) Valentine is the current Mdm. de Villefort’s step-child

b) Valentine is set to inherit the family money

c) Mdm. de Villefort does not want Valentine to marry at all

d) If Valentine goes into the convent, all family money will go to Edouard (Mdm. De V.’s OWN child)

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

1) Who is Noirtier’s servant who has been with him for more than 25 years?

2) What is Noirtier’s physical condition?

3) How does he communicate?

4) With whom can he communicate?

5) Who is Noirtier’s favorite?

6) Why is Noirtier agitated when the Villeforts tell him that Valentine is to marry Franz?

7) What does Valentine ask of her grandfather?

8) Why does Noirtier send for a notary?

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

* MC reminds the Villeforts of their invitation to his house at Auteuil this coming Saturday.

1) Why does MC stop at the Villeforts’?

2) How does Villefort react when he learns the address of MC’s house at Auteuil?

3) How does Danglars lose 500,000 francs?

4) Did Don Carlos really escape and return to Spain? What’s the deal?

5) How much did Danglars lose?

6) Who is responsible for the false story?

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

1) What did MC have done to his house in Auteuil?

2) Who are MC’s dinner guests?

3) What does Andrea hope to find in Paris?

4) Whom does Bertuccio recognize?

5) How does MC make Villefort and Madame Danglars uncomfortable?

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

1) Who surprises Andrea?

2) How does Caderousse blackmail Andrea?

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

1) How does Danglars react to Lucien Debray this evening?

2) How much does Danglars know about his wife’s activities?

3) Why is he angry this evening?

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

1) What impression does MC give to Danglars about Cavalcanti?

2) How does the Count de Morcerf enter into the conversation?

3) How does Danglars react to this information?

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

1) What does Villefort tell Madame Danglars when she visits him the next morning?

2) What does Villefort propose to do?

CHAPTER FORTY

1) What do MC and Albert talk about?

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

1) What does Villefort do after his wife and daughter go to the ball?

2) Who comes to see him and why?

3) What is Madame de Saint-Méran’s wish?

4) What does Max propose?

5) What will Max do if she marries Franz?

6) Does Valentine change her mind?

7) When Valentine does not appear for their rendezvous, what does Max do?

8) Whom does he overhear talking in the garden and about what?

9) What does Max do?

10) What is the only way Max can get out of the house?

11) What do Valentine and Max tell Noirtier?

12) After Valentine leaves, what does Noirtier tell Max?

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

1) What does Villefort propose to Franz immediately after the burial?

2) What news does the notary bring?

3) Why does Noirtier ask to see Franz?

4) Whom does Noirtier reveal as the man who killed Franz’s father?

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

1) What is Franz’s reaction to Noirtier’s confession?

2) How does Noirtier change his will again?

3) What is the prupose of the visit of the Count de Morcerf to Danglars?

4) What is Danglars’ decision?

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

1) Why does Noirtier send for Max?

2) What suddenly happens to Barrois?

3) Who does the doctor think killed the 3 victims?

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

1) Who has left a letter for Andrea instructing him to come see him the next morning?

2) What does Caderousse want?

3) What is Caderousse’s plan?

4) What else does Caderousse get from Andrea?

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

1) How does MC learn of the impending robbery?

2) What does MC do instead of going to the police?

3) Does MC really think someone wants to rob him?

4) How does MC disguise himself after he recognizes Caderousse?

5) Who liberated Caderousse from prison?

6) Who does Caderousse think Benedetto is?

7) What does Caderousse do when Abbé Busoni tells him that he is going to turn Caderousse and Benedetto in to the police?

8) What does Abbé Busoni demand of Caderousse?

9) What happens to Caderousse after Abbé Busoni lets him leave?

10) Who comes to his aid?

11) What does Caderousse do before he dies?

12) What does Abbé Busoni reveal to him just before he dies which causes him to repent?

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

1) What does MC propose to Albert after it is announced that Andrea, instead of Albert, will marry Eugenie?

2) What does Albert receive the third day after arriving in Normandy?

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

1) What reaction had the information about Morcerf’s betrayal caused in the Chamber?

2) As Morcerf is defending himself, who appears in the vestibule to support the accusations against him?

3) Faced with Haydee’s testimony, how does Morcerf react?

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

1) What does Albert intend to do?

2) What does his friend Beauchamp advise him to do?

3) Who do Beauchamp and Albert think revealed Albert’s father?

4) What surprising informatioin does Danglars give them?

CHAPTER FIFTY

1) What is arranged at the opera that night?

2) Who are Albert’s seconds?

3) Who are MC’s seconds?

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

1) Why does Mercédès visit MC that same night?

2) Does she know the true identity of MC?

3) Does she know about Fernand’s complicity in Edmond’s being falsely imprisoned?

4) What does MC promise her?

5) What is MC’s reaction?

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

1) Why does MC demonstrate his shooting skill to Max?

2) What surprising move does Albert make the morning of the duel? Why?

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

1) What do Albert and his mother decide to do?

2) What does Edmond say in the letter they receive?

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

1) How did MC know Albert and his mother were planning to leave?

2) How does MC react to seeing Haydee again?

3) Who arrives to speak to him?

4) How does Morcerf react when he discovers that MC is really Edmond Dantés?

5) What does Morcerf do when he arrives home and discovers his wife and son are leaving him?

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

1) What kind of medicine has Valentine been taking?

2) Why do Madame Danglars and Eugenie visit the Villeforts?

3) Is Valentine well?

4) To whom does Max go for help?

5) What has caused Valentine to lose consciousness?

6) Why doesn’t she die?

7) Who moves in next door?

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

1) What is the occasion for the gathering in this chapter?

2) How does MC interrupt the signing?

3) Is Andrea arrested?

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

1) What does Eugenie plan to do?

2) How did Eugenie get passports?

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

1) How did Andrea show his foresight when he slipped away from the Danglarses?

2) After carefully disguising his route, what did Andrea plan to do?

3) What interrupted his plans?

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

1) How well is Valentine recuperating?

2) Who visits Valentine during the night?

3) Why does he visit her?

4) Who is the poisoner?

5) Does Valentine expose her stepmother?

6) What is MC’s plan?

CHAPTER SIXTY

1) Who discovers that Valentine is apparently dead?

2) Who appears at the scene whom the other members of the family do not know?

3) What does he tell them?

4) Who reveals the murderer to Villefort?

5) What does Villefort promise?

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

1) Who visits Danglars?

2) What has Danglars been doing?

3) How does MC get the money from him?

4) Who arrives just as MC is leaving?

5) Is Danglars able to pay him?

6) When does he promise him the money?

7) Is Danglars going to be able to pay him tomorrow?

CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

1) What event is taking place as this chapter opens?

2) What is Max doing as MC breaks into his room?

3) What startling news does MC reveal to Max?

4) What promise does MC exact from Max?

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

1) Where are Albert and his mother living?

2) Who is the mysterious person who has rented a room in the same hotel?

3) Who is the mysterious woman who visits him?

4) What advice does Debray give her?

5) Why is Madame Danglars disappointed?

6) How did Albert acquire 1000 francs?

7) Where will Mercédès live while Albert is in the army?

8) Who watches as Mercédès leaves Albert on her way to Marseilles?

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

1) Who visits Benedetto in prison?

2) Who does Benedetto think Bertuccio is?

3) Who does Benedetto think his real father is?

CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

1) What does Villefort do to occupy his time after Valentine’s death?

2) What does Villefort tell his wife just before he leaves to demand the death penalty for Benedetto?

CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

1) What shocks the courtroom?

2) How does Villefort react?

CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

1) What does Villefort resolve to do?

2) What does Villefort discover when he reaches home?

3) Who is with Noirtier?

4) What does he (the answer to #3) do when Villefort confronts him?

5) What was Dantés’ reaction when he saw the two bodies?

6) What is Villefort’s reaction?

7) What is MC’s next step?

CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT

1) Where did MC and Max go when they left Paris?

2) Whom does MC visit there?

CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE

1) Does MC expect to ever see Mercédès again?

2) Where is the next place MC visits?

3) What does the prison guide give MC?

4) What was the result of MC’s visit to the prison?

5) Do Max and MC now leave Marseilles?

CHAPTER SEVENTY

1) Where is MC going?

2) Who else has gone where MC is going? For what purpose?

3) Who else is aware of this?

4) What happens to Danglars?

CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE

1) What are the unusual circumstances of Danglars’ captivity?

2) What is the bandit’s plan?

CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO

1) Who appears in the prison when Danglars runs out of money?

2) What does MC do?

3) What happens to Danglars?

CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE

1) Where does the chapter take place?

2) What is MC seeking to determine about Max?

3) When Max swallows the substance he believes will kill him, whom does MC bring in?

4) What is Haydee going to do if MC kills himself?

5) How does MC interpret this?

6) What two words of the count express what is contained in human wisdom?

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The Count of Monte Cristo summary

The Count of Monte Cristo (French: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. It is often considered, along with The Three Musketeers, as Dumas' most popular work. The writing of the work was completed in 1844. Like many of his novels, it is expanded from the plot outlines suggested by his collaborating ghostwriter Auguste Maquet.

The story takes place in France, Italy, islands in the Mediterranean and the Levant during the historical events of 1815–1838 (from just before the Hundred Days through the reign of Louis-Philippe of France). The historical setting is a fundamental element of the book. It is primarily concerned with themes of justice, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness, and is told in the style of an adventure story.

Dumas got the idea for The Count of Monte Cristo from a true story, which he found in a memoir written by a man named Jacques Peuchet. Peuchet related the story of a shoemaker named Pierre Picaud, who was living in Paris in 1807. Picaud was engaged to marry a rich woman, but four jealous friends falsely accused him of being a spy for England. He was imprisoned for seven years. During his imprisonment a dying fellow prisoner bequeathed him a treasure hidden in Milan. When Picaud was released in 1814, he took possession of the treasure, returned under another name to Paris and spent ten years plotting his successful revenge against his former friends.

Plot summary

Edmond Dantès, an 18-year-old sailor aboard the ship Pharaon, returns home to Marseille. He is excited to be reunited with his family and friends, and eager to marry his fiancée, the Catalan beauty Mercédès. He is also proud of his recent promotion to captain. At the same time, he is saddened by the recent death of his friend Captain Leclère, his predecessor.

Captain Leclére, a supporter of the now exiled Napoléon, had charged Dantès on his deathbed to deliver a package to former Grand Marshal Maréchal Bertrand, who had been exiled to the isle of Elba. During the Pharaon's stop at Elba, Dantès spoke to Napoléon himself, who asked the sailor to deliver a confidential letter to a man in Paris.

Edmond's good fortune inspires jealousy in those close to him. His promotion to captain offends the ship's purser, Danglars; his windfall stuns his neighbour, the impoverished tailor Caderousse; his relationship with Mercédès inspires the jealousy of her cousin Fernand Mondego, who wants Mercédès for his own. Danglars writes an anonymous letter to the crown prosecutor accusing Dantès of being a Bonapartist, that is, a traitor to the Royalists who are in power. Inflaming his jealousy, he instigates Fernand to send the letter, while Caderousse looks on in a drunken stupor, his slurred words goading on the others and revealing his true feelings of jealousy.

Villefort, the deputy crown prosecutor in Marseille, assumes the duty of investigating the matter on Dantès' wedding day and on the day of his own betrothal to Renee de Saint-Meran; he indeed finds an incriminating letter. Dantès knows nothing of its contents, only that he was asked to deliver it. Although at first sympathetic to Dantès' case, when Villefort questions Dantès as to where and to whom the letter was to be delivered, he discovers to his horror that it is addressed to his own father, Noirtier de Villefort, a well known Bonapartist.

Due to the political climate created by the restoration of King Louis XVIII, Villefort wants to distance himself from his Bonapartist father. The deputy crown prosecutor burns the letter, which has the potential to fatally hinder his success. Although Villefort would rather not imprison an innocent man, he ultimately chooses to save his political career rather than properly exercise justice and condemns Dantès to life imprisonment in the island prison of the Château d'If, using his knowledge of the letter's contents to advance himself and his career at the court of Louis XVIII.

Escape to riches

While in prison, Dantès slowly sinks into despair and finally looks to God for salvation. After years of solitary confinement in a small, fetid dungeon, Dantès loses all hope and contemplates suicide by means of starving himself. His will to live is restored, however, by faint sounds of digging. Dantès soon begins his own tunnel to reach that of his fellow prisoner, the Abbé Faria, an Italian priest whose escape tunnel has strayed in the wrong direction. The two prisoners eventually connect and quickly become inseparable friends.

The old man, a gifted scholar as well as a priest, provides Edmond with a comprehensive education in subjects including languages, history, economics, philosophy, and mathematics. Edmond also learns the manners of polite society, growing in confidence and sophistication. Aside from the lessons, the two discuss Edmond's betrayal and piece together the events that placed the young man in his brutal predicament.

Both men continue to work assiduously on their tunnel, but the elderly and infirm Faria does not survive to see its completion. Knowing that he would soon die, Faria confides in Dantès the location of a great cache of treasure on the Italian islet of Monte Cristo.

After his mentor dies, Dantès uses the opportunity to escape. He moves Faria's body into his own cell and then slips into Faria's body bag. To Dantès surprise, instead of carrying him to the burial ground, as he had expected, the prison guards attach a cannonball to Edmond's feet and throw him into the sea. Edmond plummets, fearfully, from the cliff side, crashing into the cold Mediterranean Sea.

Remarkably, and with the help of a sailor's training, Dantès frees himself and swims toward a nearby island. A great storm rages, and Edmond is nearly drowned. The next day, Edmond discovers a shipwreck from the previous evening's storm. Cleverly, Dantès flags down a passing ship and pretends to be its sole survivor. He boards the new vessel and quickly realizes that his comrades are actually a group of smugglers. After months of gaining their trust and respect, Edmond suggests the isle of Monte Cristo as an ideal location to trade smuggled goods. Once on the islet, Edmond feigns an injury, asking to be left behind until the crew can return to pick him up. Although reluctant to leave Edmond, the crew departs. Dantès, alone on the island, is free to search for his hidden treasure.

Edmond's sufferings have had a profound effect on him and even changed his physical appearance—to the extent that even his closest friends and former associates would not recognize him. Intellectually, his studies with the Abbé give him a much greater depth and breadth of knowledge, and his wealth grants him access to the highest levels of society. Perhaps the greatest change to Dantès is psychological. His betrayal by men whom he had trusted removes the naiveté of his idealistic youth and replaces it with the cynicism of bitter experience

Revenge

Ten years after his return to Marseilles, Dantès puts into action his plan for revenge. He reinvents himself as the Count of Monte Cristo, a mysterious, fabulously rich aristocrat. He surfaces first in Rome, where he becomes acquainted with Franz d'Epinay, a young aristocrat, and Albert de Morcerf, Mercédès's and Mondego's son. He subsequently moves to Paris, where he becomes the sensation of the city. Due to his knowledge and rhetorical power, even his enemies find him charming, and because of his status, they all want to be his friend.

Travelling in disguise under the alias of the Abbe Busoni, Monte Cristo first meets Caderousse, now living in poverty, supposedly being punished by God for his jealousy and cowardice in not acting to save Dantès. Playing on Caderousse's greed, Monte Cristo learns about what has happened since his arrest, and how his other enemies have all become wealthy and prosperous. Since Caderousse has already been punished to some extent, Monte Cristo gives him a diamond that can be either a chance to redeem himself, or a trap that will lead his greed to ruin him. Caderousse's greed leads him into murder, until Monte Cristo frees him and gives him another chance at redemption. He does not take it, and becomes a career criminal. Caderousse's greed is the death of him when he is murdered by a confederate—actually the illegitimate son of Villefort (see below)—while trying to rob Monte Cristo's house.

Monte Cristo then meets Danglars, who has become a banker. Monte Cristo dazzles him with his seemingly endless wealth, eventually persuades him to extend him 6,000,000 francs credit, and withdraws nine hundred thousand. Under the terms of the arrangement, Monte Cristo can demand access to the remainder of the six million francs (5,100,000 francs) at any time. The Count manipulates the bond market and quickly destroys a large portion of Danglars' fortune. After a few months, all Danglars is left with is a good reputation and five million francs he is about to repay to a hospital. The Count asks for the five million to fulfill their credit agreement. Danglars' reputation is ruined. He must either default to the Count or default to the hospital. He chooses the latter, giving the Count the five million francs in exchange for a note for 5,000,000 francs. Danglars flees to Rome to redeem the note for cash and live in anonymous prosperity. But he is intercepted by the Count's agent, the celebrated bandit Luigi Vampa, and starved into giving up all but 50,000 francs. Dantès confronts Danglars, leaving him shattered but alive.

Monte Cristo owns a Greek slave, Haydée. Her noble father, Ali Pasha, the ruler of Janina, had implicitly trusted Fernand, only to be betrayed by him in a war. After his death, she and her mother were sold into slavery. The Count manipulates Danglars into researching the event, which is published in a newspaper. As a result, Fernand is brought to trial for his crimes. Haydée testifies against him, and Fernand is disgraced.

Mercédès had married Fernand and borne him a son, Albert. She alone recognizes Monte Cristo. When Albert blames Monte Cristo for his father's downfall and publicly challenges him to a duel, she goes secretly to Monte Cristo and begs him to spare her son. During this interview, she learns the entire truth about why Edmond Dantès had been arrested and imprisoned, and later to save both Monte Cristo and Albert reveals the truth to Albert, which causes Albert to make a public apology to Monte Cristo. Albert and Mercédès disown Fernand, who subsequently commits suicide. The mother and son depart to build a new life free of disgrace, he to Africa as a soldier to rebuild his life and honor under a new family name Herrera given to him by his mother, and she to a solitary life back in Marseilles.

Last to feel Monte Cristo's vengeance is Villefort. Villefort's family is divided. Valentine, his daughter by his first wife, stands to inherit the entire fortune of her grandfather and of her mother's parents (the Saint-Mérans), while his second wife, Héloïse, seeks the fortune for her small son Edward. Monte Cristo is aware of Héloïse's intentions, and "innocently" introduces her to the technique of poison. Héloïse fatally poisons the Saint-Mérans, so that Valentine gets their inheritance. Then she attempts to murder Valentine's grandfather, Nortier, but his servant accidentally drinks the poisonous draught and dies. Nortier is coincidentally saved from a second attempt when he disinherits Valentine as a ploy to stop Villefort from forcing Valentine to marry Franz d'Epinay. Héloïse then targets Valentine, so that Edward would get her fortune.

Meanwhile, Monte Cristo haunts Villefort with his past affair with Danglars' wife and the son they had. Years before, Mme. Danglars bore a child by Villefort, at a house in Auteuil. Villefort had buried the child, thinking it was stillborn. However, the boy was rescued from his grave and raised by Bertuccio, an enemy of Villefort who attempted to kill the judge on the night of his child's birth. Monte Cristo, whom Bertuccio now serves as a paid servant and who now owns the house in Auteuil, is able to use them against Villefort. As a grown man, the son enters Paris in disguise as Prince Andrea Cavalcanti (sponsored by the Count) and cons Danglers into betrothing his daughter. Caderousse blackmails Andrea, threatening to reveal his past, and Andrea murders Caderousse. Andrea is arrested and about to be prosecuted by Villefort.

After Monte Cristo learns that his old friend Morrel's son is in love with Valentine, he saves her by making it appear as though Héloïse's plan to poison Valentine has succeeded and that Valentine is dead (although actually in a drugged sleep caused by a mixture of hashish and opium prepared by Monte Cristo). Villefort learns from Noirtier that Héloïse is a murderer. Villefort confronts Héloïse, giving her the choice of a public execution or committing suicide by poison. Then he goes off to Andrea's trial. There, Andrea reveals that he is Villefort's son, and rescued after Villefort buried him alive. Villefort admits his guilt and flees the court. He feels he is as guilty as his wife, and rushes home to stop her suicide. He finds she has poisoned herself and "taken her son with her." Dantès confronts Villefort. Villefort shows Dantès his dead wife and son, and becomes insane. Dantès tries to resuscitate Edward, fails, and is remorseful that his revenge has gone too far.

Redemption

Matters, however, are more complicated than Dantès had anticipated. His efforts to destroy his enemies and reward the few who had stood by him become horribly intertwined. Not having foreseen the child's death, Dantès begins to question his role as an agent of a vengeful God. This temporarily deters him from his course of action. During this period of doubt, he questions himself. Dantès comes to terms with his own humanity and is finally able to forgive both his enemies and himself. It is only when he is sure that his cause is just and his conscience is clear, that he can fulfill his plan.

Maximilien Morrel is distraught because he believes his true love, Valentine, to be dead. He contemplates suicide after witnessing her funeral. Monte Cristo reveals himself to be the person who rescued Mr. Morrel from suicide years earlier. Maximilien is grateful and is persuaded by Monte Cristo to delay his suicide for a month. A month later, on the island of Monte Cristo, the count presents Valentine to Maximilien and reveals that he saved her from the poison attempt. Monte Cristo then leaves the island and sends his friend Jacopo to deliver a letter to them which reveals that he has bequeathed much of his treasure to Maximilien. Haydée offers Edmond (Monte Cristo) a new love and life. The two leave together, seemingly to begin anew.

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The Count of Monte Cristo summary

The Count of Monte Cristo

Setting: The story takes place in France, Italy, islands in the Mediterranean and the Levant during the historical events of 1815–1838 (from just before the Hundred Days through to the reign of Louis-Philippe of France).

Author: Alexandre Dumas

Brief Plot Summary: The dashing young hero, Edmond Dantès, is betrayed by his enemies and thrown into a secret dungeon in the Château d'If,- doomed to spend his life in a dank prison cell. The story of his long, intolerable years in captivity, his miraculous escape, and his carefully wrought revenge creates a dramatic tale of mystery and intrigue, and paints a vision of France-a dazzling, dueling, exuberant France- that has become immortal.

Main Characters

Edmond Dantès - The protagonist of the novel. Dantès is an intelligent, honest, and loving man who turns bitter and vengeful after he is framed for a crime he does not commit. When Dantès finds himself free and enormously wealthy, he takes it upon himself to act as the agent of Providence, rewarding those who have helped him in his plight and punishing those responsible for his years of agony.

The Count of Monte Cristo - The identity Dantès assumes when he emerges from prison and inherits his vast fortune. As a result, the Count of Monte Cristo is usually associated with a coldness and bitterness that comes from an existence based solely on vengeance.

Lord Wilmore - The identity of an eccentric English nobleman that Dantès assumes when committing acts of random generosity.

Abbé Busoni - Another of Dantès’s false personas. The disguise of Abbé Busoni, an Italian priest, helps Dantès gain the trust of the people whom the count wants to manipulate because the name connotes religious authority.

Sinbad the Sailor - Sinbad is another persona of Dantès which he adopts during his time in Italy.

Other Characters:

Mercédès - Dantès’s beautiful and good fiancée.

Abbé Faria - A priest and brilliant thinker whom Dantès meets in prison. Abbé Faria becomes Dantès’s intellectual father: during their many years as prisoners, and bequeaths to Dantès his vast hidden fortune.

Fernand Mondego - Dantès’s rival for Mercédès’s affections.

Baron Danglars - A greedy, envious cohort of Mondego.

Caderousse - A lazy, drunk, and greedy man who is somewhat involved in the plot against Dantès.

Gérard de Villefort - The blindly ambitious public prosecutor responsible for sentencing Dantès to life in prison.

Monsieur Morrel - The kind, honest shipowner who was once Dantès’s boss. Morrel does everything in his power to free Dantès from prison and tries to save Dantès’s father from death. His one true friend.

Louis Dantès - Dantès’s father. Grief-stricken, Louis Dantès starves himself to death when Dantès is imprisoned.

Maximilian Morrel - The son of Monsieur Morrel. Brave and honorable like his father, Maximilian becomes Dantès’s primary beneficiary.

Albert de Morcerf - The son of Fernand Mondego and Mercédès. Unlike his father, Albert is brave, honest, and kind.

Valentine Villefort - Villefort’s saintly and beautiful daughter.

Haydée - The daughter of Ali Pacha, the vizier of the Greek state of Yanina. Haydée is sold into slavery after her father is betrayed by Mondego and murdered. Dantès purchases Haydée’s freedom.

Romantic Adventure Novel

Hero--likable; usually male; follows own moral code, sometimes outside the law; uses ingenuity to extricate himself and others from dangerous situations
Sympathy for obvious hero(es)
Dislike for obvious villains(s)
Noble qualities in hero
Hero often tested and survives well
Few or No strong, lasting, mutual relationships with women.
Physical action. Characters placed in extreme situations.
Gives the impression of fast pacing. May start slow but pacing often builds at the end. Actions
pull reader along and into story. Story generally builds to culminating event; pace quickens as read.
Violence, often graphically described.
Setting, usually "elsewhere," underlines sense of danger and obstacles to be overcome.

MOTIFS & SYMBOLS

Motifs: Names, suicide, politics symbols: the sea, red silk purse, elixir

Themes

The Limits of Human Justice, Relative vs. Absolute Happiness, Love vs. Alienation, Appearances vs. reality, Patience vs. impatience, Stoicism vs. vulnerability, Innocence to experience, Good vs. evil, Emotion vs. indifference, Patience vs. impatience, Money buys power, Money is the key to happiness, Revenge is bittersweet, Good can sometimes emerge from bad

Alexandre Dumas

Alexandre Dumas was born in 1802 in the village of Villers-Cotterêts, fifty miles northeast of Paris. His father, Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, had been a general under Napoleon, though in 1799 the two men had a falling out and never reconciled. Thomas-Alexandre never received the pay due to him as a former officer, so his family was left poor. In 1806 the elder Dumas died, and his wife and two children struggled to keep afloat. Despite the problems that Napoleon caused to the Dumas family, Alexandre remained a lifelong admirer of the former emperor. Indeed, there are strong democratic leanings evident in Dumas’s literary works.

When he moved to Paris in 1823, hoping to make his fortune as an author, his lovely handwriting earned him a job as a minor clerk. His first play, Henry III and His Court, thrust Dumas into the limelight as one of the forerunners of the emergent French Romantic movement, which emphasized excitement, adventure, and high emotion in an attempt to rebel against the conservative climate of the Restoration period that followed the French Revolution. Like his Romantic colleagues, Dumas believed in the principles of social equality and individual rights, and he tried to infuse his dramatic works with these principles. Dumas went further than writing about his beliefs, however. He took an active role in the Revolution of 1830. Returning to the literary community of Paris, Dumas continued to write popular plays, sticking to historical works that he filled with melodrama. His writing soon made him the most famous Frenchman of his day, and he gained renown throughout the Western world. In 1844, the same year he published The Three Musketeers, Dumas began the serialization of The Count of Monte Cristo. He continued writing prolifically for most of his life, publishing his last novel, The Prussian Terror, in 1867, three years before his death.

Dumas also found the time to live like one of his dashing, dramatic, reckless heroes. He was constantly engaged in love affairs, foreign adventures, and exorbitant spending. He was also a generous man, granting money and gifts to virtually anyone who asked. Dumas’s self-indulgent lifestyle and excessive generosity eventually took a toll on his finances. By the time he suffered a stroke in 1870, he was far from a rich man, despite the fact that he had earned millions of dollars in his lifetime. He died in December 1870 at the home of his son, the novelist Alexandre Dumas the younger. Dumas’s greatest gift was his ability to grant epic proportion to existing stories.

Historical Context

The novel takes place during the years following the fall of Napoleon’s empire. The story begins in 1815 and ends in 1844. Though most of the action takes place in Paris, key scenes are also set in Marseilles, Rome, Monte Cristo, Greece, and Constantinople. The Count of Monte Cristo is a novel set firmly in history, with many key plot points based on external political events. The key figure in French politics during the first quarter of the nineteenth century was Napoleon Bonaparte, who, though he does not appear in the novel, plays such a significant role that he can almost be counted as one of the major characters. Napoleon was a general who rose to prominence during the French Revolution, which occurred in 1789. He saved the revolutionary government from an angry mob and led the French army to victories over Austria, Italy, and Egypt, claiming all of these lands for France. In 1799, Napoleon led a coup against the existing government of France and formed a consulate, installing himself as its dictatorial leader.

In 1804, Napoleon revised the constitution he had written several years earlier, and the French senate voted him emperor of all of the vast lands he had conquered. Napoleon remained widely beloved by the people, largely because in all the lands he conquered, he abolished serfdom and feudalism and guaranteed basic human rights. He simplified the court system, took steps to make education universally available, and standardized national codes of law to ensure that the rights and liberties won during the French Revolution—equality before the law and freedom of religion—could not be taken away.

In 1814, dogged by an increasing number of enemies and looming military defeat, Napoleon was forced to abdicate his throne. He was exiled to the Mediterranean island of Elba, where Edmond Dantès finds him at the beginning of The Count of Monte Cristo. In March 1815, Napoleon escaped from Elba, secretly sailed to France, and marched on Paris, defeating the royal troops. It is information about this return to power that is contained in the letter Dantès is caught conveying to Paris.

After his return to power, Napoleon advocated an even more liberal constitution than the one he had first instituted. After a brief period, however, Napoleon was forced to make a preemptive strike against encroaching enemies, and he met defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. Parisian crowds, supporting Napoleon as fervently as ever, begged him to keep fighting. Several key politicians withdrew their support, however, and Napoleon surrendered. His short second reign is known as the Hundred Days. With Napoleon defeated, France fell back into the hands of the ultraconservative Louis XVIII. Napoleon was exiled to the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena, where he lived until his death in 1821. However, Napoleon’s absence from France only intensified his mythic status, and he became an even greater hero than at any time he was actually present in France. Dumas’s idealization of Napoleon is not at all rare, as Napoleon, in his time, was hailed as though he were a patron saint of France.

A chronology of The Count of Monte Cristo and Bonapartism

1793: Thomas-Alexandre Dumas is promoted general in the army of the First French Republic.	1794: He disapproves of the revolutionary terror in Western France.
1795-97: He attains great celebrity. Is fighting under Napoleon.	1802: Black officers are dismissed from the army. The Empire has reestablished slavery.
1802: Birth of his son, Alexandre Dumas père.	1806: Th. A. Dumas dies, still bitter towards the injustice of the Empire.
1832: The only son of Napoleon I dies.	1836: A. Dumas is already a famous writer.
1836: First putsch of Louis Napoleon, aged 28. Fails completely.	1840: June. A law is passed to bring the ashes of Napoleon I to France.
1840: August. Second putsch of Louis Napoleon. He is imprisoned for lifetime and becomes known as the candidate for the imperial succession.	1841: Dumas lives in Florence and is acquainted with the King Jérôme and his son, Napoléon.
1841-44: The novel is conceived and written.	1846: The novel is a European bestseller.
1846: Louis Napoleon escapes from his prison.	1848: French Second Republic. Louis Napoleon is elected its first president but Dumas does not vote for him.

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