Help !!! Can someone please explain the Count of Monte Cristo to me?

Question

I am so lost!!!

Answer 1

Edmond Dantès, a 19-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's saddened by the recent death of his friend Captain Leclère, his predecessor.

Captain Leclére, who was a staunch 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 help deliver a confidential letter to a man in Paris.

Edmond's good fortune inspires jealousy in those he considers his friends. His promotion to captain offends the hubris of the ship's purser, Danglars. Dantès' windfall stuns his neighbour, the impoverished tailor Caderousse. Finally, a man named Fernand Mondego is in love with the aforementioned Mercédès, who is also his cousin. Danglars writes a letter to Villefort, the deputy crown prosecutor in Marseille, accusing Dantès of being a Bonapartist. Inflaming his jealousy, he instigates Fernand to send the letter, while Caderousse looks on in a drunken stupor. Villefort, acting on the anonymous tip, investigates the matter on Dantès' wedding day and does indeed find the 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 finally reads the letter, he discovers to his horror that it is addressed to his own father, Noirtier de Villefort.

Due to the restoration of King Louis XVIII, Villefort wants to distance himself from his Bonapartist father in the current political climate. The letter could potentially destroy his political career. Although Villefort would rather not imprison an innocent man, he ultimately chooses his own interests over that of Dantès, and condemns him to a life sentence in the isolated island prison at Château d'If.

While in prison, Dantès slowly sinks into despair and looks to God for salvation. After years of solitary imprisonment in a small, fetid dungeon, he loses all hope and attempts suicide by starving himself. His will to live is restored by the sounds of digging. He starts a tunnel of his own to reach a fellow prisoner, the Abbé Faria, an Italian priest whose escape tunnel has strayed off in the wrong direction. The two eventually connect their tunnels 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 slowly piece together the plots that placed the young man in his current predicament.

Both 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 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. His plan works, but instead of taking 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. Surprised, he plummets into the icy cold Mediterranean Sea.

Dantès is able to free himself and swim ashore. The next day, Edmond flags down a passing ship. He pretends to be a survivor of a ship that sunk during the previous evening's storm and joins what he later finds out to be a group of smugglers. After gaining their trust and respect, Edmond suggests the isle of Monte Cristo as an ideal location to trade smuggled goods. On one of the crew's stopovers on the island, 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 eventually departs; with Edmond alone on the island, he is free to search for the treasure.

Edmond's sufferings have had a profound effect on him and even changed his physical appearance--to the extent that even his closest 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 trusted removes the naiveté of his idealistic youth, and replaces it with the cynicism of bitter experience.


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.

He meets Danglars, now a banker, dazzles him with his seemingly endless wealth, and eventually convinces him to extend him a line of "unlimited credit", of which the first installment is six million francs. 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 the six million he lent to the Count. With this as his only asset, Danglars flees to Italy, where the Count's personal bank, the house of Thompson and French, is based.

Monte Cristo owns a Greek slave, Haydée. Her noble father, Ali Pasha, 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. She recounts the story of her youth to Albert before he is supposed to fight a duel with Monte Cristo over his role in his father's downfall. Albert and Mercédès disown Fernand, who subsequently commits suicide. The mother and son depart to build a new life free of disgrace.

Last to feel Monte Cristo's vengeance is Villefort. Villefort's family is divided. Valentine, his daughter by his first wife Renée, stands to inherit the entire fortune of her mother's family and that of her grandfathers, but his second wife, Heloise, seeks the fortune for her son Edward. Monte Cristo is aware of Heloise's intentions, and, in a seemingly innocent fashion, provides her with a toxin capable of curing people with one drop, but killing people with an overdose. Heloise murders a house servant, Barrois (unintentionally), Villefort's in-laws Saint-Mérans, and attempts to murder Valentine and Villefort's father, Noirtier.

Meanwhile, Monte Cristo haunts Villefort with his past affair with Danglars' wife and the son they had. Years before, Mme Danglars had borne a child by Villefort, at a house in Auteuil. Villefort had buried the child, telling her 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, whose servant Bertuccio now is, 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 Count Andrea Cavalcanti, only revealing his identity to Villefort after he is arrested for the murder of Caderousse.

Valentine is saved from poisoning by Monte Cristo, and through Noirtier, Villefort learns that Heloise is a murderer. When Heloise is confronted, she panics and kills both Edward and herself. These shocking events, coupled with Monte Cristo's revelation of his true identity, drive Villefort mad.

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. This problem reaches its zenith when Edmond learns that Maximilien Morrel, the son of one of his steadfast friends, is in love with Valentine de Villefort, and soon thereafter that the child Edward de Villefort has been poisoned by his mother. These tragic complications, especially the latter, cause Dantès 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 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. Maximillien 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. Maximillien 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 Maximillien and reveals that he saved her from the poison attempt. Monte Cristo then leaves the island and sends Jacapo to deliver a letter to them which reveals that he has left all his treasure to Maximillien.

Haydée offers Edmond a new love and life. The two leave together, seemingly to begin anew.

There are a large number of characters in this book, and the importance of many of the characters is not immediately obvious. Furthermore, the characters' fates are often so inter-woven that their stories overlap significantly.


Edmond Dantès and his aliases

Edmond Dantès — Dantès is initially an experienced, generally well-liked sailor who seems to have everything going for him, including a beautiful fiancée (Mercédès) and an impending promotion to ship's captain. After transforming into the Count of Monte Cristo, this persona is only revealed as the Count's revenge is completed, often driving his already weakened victims into madness or despair.

Count of Monte Cristo — The persona that Edmond assumes when he escapes from his incarceration and while he carries out his dreadful vengeance. This persona is marked by a pale countenance and a smile which can be diabolical or angelic. Educated and mysterious, this alias is trusted in Paris and fascinates the people.

Lord Wilmore — The English persona in which Dantès performs seemingly random acts of generosity. The Englishman is eccentric and refuses to speak French. This eccentric man, in his kindness, is almost the opposite of the Count of Monte Cristo and accordingly the two are supposed to be enemies.

Sinbad the Sailor — The persona that Edmond assumes when he saves M. Morrel and while he was on the Island of Monte Cristo and in Rome. Supposedly the alias for Lord Wilmore.

Abbé Busoni — The persona that Edmond puts forth when he needs to be trusted because the name itself demands respect via religious authority.


Dantès's allies

Abbé Faria — Italian priest and sage; befriends Edmond while both are prisoners in the Chateau d'If, and reveals the secret of Monte Cristo to Edmond. Becomes the surrogate father of Edmond and the figurative father of the Count of Monte Cristo.

Bertuccio — The Count of Monte Cristo's steward and very loyal servant. He has a deeply seated personal vendetta towards Prosecutor Villefort, and becomes involved in Villefort's personal life by rescuing his illegitimate son.

Luigi Vampa — Italian bandit and fugitive; owes much to the Count of Monte Cristo, and is instrumental in many of the Count's plans.

Haydée — Daughter of Ali Pasha and eventually bought by the Count of Monte Cristo from a Sultan. She usually goes to local operas accompanied by the Count and hints to a possible infatuation with the Count of Monte Cristo.


Morcerf family

Mercédès — (née: Herrera) The fiancée of Edmond Dantès at the beginning of the story. She later marries Fernand Mondego while Dantès is imprisoned. It must be noted this is not out of her love for Fernand, but for her desire to have companionship. So,Dantes actually remains her true love. After marrying Mondego she is presumably rejected by Dantès. This complicates matters as her love for him is evident. But, at the end of the story, it is shown that the two still love each other and wish for the life that could have been

Fernand Mondego — Later known as the Count de Morcerf. He is also in love with Mercédès and will do anything to get her. He is overall a representation of evil, as he lies and betrays through out his life for his own personal gain. But, when confronted by his nefarious acts and disgraced in public, he commits suicide.

Albert de Morcerf — Son of Mercédès and the Count de Morcerf. Befriends Monte Cristo in Rome; viewed by Monte Cristo as the son that should have been his with Mercédès. At the end, he realizes his father's faults and, along with his mother, Mercédès, rejects him.


Danglars family

Danglars — Initially the purser on the same ship as Dantès, he longs to become wealthy and powerful, and sees Dantès as an obstacle to his ambitions. It is not apparent that he does any particularily criminal acts apart from being the architect of Dante's first demise

Eugénie Danglars — The daughter of Danglars engaged to Albert de Morcerf but who would rather stay unwed. She is presented as a lesbian and the connotations at this and her running away with another girl were considered scandalous.


Villefort family

Gérard de Villefort — A royal prosecutor who has even denounced his own father (Noirtier) in order to protect his own career.

Valentine Villefort — The daughter of Gérard de Villefort, the crown prosecutor and enemy of Edmond. She falls in love with Maximilien Morrel, is engaged to Baron Franz d'Epinay, is almost poisoned by her step-mother, and is finally saved by Dantès and her grandfather, Noirtier. Valentine is the quintessential (French, nineteenth century) female: beautiful, docile, and loving. The only person she feels that she can confide in is her invalid grandfather.

Noirtier de Villefort — The father of Gérard de Villefort and grandfather of Valentine. After suffering an apoplectic stroke, Noirtier becomes mute and a quadriplegic, but can communicate with Valentine and others using his eyes. Although utterly dependent on others, he saves Valentine from the poison of her step-mother and her undesired marriage to Baron Franz d'Epinay. Throughout his life he was a Bonapartist – an ardent French Revolutionary. Indirectly responsible for Edmond's incarceration.

Madame de Villefort — The murderous second wife of Villefort who is out only for her son and his inheritance.

Édouard de Villefort — the only (legitimate) son of Villefort who is unfortunately swept up in his mother's greed. (His name is sometimes translated as Edward de Villefort.)

Benedetto — Illegitimate son of de Villefort and Hermine de Nargonne (now Baroness Hermine Danglars); raised by Bertuccio (Monte Cristo's servant) and his sister-in-law, Assunta. Murderer and thief. Returns to Paris as Andrea Cavalcanti.

Other important characters
Gaspard Caderousse — A dishonest acquaintance of Dantès. When Edmond has escaped from prison, he (and the reader) first hear the fates of many of the characters from Caderousse. Furthermore, he was present when Danglars wrote the letter denouncing Edmond, and is able to confirm Edmond's suspicions.

Maximilian Morrel — Son of Edmond's patron, M. Morrel; After Edmond's escape, Maximilian becomes a very good friend to the Count of Monte Cristo, yet still manages to force the Count to change many of his plans.

Baron Franz d'Epinay — A friend of Albert de Morcerf, and the first fiancé of Valentine Villefort. His father was killed in a duel by Noirtier de Villefort.

Answer 2

It is a brilliant tale of jealousy and revenge! One of my favourite movies

Answer 3

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