While he did mean to disturb Villefort’s consciousness, Monte Cristo never planned for the prosecutor to actually go mad. Thus, recognizing his err, when Maximilien compares Monte Cristo to a god, the count immediately rebukes him, for “the gods never do evil; they always stop where they want to stop…I’m a man” (489). Thus, it is obvious at this point in the novel, before Monte Cristo has even completed his revenge against Danglars that he realizes his knowledge of what will take place is incomplete and he cannot dominate chance. For example, Monte Cristo did not know until it was almost too late that Maximilien loves Valentine. Nevertheless, regardless of this doubt and regret, Monte Cristo still view himself as having been “the instrument of God…vindictive, crafty and cruel, or, rather, impassive like deaf and blind Fate itself” (494-95) and only believes that “in order for him to come to the point of blaming himself, an error must somehow have slipped into his calculations”
While he did mean to disturb Villefort’s consciousness, Monte Cristo never planned for the prosecutor to actually go mad. Thus, recognizing his err, when Maximilien compares Monte Cristo to a god, the count immediately rebukes him, for “the gods never do evil; they always stop where they want to stop…I’m a man” (489). Thus, it is obvious at this point in the novel, before Monte Cristo has even completed his revenge against Danglars that he realizes his knowledge of what will take place is incomplete and he cannot dominate chance. For example, Monte Cristo did not know until it was almost too late that Maximilien loves Valentine. Nevertheless, regardless of this doubt and regret, Monte Cristo still view himself as having been “the instrument of God…vindictive, crafty and cruel, or, rather, impassive like deaf and blind Fate itself” (494-95) and only believes that “in order for him to come to the point of blaming himself, an error must somehow have slipped into his calculations”