In the novel The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas, Edmond Dantes, an honorable and ingenuous man, falls victim to jealousy, selfishness and corruption. Set during the Napoleonic era of the 17th century, the villains, Caderousse, Fernand, Villefort and Danglars, all contribute to falsely sentence Dantes to spend his life in the Châtea D’If. After sixteen years in jail, Dantes escapes and rightly seeks revenge on those who wronged him. Since his vengeance directly targets his enemies’ downfalls, it can be justified for the pain and misery they had caused him. Though some may argue Dantes is going too far in his search for justice, his traumatic years can not be forgotten, and the men who has inflicted it upon him can not go unpunished.
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Confused and angry, Dantes seeks an explanation from Caderousse, a neighbor and an innkeeper. He admits he selfishly took his father’s money in order to pay back debts that Dantes had owed him. As a result Dantes’s father “lived for three months on 60 francs” (8). Caderousse’s character is introduced, revealing mercenary and selfish morals that he holds. His greed and his jealousy soon drove him to team up with Danglars and Fernand to rid of Dantes, and in the end sentencing him up to sixteen years in prison. When Edmond Dantes was in jail he met a fellow prisoner who helped him figure out the scheme against him. After he escapes, Dantes discovers a hidden treasure, and uses it to bribe Caderousse. Dantes disguises himself as a priest, and Caderousse confesses to Dantes the crime he committed, and although Caderousse did not write or mail the letter that denounced Dantes, he was a witness and it automatically made “ [him] their accomplice” (104). In rewards, Dantes gives Caderousse a diamond, in which Caderousse kills his wife and a jeweler over. This is another example of Caderousse’s greed throughout the novel. As Dantes emerges as the Count of Monte Cristo, to disguise himself from his past and seek a relationship with his enemies, his wealth and fame become known. Caderousse receives information through Benedetto, Villefort's lost son and a past “friend” …show more content…
During his trial, Villefort is presented with another letter addressed to Noirtier, his father, from Napolean about a scheme to take back power. Dantes was instructed to deliver it to Nortier, however he explains did not the contents that was presented in the letter. Villefort supports the king, while his father support Napoleon, and the two conflict in politics and family honor. Scared that Dantes will reveal his relationship with his father, Villefort “[burns] the letter before [his] eyes and made [him] swear never to utter the name of Nortier” (57). Dantes is betrayed here, because he is again being sentenced to jail for something he did not do. After Villefort goes to the king and denounces Dantes as a criminal. Villefort also becomes a dishonest man because he reprimands Dantes to save himself from shame. Following his imprisonment, Dantes meets Bertuccio, a condemned man who reveals he had a past with Villefort. Dantes frees him in exchange for an explanation and Bertuccio unravels a story of how Villefort had an affair and the traumatic events that took place after. He ends up having an illegitimate child which “[he] carried [him] out into the garden and buried [him] alive” (477). Bertuccio ends up saving this baby, who grows up to be Benedetto. Villefort’s crime becomes another leading factor to Dantes’s
Confused and angry, Dantes seeks an explanation from Caderousse, a neighbor and an innkeeper. He admits he selfishly took his father’s money in order to pay back debts that Dantes had owed him. As a result Dantes’s father “lived for three months on 60 francs” (8). Caderousse’s character is introduced, revealing mercenary and selfish morals that he holds. His greed and his jealousy soon drove him to team up with Danglars and Fernand to rid of Dantes, and in the end sentencing him up to sixteen years in prison. When Edmond Dantes was in jail he met a fellow prisoner who helped him figure out the scheme against him. After he escapes, Dantes discovers a hidden treasure, and uses it to bribe Caderousse. Dantes disguises himself as a priest, and Caderousse confesses to Dantes the crime he committed, and although Caderousse did not write or mail the letter that denounced Dantes, he was a witness and it automatically made “ [him] their accomplice” (104). In rewards, Dantes gives Caderousse a diamond, in which Caderousse kills his wife and a jeweler over. This is another example of Caderousse’s greed throughout the novel. As Dantes emerges as the Count of Monte Cristo, to disguise himself from his past and seek a relationship with his enemies, his wealth and fame become known. Caderousse receives information through Benedetto, Villefort's lost son and a past “friend” …show more content…
During his trial, Villefort is presented with another letter addressed to Noirtier, his father, from Napolean about a scheme to take back power. Dantes was instructed to deliver it to Nortier, however he explains did not the contents that was presented in the letter. Villefort supports the king, while his father support Napoleon, and the two conflict in politics and family honor. Scared that Dantes will reveal his relationship with his father, Villefort “[burns] the letter before [his] eyes and made [him] swear never to utter the name of Nortier” (57). Dantes is betrayed here, because he is again being sentenced to jail for something he did not do. After Villefort goes to the king and denounces Dantes as a criminal. Villefort also becomes a dishonest man because he reprimands Dantes to save himself from shame. Following his imprisonment, Dantes meets Bertuccio, a condemned man who reveals he had a past with Villefort. Dantes frees him in exchange for an explanation and Bertuccio unravels a story of how Villefort had an affair and the traumatic events that took place after. He ends up having an illegitimate child which “[he] carried [him] out into the garden and buried [him] alive” (477). Bertuccio ends up saving this baby, who grows up to be Benedetto. Villefort’s crime becomes another leading factor to Dantes’s