Count Of Monte Cristo (1624 words) Essay Example For Students

Count Of Monte Cristo (1624 words) Essay Count Of Monte CristoEvery man has his rise and his downfall. His rise can be attributed to hardwork, dedication to accomplishing a set goal, or possibly even luck. Sometimes aman can become jealous at another mans fortune and wish for his downfall. Hemight even try to make this wish come true in an innumerous amount of ways. Atsome point in a mans life, there is his downfall. It could be a disastrousdownfall or maybe just a minor setback. However, if this man is smart he willtry to overcome this downfall and try to gain vengeance on those who broughtthis bad luck upon him. In The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantes is living avery successful life until others, who are jealous of him, bring upon hisdownfall in a terrible manner. When he finally recovers from this disastrousevent, he becomes filthy rich and extremely powerful. He is determined to bringrevenge to those who have hurt him and rewards to those who had remainedfaithful towards him. He ruins the lives and sometimes even th e families ofMonsieur de Villefort, Monsieur Danglers, Fernand Mondego, and GaspardCaderousse. SETTING The Count of Monte Cristo is set in France during the endingof the Napoleonic Era, which lasted from 1979 to 1821. The Napoleonic Era was avery dangerous and disruptive time where Royalists and Bonapartists consistentlyfought in order to determine their ruler. Much of the action occurs in Paris andMarseilles, which are situated in France, and in Rome, Italy. Edmond Dantesspends fourteen years in his life imprisoned in the dark dungeons of the ChateauDIf and is finally liberated to live in these cities. PLOT The Count of MonteCristo is a story of the rises and downfalls of men due to the jealousy andgreed of others who have opposed them. Edmond Dantes was living in the prime ofhis life. He was about to become the captain of the Pharaon and marry Mercedes,his lovely and devoted fianc?e. Everything was going good for Edmond until fourmen, who were jealous of the young and prosperous c aptain, sabotaged him. Fernand Mondego and Monsieur Danglers wrote a letter accusing Dantes ofconspiracy with the Bonapartist agents in Paris. Villefort sentenced Dantes toprison in the Chateau DIf in order to cover up his fathers connectionswith the Bonapartists. During the first part of Dantes stay in the ChateauDIf, he lost hope and therefore became suicidal. His imprisonment seemed tolast forever and he decided to starve himself to death. One day he heard ascratching sound coming from a wall in his cell. His hope was renewed, for itwas another prisoner trying to escape, and he decided to join the effort. Theirtunnels finally combined and they, Dantes and Abbe Faria, were united. Fariathen decided to educate Dantes in mathematics, languages, the sciences, andhistory. Faria eventually loses his life to sickness and Dantes escapes in hisbody bag. Dantes is thrown into the sea and is finally rescued by a ship ofsmugglers. They eventually deliver him to the Island of Monte Cristo, where heretrieves the trea sure that was given to him by Faria. Dantes first line ofduty after being imprisoned for fourteen years is to find out what has happenedduring his stay at the Chateau DIf. He disguises himself as a priest andvisits Caderouse. Caderouse, who was desperate for money at the time, exchangeshis story about Dantes for an extremely valuable diamond. Here he learns ofCaderouses indirect treason towards him. Next Dantes visits Monsieur Morreland finds him on the verge of insanity and bankruptcy. Dantes decides to helpMorrel, the man who had helped Dantes for so many years, by paying off his billsand replacing the lost Pharaon. After helping his friend Monsieur Morrel, Dantesdecides to take his revenge on those who have hurt him. He disguises himself asthe extremely wealthy and dignified Count of Monte Cristo. His first target isFernand Mondego who married his beloved Mercedes. Dantes obtained and thenreleased information to the people that proved Fernand is a traitor. After this,Fernand lose s his relationship with his family and eventually takes his ownlife. This is the second example of the rise and fall of a man. Fernand hadeverything going for him although a lot of it came from cheating; he had abeautiful wife, he had his wealth, and he had his fame. Dantes came anddestroyed this thus leading to Fernands downfall and consequently his death. .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850 , .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850 .postImageUrl , .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850 , .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850:hover , .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850:visited , .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850:active { border:0!important; } .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850:active , .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850 .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u8aaf14aec9744fe9338b99562a03f850:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Bastille EssayDantes next target was Baron Danglers. Danglers was an extremely wealthybanker and Dantes ruins him financially by exasperating all of his resources. This is yet a third example of the downfall of a man. Danglers had his wealthgoing for him. He was extremely rich and powerful until Dantes brought upon hisdownfall that led to his flea from the city. Dantes third target isCaderousse, who is a very greedy man. Dantes watched as Caderousses greedleads him to his death. Dantes fourth target is Villefort. The downfall ofthis man is brought upon indirectly by Dantes. Dantes hands a poison to Madamede Villefort and watches as she kills four people in the family in order topreserve the inheritance for her son. Then Villefort is publicly humiliated whenthe story of a past affair, which led to the birth of Andrea Cavalcanti, is toldduring a trial. He wanted to take revenge for the loss of his daughter and othermembers of the family, therefore he demands his wife to take her own life. Sheabides and takes her life along with her sons life. Villefort is yet a fourthexample of a downfall of a very powerful man. He was reduced to absolutelynothin g but his own life after Dantes had taken his vengeance. After seeing thedownfall of Villefort, Dantes is horrified. He believed that he took hisvengeance too far. He tries to reunite with Mercedes but she rejects him due tothe heartbreak of losing her son. Dantes gives up on Mercedes and reunitesMaximilian and Valentine. He then sets sail with Haydee and is never seen again. MAIN CHARACTERS Edmond Dantes (alias: Count of Monte Cristo, Abbe Busoni, LordWilmore, and Sinbad the Sailor) is the main character in this novel. He is avery strong, powerful, dignified, and wealthy man. He uses the fortunes that hehas worked to achieve to seek vengeance on those who have wronged him and toreward those who have been good to him. Monsieur de Villefort is the DeputyMinister of France and an enemy to Edmond Dantes. He sentences Dantes to a lifeof prison in order to protect his name and not reveal that his father isconnected with the Bonapartists. This reveals an important characteristic abouthim. He would do anything to give himself an advantage in gaining fame, wealthand power, including denying the existence of his father and killing his newbornson. He is a greedy, despicable man who deserves the vengeance that was broughtupon him by Dantes. Monsieur Danglars (alias: Baron Danglers) is an enemy ofDantes. He wrote the letter to the government accusing Dantes of Treaso n. He didthis out of jealousy and hatred towards Dantes. This again shows his truecharacter: he will do anything to profit himself. When Dantes is arrestedDanglers is pleased and eventually becomes a powerful banker. Danglers iseventually bankrupted by Dantes and he exiles to a foreign country. FernandMondego (alias: The Count de Morcerf) is the enemy of Dantes. His love forMercedes caused him to betray Dantes by help writing the letter. He to did thisbecause of jealousy and greed. He coveted Mercedes and instead of challengingDantes for her, he simply got rid of him by sending Dantes to prison. This showsthat Fernand is not only jealous, but he is also a coward. He eventually commitssuicide due to the unbearable sadness of losing his family. CHARACTERSMOST/LEAST LIKED I am not sure I really liked or disliked any of the charactersin the novel. I am not indifferent towards them; it is just that each hascertain qualities that I liked, and each had some qualities that I detested. Ilike d Edmond Dantes for the fact that he set a goal and was determined to carryit out. He wanted revenge on the people that had hurt him so much, and he wasdetermined to carry this wish out. I also liked the way in which he spoke andconducted himself. He rarely lost his temper and I admire him for this feat. Ifeel that he did not need to take his vengeance as far as he did. He completelydestroyed Villeforts family and led Fernand to suicide. Although Dantes washurt by these men, he has absolutely no right to take their futures anddestinies in his hands. I also did not like the indifference to which he showedpeople when they were about to die or while they were suffering. This showed, insome circumstances, that he only cared about himself. I neither like or dislikeMaximillien. However, I can relate to him. I, like him, feel very strongly abouta girl and I cannot be with her. I can relate to the suffering that he felt whenhe was not allowed to see her or when he thought he had lost her fo r good. Ihope that one day I will be united with her just like Maximillien was unitedwith Valentine. PERSONAL EVALUATION This book was extremely exiting to read. .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7 , .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7 .postImageUrl , .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7 , .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7:hover , .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7:visited , .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7:active { border:0!important; } .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7:active , .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7 .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uded5e910bde032de096ebe3fc157c0e7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Cloning4 EssayOnce I got started reading it, I found it hard to put down. The emotions andromance behind this story are incredible and I enjoyed the way that Dumasexpresses these feelings through his characters actions. There was one part thatI did not enjoy. This part dealt with the different names that people weregiven. This made it extremely difficult to read and understand. For example, inone paragraph they would be talking about how Fernand did something and then inthe same paragraph refer to how the Count de Morcerf did another. Other thanthat point I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I am looking forward to reading TheThree Musketeers, which is also written by Alexand er Dumas.