Preview

Dumas' the Count of Monte Cristo

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
3496 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Dumas' the Count of Monte Cristo
Historical analysis of Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo Alexander Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo is founded upon historical events and political intrigue. He not only uses historical facts to help the reader understand, he also weaves such details into the story to make it possible for his reader to have an understanding of the current events that were taking place in France, during that time (from approx. 1815 through 1838). Dumas would want his readers to be familiar with French history, and to have it in their mind as they read his beloved tale. In the 1800’s Marseilles was one of the largest ports in the south of France with a “population between 93,000 and 110,000”, thus trade flourished and it was home to many merchants, and businesses (Marseilles). This is where our story of revenge begins. Marseilles was the hometown of Edmond who we meet as a naïve sailor who is later to become imprisoned as a political criminal, and altered for life. Marseilles was also the home to both Edmond’s father who dies of hunger soon after his son was imprisoned, and Edmonds beautiful, and noble fiancé Mercedes who was a poor, Catalan. After Dantes’ imprisonment Mercedes cared for his father until he passed. She lost faith of Dantes ever being released from prison and back by her side, there for she felt she had no choice but to marry Fernand Mondego when he asked for her hand in marriage. Fernand Mondego was the jealous fisherman who also betrayed Dantes because he too was in love with Mercedes. Mondego saw, and seized the opportunity to thwart their love for one another. Military success brought Mondego a fortune, which allowed him to change his name to Count de Morcef, making Mercedes the Countess. The Morrel family (the owners of the ship, Pharaon), were also residents of Marseilles. Mr. Morrel felt a great deal of compassion for Dantes’ family which compelled him to not only invest with great effort, his time and money in an attempt to keep Dantes from an un-warranted


Cited: Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 2012 This article describes Chateau d’if the small Mediterranean island off the port of Marseille D 'Ammassa, Don. "The Count of Monte Cristo." Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008 Dumas, Alexandre. “The Count of Monte Cristo.” New York: Random House, 1996. Print. "Elba". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2012 Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2012 Marseille-provence. Marseille-provence.info. 2012. Web. 18 November 2012 This a web page has information on Marseille and the Chateau d’if that will help support Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 2012 This article describes Montecristo Island of the coast of France, it gives details, and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Theme Essay

    • 454 Words
    • 1 Page

    Dumas developed the theme of the passage from the “Count of monte cristo” by using…

    • 454 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Return of Martin Guerre

    • 1813 Words
    • 8 Pages

    In a country renown for revolution, a time of looming reformation, and an age of rebirth, the story of The Return of Martin Guerre finds its inception as a historical legal study of the day-to-day occurrences of the lives of peasants in sixteenth-century France. Natalie Zemon Davis crafts her account of the famous story from a historical perspective infused with her own psychological inferences, legal case studies, and factual details. Throughout her dissertation on the case of Martin Daguerre, Arnauld du Tilh, and Bertandre de Rols, Davis showcases a character analysis drawn on various primary resources found within the same time period, yielding an empirical recollection of history flavored with her own suppositions. Her writing results in a realistic rendition of the story of the Guerre family rooted in fact and speculation, appealing to both the historian and the inquisitive scholar. The inception of the Protestant Reformation, the newfound ideals of the Renaissance, and the institutions and expectations of French peasant society all aggregate into a plausible function in which historian Natalie Zemon Davis both implicitly and explicitly provides a valid characterization conducive to the understanding of the actual historical figures displayed within her text. In effect, Davis's anthropological approach in her retelling of the story of The Return of Martin Guerre is successful though not entirely accurate in giving an in-depth psychological character analysis of Martin Guerre and Bertrandre de Rols pertinent to the original texts of Judge Jean de Coras.…

    • 1813 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Edmond Dantes’ perception of life has transformed throughout the book as he lets prison change him, his beliefs, as well as how he acts towards others. Edmond Dantes, from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, begins the novel as a sweet, naive, hardworking sailor in the Pharaon. He had everything going for him. He was just about to marry the love of his life, Mercedes, and was about to be promoted to Captain of the Pharaon. Everything he had to live for was lost when he was wrongfully sent to prison because of his acquaintances, Danglars and Fernand, who plotted against him. With the help of Abbe Farai, Dantes escaped prison and made a name for himself. He discovered treasure in the Isle of Monte Cristo and undergone a change where he becomes rich, powerful, and respectable. He not only became wealthy, but also turned into a bitter, vengeful man.…

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Monsieur Villefort works as a public prosecutor in Paris in 1815. At this time period, Bonapart is on the rise, Monsieur Villefort’s job consists mostly of incarcerating those with Bonapartist political views. As he is at a dinner party with his soon to be wife and family in law, he recieves news that he has to see a young sailor who is going to be tried for delievering a package to the Isle that Bonapart is located on. The young man comes in and pleads his innocence, explaining that he only visited the island due to the fact that it was the dying wish of his late captain. The young sailor, Edmond Dantes, gives Villefort a letter which states information on Bonapart which mentions Villefort’s father, Noirtier.…

    • 420 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever been wrongly accused of something? Perhaps a dear friend blames you for taking a hairbrush that they merely misplaced, or a family member yells at you for letting the house pet out, even though you were in another room completely. Usually we get upset with this person, and should the charge have large enough consequences, we begin to harbor a desire for revenge. This is what became of the lead character in the film The Count of Monte Cristo. The Count of Monte Cristo, released in 2002, was a film adaptation of a novel by the same name, written by author Alexandre Dumas. Within the span of the two hour long film, the audience views the tragic betrayal and false imprisonment of a young French sailor, by the name of Edmond Dantes,…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Edmond Dantes

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Edmond Dantes’ life started to become everything that he wanted it to be. He was loved by a beautiful woman, named Mercedes, to whom he was to be married. He as well became captain of a ship named The Pharaon, owned by Morrel and Son. Dantes also had many people in his life that he considered his friends. Gaspard Caderousse was Dantes’ neighbor and friend. Fernand Mondego was Dantes’ close friend and friend of Mercedes. Baron Danglars was Dantes’ fellow crew member on the Pharaon and became Dantes’ shipmate when he became captain. Gerard de Villefort was a Royal Prosecutor who became acquainted with Dantes when Villefort promised him that there would be no repercussions for his accusation of treason. In the eyes of Edmond Dantes, the future looked bright. Little did he know, he had enemies who thought otherwise.…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Sin, vengeance, evil, and redemption are all words one can associate when thinking about The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The character who takes the truest form of these negative words is Roger Chillingworth. Hester Prynne had married Chillingworth in England, however left her for many years. During those years, Chillingworth spent time with Indians learning their ways while Hester had an ill legitimate child with a beloved priest named Arthur Dimmesdale. When Hester Prynne begins her lifetime of public shame and guilt, Chillingworth makes his timely return and devotes his life to emotionally torturing Arthur Dimmsedale. Through his many years of vindictive vengeance, the reader sees his abundant physical traits, in depth visual symbols, and his theoretical view on transcendentalism that reveal his true personality.…

    • 1576 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The brothers Karamazov is a book of unique none intriguing, but confusing almost to agitating humor, which is different from my world of upbringing. It is an book from another mans strange an twisted and point of view. He has struggled over many people Christian or not with believing if God truly exists at times in life So lets go over the story review some things to determine outcome. I currently have this permanent picture about Ivan trusting over Alesha, contending for Satan and, In last, denying divine being himself over as much scan to those truths. It might have been he, who blended my entire being What's more, it might have been Dostoevsky himself talking through Ivan for the practically profound sincerity What's more distress. He is…

    • 1310 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    A literary influence is an element used by an author to developed the plot of their story through the work of another author. Throughout the Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas borrows literary references in his work from Ovid’s Pyramus and Thisbe, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and Edgar Allan Poe’s Cask of Amontillado. By including these scholarly references, Dumas can give the reader a strong understanding over the storyline of the novel.…

    • 1320 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Dantes Hero Journey

    • 566 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the novel, The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Danteś is a very powerful figure that travels through different scenarios and troubles. It includes him escaping jail in the beginning after being framed. Secondly how he changed his identity six times through out the book in the challenges that he faces. Third is how he wanted to seek revenge against the people that had him put into jail in the revelation and actions. And finally, Edmonds final stages of his rough and traitorous journey throughout his time of trying to seek revenge.…

    • 566 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although the Marquis St. Evrémonde appears in only three chapters in “Book Two: The Golden Thread”, he is critical to understanding the French aristocrats of the 18th century and their role in causing violence. Because he is the only true royal depicted in this novel, everything from his physical description to his actions represents the malevolence in other aristocrats. “A face of a transparent paleness; every feature in it clearly defined; one set expression on it…they gave a look of treachery, and cruelty, to the whole countenance” (2.7.15). The Marquis is depicted as callous and arrogant, with a fixed and unchanging expression, one that shows no mercy or compassion. Everything about him, in fact, is inhumane. Further evidence of his inhumanity shows on a certain night as his carriage races down a dark street, showing no consideration for others on…

    • 923 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The main character of the novel is D’Artagnan was raised in the French province of Gascony, an area known for its courageous and brave men, but he also has a hot head, which means if he get assaulted in any kind of way he is ready to fight to the death. For him to have a hot head in the story, that's got him in a situation that is very hard to get himself out of. D’Artagnan has good looks, his honesty and integrity, his loyalty to the king and his expert swordsmanship. On his journey he quickly makes friends with the three musketeers, and later he finds himself in a position to do a great service for the queen of France…

    • 1062 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The overall theme of The Count of Monte Cristo is perseverance and the determination to let justice do its righteousness. Perseverance (the ability to achieve a success that has been so long persisted) is mentioned in the book when Dantes had been suffering for fourteen years in prison and yet still persisted on living even though he had contemplated death a series of times (Dumas 42). He had to avenge those whom had wronged him and he ended up doing so (he spared the life of Danglars when the roman bandits had captured him for several days) towards the end of the novel (Dumas 522). The character of Edmond Dantes takes on a series of challenges that he had overcome with the help of his cell mate, Faria, he had given all the riches to Dantes…

    • 221 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Dashiell Hammett’s novel, The Maltese Falcon, is a hard-boiled detective novel; a subset of the mystery genre. Before the appearance of this sub-genre, mystery novels were mainly dominated by unrealistic cases and detectives like Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. As Malmgren states, “The murders in these stories are implausibly motivated, the plots completely artificial, and the characters pathetically two-dimensional, puppets and cardboard lovers, and paper mache villains and detectives of exquisite and impossible gentility.” (Malmgren, 371) On the other hand, Hammett tried to write realistic mystery fiction – the “hard-boiled” genre. In the Maltese Falcon, Hammett uses language, symbolism, and characterization to bring the story closer to reality.…

    • 1476 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alexandre Dumas Essay

    • 2291 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Alexandre Dumas, père, born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870)[1] was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world. Many of his novels, including The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte de Bragelonne were originally serialized.…

    • 2291 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics