...Yarkina Svetlana 45 gr. The Count of Monte Cristo By Alexandre Dumas Edmond Dantès, a handsome, promising young sailor, skillfully docks the three-masted French ship in Marseilles after its captain died en route home. As a reward, Dantès is promised a captainship, but before he can claim his new post and be married to his fiancée, Mercédès, a conspiracy of four jealous and unsavory men arrange for him to be seized and secretly imprisoned in solitary confinement in the infamous Chateau d'If, a prison from which no one has ever escaped. The four men responsible are Fernand Mondego, who is jealous of Mercédès love for Dantès; Danglars, the purser of the Pharaon, who covets Dantès promised captainship; Caderousse, an unprincipled neighbor; and Villefort, a prosecutor who knows that Dantès is carrying a letter addressed to Villefort's father; the old man is a Bonapartist who would probably be imprisoned by the present royalist regime were it not for his son's, Villefort's, influence. For many years, Dantès barely exists in his tiny, isolated cell; he almost loses his mind and his will to live until one day he hears a fellow prisoner burrowing nearby. He too begins digging, and soon he meets an old Abbé who knows about a fortune, one that used to belong to a wealthy Italian family. From the Abbé, Dantès learns history, literature, science, and languages, but when at last they are almost free, the Abbé dies. Dantès hides his body, then sews himself in...
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...The Count of Monte Cristo 1) Three ethical issues revealed in the film are vengeance, mercy and honesty. Each is interwoven throughout the film to develop characters and the plot. Once Edmond Dantes is innocently placed in prison, he believes his future consists of one action: vengeance. He must punish those who have hurt him such as Fernand Mondego and Monsieur De Villefort. As he suffers in prison, he rejects the idea of God and mercy inscribed on the prison wall, and lets his hatred and need for revenge overwhelm his soul. Once he is taken under the wing of Priest, this need for vengeance begins to slowly fade away, as evident in his decision not to kill Jacopo during the knife fight. However, his need for vengeance always simmers, such as when he becomes wealthy by finding vast amounts of gold and is asked what he wants to buy, and he replies “revenge”. He also takes small measures of emotional vengeance when he denies his identity to Mercedes, when he won’t let Villefort kill himself and when he places the pawn in the chest for Mondego to find. His decision to offer mercy to Mondego at the end almost costs Mercedes her life, as she is shot by a fleeing Mondego. But, in the end, he realizes Priest and Mercedes were correct and it is best to give mercy to one’s enemies. With the themes of vengeance and mercy, the theme of honesty is also experienced throughout the movie. Villefort lies about the murder charges against Dantes, which causes his father to commit suicide...
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...HIS 220 - Modern Europe 28 April 2011 The Count of Monte Cristo: Law, Religion and Vengeance “There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness” (Dumas p. 1461). This quote appears toward the end of a novel written by Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo. The Count of Monte Cristo believes that in order to reach the ultimate gratification, you must first experience absolute hopelessness. The Count of Monte Cristo writes a letter to Maximilian, claiming that his beloved, Valentine, is dead. For months, Maximilian is depressed and almost to the point of committing suicide. The Count of Monte Cristo then brings Valentine back to Maximilian, creating that ultimate gratification between the two lovers. In the novel, The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantès is motivated by vengeance on a few people who haves wronged him in the past. Revenge is defined as an exact punishment or expiation for a wrong on behalf of, especially in a resentful or vindictive spirit (dictionary.com). It is a natural instinct for any person to seek vengeance against one who has done them wrong in the past. Many people believe revenge is a bad thing as it creates more hostility than is needed. Revenge is everywhere in The Count of Monte Cristo. No matter the situation, no matter who is speaking, it lurks in the corners, moving the story onward. ...
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...ENG 102 July 19, 2011 The Count of Monte Cristo is rich with complex themes. Themes of betrayal, revenge, and justice become ever so tangled together after being complicated by Ferdinand’s jealousy of Edmond’s happiness. Social class leads Ferdinand to feel he is entitled to a better, richer, happier life than that of his friend, Edmond, who is just a commoner, thus leading him to betray his best friend whom he grew up with. There are many different themes in The Count of Monte Cristo. Edmond Dantes is betrayed by the other characters in the story making betrayal one of the main themes. Early on Napoleon prey’s on Edmond’s lack of education, and naivety when he convinces Edmond to deliver a letter in which he lies about its contents using Edmond as a pawn. Danglar, the first mate of the ship, becomes embittered and jealous towards Edmond when he is recognized as being a hero for saving their captain and is promoted above him. Danglar then conspires with Mondego and reports Edmond to Villefort for treason. Mondego is being driven by a deeper envy of his friend’s happiness. He is jealous of Edmond’s ability to be happy with the simple lot he has in life. Also he is jealous of the loving relationship that Edmond has with Mercedes. He feels he is entitled to have more happiness along with the wealth and education he already has. So he is driven to betray Edmond his best friend whom he grew up with by giving Danglar the information to turn Edmond in for treason which Danglar is...
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...The Count of Monte Cristo – Film Critique HUM150 University of Phoenix March 21, 2011 Films are often judged by various aspects such as editing, mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound, music, and much more. Each film critic evaluates the film based on these aspects as well as his or her own opinion of what is entertaining and what is not. I have watched the film The Count of Monte Cristo directed by Kevin Reynolds, which came out in 2002. The leading actors are James Caviezel (playing Edmond Dantes), Guy Pearce (Fernand Mondego), Dagmana Domincyzk (Mercedes), Richard Harris (Abbe Faria: the priest), Luis Guzman (servant Jacopo), and James Frain (magistrate Villeford). This film is based on a novel written by Alexandre Dumas in 1844. For this film I will be the film critic and address multitude of items, plus provide my recommendation and star rating. Cinematography and Mise-en-scene The film is approximately 131 minutes which is neither too short nor long. The main character Edmond Dantes is fully developed. The length of the film gives adequate time to see how the character develops from the start of the film going all the way through until the end. As an example Edmond is an honest sailor man who leads a simple life, he is betrayed by his best friend Mondego for which he is wrongfully imprisoned at the Chateau d’If. You see the transformation of Dantes from a God believing man to losing all hope, which is replaced by vengeance against those who wronged him...
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... The Count of Monte Cristo is the name Dantes went by through most of the book. He carries out his vengeance under this name and character for the many people who wronged him. First and foremost, the count...
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...During life doing good deeds come with good rewards, but when we choose making wrong decisions for personal gain, unfortunate side effects seem to follow In the Book Count of Monte Cristo, written by Alexandre Dumas, Villefort is a public prosecutor. When Edmond Dantes enters his office with the case that he is about to be arrested for traveling to the isle of elba to conspire with Napoleon, Villifort is very understanding to him but when Edmond reveals a letter addressed to Villefort's father, Villefort sends an innocent man to prison in order to save himself and get him into the favor of the king. Many years later Edmond returns and takes vengeance on Villefort by giving his wife a deadly poison and allows her to kill his servants, children...
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...novel The Count of Monte Cristo, a juvenile French sailor spends (countless) years in prison due to the callous acts of jealous enemies who seem like his closest friends. Eventually, The Count manages a daring escape and begins plotting revenge on his enemies which changes him from the naive man he once was to a conniving spirit. Though fate certainly seems like a factor in these “coincidences,” The Count fabricates his own fate through trickery, deceit, and wit. Edmond Dantés returns a newly rich man and can easily gain the trust of his enemies because they do not recognize his new, metamorphisized character, thus he can pursue them without their knowledge of who he is. As his first alter ego, The Count becomes Abbe Busoni and he manipulates Caderousse for the information needed for connecting the dots after being in prison for so long. He states that “God may seem to forget sometimes; when his justice is inactive, but he always remembers sooner or later” (Dumas 110), whilst he begins plotting his revenge. Through gaining allies and information from his old...
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...The Count of Monte Cristo is an interesting story about a sailor named Danteswho change his whole façade in order to have vengeance to his foes.He changed into several types of persona to make his plans successful. At first, Dantes seem to be very weak and naïve and I pity him for his imprisonment. But as the days of his imprisonment passes by, he became very sharp, tough and wise. With the help of his found friend in the cell, Faria, the crazy old man told him everything that helped him from escaping. Faria was good in reasoning out things so Dantesadmired it and change his whole persona. Dantes became eager to have vengeance to his enemy because Faria made him hungry for revenge and had given him treasure which was very enough and too...
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...story begins with the announcement of the death of Mr. Mallard. After she hears of his death, his wife goes upstairs alone to her room to grieve. Yet she does not grieve; instead, she feels relief. A woman in her position has been married her whole life and has gone from father’s possession to husband’s possession. “She said it over and over under her breath: ‘free, free, free!’” (197). She understands that this is not what she is supposed to feel, yet she cannot help but feel it at the bottom of her soul. She realizes that she loved her husband, but she also realizes that she was imprisoned by their love and marriage. “And yet she had loved him sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in fact of this possession of self assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being! ‘Free! Body and soul free!’...
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...The Count of Monte Cristo is set just before the Hundred Days War and during the reign of King Louis. Dumas’ found inspiration for the novel from his acquaintance with Jerome Bonaparte’s son, whom Dumas’ took on educational trips, during one of those trips he saw the deserted island of Monte Cristo, and quickly resolved to write a novel about it. A huge inspiration for Dumas’ was the true story of Pierre Picaud, who lived in Paris in 1807. He was engaged to a woman, was soon to be married, when four of his jealous friends made false accusations against him as being a spy for England. He was imprisoned for seven years and befriended, who left him a great treasure in Milan. In 1814, upon Picaud’s release, he spent ten years plotting revenge against his former. At his death, Picaud had related his life story to Jacques Peuchet, which was published in a newspaper. The fact that Picaud stayed in seven years is not really too shocking – many political prisoners were forgotten about, though they normally stayed for only a year. The Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure novel about a young man name Edmond Dantes, who is betrayed for many reasons of jealousy and in the end receives his vengeance. The story begins in 1815; Dantes is promoted to captain of the ship, Pharaon, and is engaged to Merecedes. One of his fellow shipmates becomes jealous of his promotion and Mercedes cousin is jealous for her love for Dantes. Both the men get together to frame Dantes as one of Napoleon’s agents...
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...The Count of Monte Cristo: One love, a betrayal, one revenge Alexandre Dumas, one of the most widely read French authors in the world, wrote during the late 19th century a prominent romantic historical novel; love, betrayal, revenge, and redemption convert the story of The Count Of Monte- Cristo in one of the most renowned classics of all time. It is considered an extraordinary novel because of its shocking characters, theme, and drive to vengeance. Alexandre Dumas was born on July 1802 in Villers Cotterets in Picardy, France. He was the only true quadroon, the only grandchild of a Negro (Lazen 1506). He was born as the illegitimate son of the famous novelist Thomas Dumas. Dumas was raised by his seamstress mother, Catherine Labay, until the elder Dumas legally recognized his paternity and assumed responsibility for his son’s care in 1831. He was the only man with wooly hair, and deficient calves, and black pigment in the creases of the joints of his fingers, whoever gained a considerable place in the literature of the world (Parini 1506). He secured his own fame in 1852 with the production of La dame aux camellias, a drama based on his novel by the same name. This work, which faithfully portrayed the life of a Parisian, introduced realism to the modern French stage. Dumas subsequently made important contributions to the theater in his self-proclaimed role as a social reformer: using the stage as a tribunal for such contemporary social problems as adultery and divorce, he...
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...21. What is Edward’s profession at the beginning of the novel? a. Soldier b. tailor c. sailor d. lawyer 22. Which best describes Edmond Dantes at the beginning of the novel? a. An idealistic young man with a quick temper b. An adventurous and daring swashbuckler who has come home to spend his wealth c. a straightforward, honest sailor who is also a dutiful son d. A proud and boastful young sailor who has come home to find a wife. 23. Who is the first person Dates visits when he reaches Marseilles? a. his father b. Caderousse c. Mercedes D. Danglars 24. Which of the following statements is closest to the truth? a. Fernand Mondego envies Dantès’s successful career, while Danglars envies Dantès’s relationship with Mercédès. b. Fernand Mondego envies Dantès’s relationship with Mercédès, while Danglars envies Dantès’s successful career. c. Fernand Mondego envies Dantès’s close relationship with his father, while Danglars envies Dantès’s close relationship with Caderousse d. Fernand Mondego envies Dantès’s close relationship with Caderousse, while Danglars envies Dantès’s close relationship with his father 26. Why does Villefort sentence Dantes to life in prison? a. Because he hates all Jacobins b. Because he is secretly a revolutionary and is worried this fact will come to light ...
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...How The Count Found Solace “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine: I will repay, saith the Lord”. (Holy Bible, Romans 12:19) Alexandre Dumas uses his novel, The Count of Monte Cristo, to not only comment on French politics of the time, but to provoke thought about the role of God, especially his judgement and justice. Dumas demonstrates that while society’s justice is easily corrupted by men, the power and responsibility of true justice lies within a higher being Men must trust and honor the judgment of God, and consequently refraining from taking revenge on their fellow men. Alexandre Dumas’ life, which was filled with economic and political turmoil, greatly influenced his literary works, especially The Count of Monte Cristo. Dumas was born into a powerful and respected military family in 1802, in Soisson, France. His father was the first black French general, and served faithfully and dutifully under Napoleon Bonaparte. However, Dumas’ father died in 1806, leaving the young Dumas and his mother impoverished. Beginning in 1823, Dumas worked as a secretary for the Duke of Orleans in Paris. It was also at this time that, Dumas became obsessed with theater and started mixing with artistic and literary crowds. Much of his spare time was spent reading or watching plays, of which he focused on the works of William Shakespeare, who greatly influenced the aspiring writer. In 1829, Dumas wrote the play Henri...
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...Cho1 Count of Monte Cristo (Outline) Controlling Purpose: In the novel The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas presents the idea of moral injustice through the character Edmond Dantes. Dumas presents that even the most righteous people fight against the line between good and bad but end up choosing evil over virtue. Joseph Rao Kony, who is an infamous man, demonstrates the act of moral injustice through his unethical actions. Kony kidnaps children and forces them to join his army in which he uses them to kill other people. I. In the beginning of the novel, Edmond Dantes is introduced as a trustworthy and honorable young man, which is contradictory to his personality near the end of the novel. A. Although Dantes is displayed as a spiteful character, he was once an admirable fellow before he got unlawfully sent to prison. 1. He had just become captain of a ship and was leading a pretty decent life. He had a promising future ahead of him. 2. Baron Danglars, Fernand Mondego, and Gaspard Caderousse, who were all jealous of Dantes, plot a scheme in which they would get rid of him. 3. They decide to have him locked up in prison. B. Dantes turns vile, seeking revenge on those who had him sent to prison. 1. Baron Danglars and Fernand Mondego are his first two targets. Cho 2 2. Once Dantes finds out that Danglars and Mondego are leading undeserved affluent, prosperous lives, he creates different disguises and uses those disguises to...
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