Context

Alexandre Dumas was born in the early 1800’s.  He was the son of one of Napoleons generals.  He was put into school but he was good at only one thing, handwriting.  And so he got a job as a clerk.  While he was a clerk he wrote a couple of plays.  His writing career did not take off however until he wrote the play Henry III and His Court.  This play set off a career which made him one of the most known writers of the Romantic movement.

During his life he lived as one of the heroes from his stories.  He had multiple love affairs, even fathering two children both by different mistresses.  He would spend money exorbitantly.  Although he was very generous.

He died far from a rich man, although on his death bed he said of death. I shall tell her a story and she will be kind to me.

Other context of this book was Napoleon Bonaparte.  He was never introduced in the book but he can still be considered a character because of the way he was tied into the plot.

Plot

Captain Leclere dies
Edmond likely to become captain
Plans to marry Mercedes, great start in life
Conspired against by Mondego, Caderousse, Danglars
Taken to Chateau di’f after tried by Villefort
Meets Abbe Faria in prison
Abbe Faria teaches him
Escapes
Finds treasure Abbe Faria told him of
Vows revenge
Helps his friends the Morrels
Gives Caderousse a diamond
Meets Albert Morcerf in Rome
Travels to Paris
Reveals Morcerf for betraying Pacha
Morcerf commits suicide
Albert and Mercedes leave Paris behind
Gets Villefort to confess in court
Villefort goes mad after finding his wife and son dead
Danglars flees to Rome
Danglars ends up poor
The Count of Monte Cristo helps Maxmillien Morrel
The Count of Monter Cristo leaves with Haydee

Character List

Edmond Dantes and Aliases
Edmond Dantes- the protagonist of the novel.  Has good life ahead of him but is conspired against and ends up in jail.
The Count of Monte Cristo- the identity Edmond takes after he escapes prison.
Abbe Busioni- one of his identities
Sinbad the Sailor-Another identity
Lord Willmore- Another identity
Other Characters
Mercedes- Edmonds fiance who marries Mondego
Abbe Faria- A priest Edmond met in prison
Mondego- He is competing for Mercedes love. Conspires against Edmond.
Danglars- a greedy man who was jealous of Edmond.
Caderousse- a lazy and greedy man who was jealous of Edmond
Villefort- a blindly ambitious public prosecutor, he sentenced Edmond to life in prison.
Morrel- The kind boss Edmond had before prison
Maximillian Morrel- a friend of Edmonds
Albert Morcerf- Mondego’s son he is essential to Edmonds plans
Haydee- a slave of the count of monte cristo she loves him

Analysis of major characters

Edmond Dantes- Before he is taken to prison he is a kind, trusting, and innocent man who had nothing but a good life ahead of him.  But after he is conspired against and sent to prison he lost his ability to love and concentrated only on the injustices done to him.  He became cold and hard, everything that he wasn’t he embraced in order to extract his revenge.

Morcerf- His conspiring against Edmond for the love of Mercedes shows what he will do for what he wants.  He became a greedy person and it was his ultimate downfall.

Danglars- He is portrayed as a greedy man from the beginning.  He is also a jealous man.  As his fortune grew so did his love for money and while earlier in the book he would have settled for much less.  He fled Paris with all the money he was supposed to pay to his clients.
Villefort- Although Villefort is ambitious this seems to be one of his few faults.  He is not greedy like the other antagonists.  All he wants it seems is to have justice carried out.  And he has taken it upon himself to see that justice carried out.
Themes, Motifs, and Symbols

Themes

The Limits of Human Justice

Money is Power but Love is Happiness

Eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth

Motifs

Names- Edmond Dantes takes on many different names in the novel

Suicide- Many characters contemplate and in some cases to commit suicide. The author presented it as a honorable way to die.

Symbols

The Sea- The sea is constant in the book. Especially at the beginning when he is a sailor and when he escapes from prison.

The Red Silk Purse- This is a symbol of good deeds and rewards for those deeds.

The Elixir- The potions that Dantes uses seem to have the power both to kill and to bring back to life.

Chapters

1-5    Most of the characters are introduced.  Edmond Dantes comes back from a sea voyage.  He first goes to visit his father, next his beautiful fiance Mercedes.  The three men Danglars, Caderousse, and Mondego conspire against him.  At his betrothal feast royal guards come and arrest Edmond.

6-14    Edmond is examined by Villefort who was at his own betrothal feast.  Villefort is about to pronounce him innocent when he learns that Edmond may have some information that could harm his rise to power.  So Edmond is sent to the chateau d’if.  Villefort also tells the king of napoleon coming and wins his gratitude.  

15-20    Edmond nearly goes crazy in prison.  However he does meet a fellow prisoner who is named Abbe Faria.  The priest teaches him many things.  And soon Edmond is a learned man.  Abbe Faria does die however and Edmond takes his place in the body bag to escape.
21-30    After Edmond escaped he became a smuggler.  He was a smuggler for a couple of years when he went in search of the treasure that Abbe Faria had told him of.  He finds the treasure.  He goes to talk with Caderousse to whom he gives a diamond for information.  He then saves the Morrels from financial ruin and suicide.

31-39    Albert Morcerf and Franz meet the Count of Monte Cristo in Rome.  They watch a execution together and also he helps them in their need for a carriage.  Albert however is taken captive by Italian bandits.  The Count helps them get his release and then asks for Alberts help to introduce him to the Parisian community.

40-53     The Count is introduced to the people of paris.  He learns a couple of useful secrets and he begins his long revenge.
54-62  The Count continues to make plans for his revenge and carry them out a couple of new characters are introduced, including Noirtier de Villefort.

63-76     He continues to engage in the rich community of paris.  He hasn’t made any moves too drastic in his plot for revenge.
77-88 The Count takes Albert Morcerf with him on a little vacation.  Albert learns that his father is going to go into trial and leaves his vacation he then vows to extract revenge on whomever did this to his father.

89-93    Albert learns that it was the Count who had done that to his father and insults him and challenges him to a duel.  The Count talks with Mercedes who makes him promise not to kill her son.  Albert then learned of what his father had done and apologized to the Count.  Morcerf commits suicide.

94-108 The count learns of Maxmillian Morrels love for Valentine and gets her out of his way of revenge.  He is also beginning to take revenge on Villefort and Danglars.

109-113 Villefort is confronted with the crime that he committed and he goes crazy.  He also is the reason that his wife and son commit suicide.

114-117 Danglars flees to Rome but the Count has him taken by the Italian bandits who make him give him all of his money and he is sent on his way poor.  Also the Count is about to help Maximillian commit suicide when he shows him Valentine.  The Count then leaves with Haydee after saying that all of human wisdom is contained the two words Wait and Hope.