Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo Essay

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 â€Å"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 naà ¯ve 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 fiancà © 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 life in prison but, he also paid for Dantes’ father’s burial. The cards were stacked against Dantes, and even with the assistance of M. Morrel, his future was written. Once Edmond escaped from prison he visited M. Morrel who was in the depths of despair, and contemplating thoughts of suicide because he could no longer support him self financially. Dantes seeing him as a righteous man who had once gone to great lengths, and knowing the efforts taken by Morrel in attempt to save him from prison, Dantes felt compelled, and anonymously made a financial contribution to Morrel, which, saved him from ruin. While Dantes never revealed himself as the contributor Morrel suspected that it was he, and on his deathbed Morrel explains to his family that he believes that their finical savior was indeed Edmond Dantes. The prosecutor of Marseilles, who was ultimately responsible for Dantes’ incarceration, was Monsieur de Vellefort. Vellefort’s father was a known Bonapartist. Vellefort who disagreed with his father’s stance, and as the prosecutor decidedly took an extremely harsh stance on his policy in dealing with Bonapartist conspirators. Vellefort sought to protect his own name by placing Edmond in prison as a political conspirator because he knew, and feared the letter Dantes carried could be traced back to his (Vellef ort’s) father so, he used his power in a misguided manor to which he would later suffer at the hands of Dantes. Danglars was a man driven by non-other than jealousy who also lived in Marseilles at the time. He despised that Dantes had been advanced to Captain of the Pharaon instead of him, and sought out a plot in which Dantes could be caught with the letter to tarnish his name, leaving Danglar’s the only choice to fill his role as captain. After Edmond’s imprisonment Danglars indeed became the captain and eventually graduated his position to a banker. As a banker he was able to acquire an incredible fortune where he then became a Baron. In the end Monte Cristo destroyed Danglars by destroying his fortune. Dumas purposely created each of these characters to have beginning in a position of poverty, showing us how they were either villainous in their rise to fortune, and would ultimately be ruined by Dantes’revenge. Or, Dumas showed the character to be virtuous with their fortune, and power eventually to be saved, or spared by our protagonist. He also showed us these characters progression from the bottom of the socioeconomic structure, eventually prospering into wealth, their bye showing us, [the reader] there were no misgivings of old money or new during these times in France. Each of these characters rose in the echelons, and were afforded the ability to acquire a title and were able re-create themselves within society in a manner to which they deemed worthy of their amassed fortunes. This ability for one to somewhat procure a title gives us a great sense of the changes that were taking place during that time, it was no longer about being of royal blood that gave you credibility, or worthiness, but about how hard one worked to further themselves and gain their fortune. In the opening scenes of the story Danglars, who is the ships â€Å"supercargo† reports to the ships owner once they docked in Marseilles, that Edmond, acting on what was the last dying wish of his captain, had stopped at the island of Elba to retrieve a letter that was addressed to Noirtier (Dumas 5). In fulfilling his captains last dyeing wish, Edmond’s unknowingly retrieved a letter from Napoleon personally, making it appear as though he was conspiring with the then exiled Napolean, and that he himself was a Bonapartist. Napoleon had been a soldier and then went on to become Emperor of France in the early 1800’s. It was after the French Revolution that Napoleon was elected First consul of France. Napoleon made many great changes for his country. He brought much needed structure back to France. He began by implementing better education, paying off France’s debt, and changing the structure of his army. He allowed not only the affluent to rise within the ranks, but affording the impoverished the same opportunity of growth within the ranks as they proved their worth, and showcased their talents. Napolean’s army was no longer based upon economic stature, but one that afforded an equal playing field to every man (as long as they were anglo). Napoleon also applied this same thought process into the civilian realm of France as well. In an attempt to expand France’s territory he invaded Russia. This invasion turned out to be one of Napoleon’s greatest defeats. During this great siege Napoleon was out maneuvered by Russia’s Alexander I, this resulted in a defeat, and a loss of almost 500,000 French troops. Soon after he stepped down as consul and was banished to the island of Elba. During this time, there were citizens who still loved and supported what he had done for France; these people were considered to be Bonapartist’s. There were also members of the French nobility (and much of Europe’s) who despised Napoleon, they wanted nothing more than to see him removed; they called themselves royalists. Dumas wanted this clearly defined so the reader would feel the internal power struggle between Bonapartist and Royalists. One of these royalists was a man named Villefort. He happened to be the prosecutor Edmonds faced in Marseilles. Villefort knew full well that Edmond was an innocent man, and not a Bonapartist, but made a calculated decision to protect his own ambitions, because it was his (Villefort’s) fathers name that was mentioned in the letter that Edmonds had carried back from Napoleon. His father was a known Bonapartist, so in an effort to show support to the royalists, and put a damper on the Bonapartist efforts, Villefort secretly sentenced Edmond to the political prison of Chateau d’if. Dantes was thrown into Chateau d’ if, and forgotten for fourteen years. During the first few years of his imprisonment Dantes’ father died of starvation, and Mercedes married Fernand; both of which he is completely unaware of. As time passed he became more and more delusional, and even began to contemplate suicide. All the while, his former employer Morrel made efforts to locate Dontes in an attempt to try to have him released, but was unable to find his location. The Chateau d’if, where our fictional character Dantes was imprisoned, was in fact an actual prison fortress. It was â€Å"built by the French King Francis I in 1524† on an island in the bay approximately one mile off the coast of Marseille (Chateau d’if). It’s was originally designed and was intended to be a defense mechanism against would be attackers of Marseille, but soon became the home to, â€Å"3,500 Huguenots (French Protestants) who earned their keep as galley slaves†(Marseille-Provence). This rocky, beach front setting is where Edmond Dantes was doomed to carry out his unwarranted sentence, and spent fourteen long years of his life; just a stone throw away from Marseille, yet no one could locate him. Many of the chateau’s actual guests seem to have had the common theme of being unwarranted prisoners. It was not unusual during the time for individuals to be â€Å"imprisoned without trial under so-called lettres de cachet, supposedly signed by the King, for minor misdemeanors (a popular ploy used by moneyed families to get rid of unruly offspring without causing a public scandal)†(Marseille-Provence). Funnily enough, one of Napoleons Civil Codes warranted it legal for a father to imprison a child for up to 1 month. Many of the Chateau’s inhabitants were lost in the shuffle, and locked up for as long as the family desired. This island for misfits, and unwanted relatives is also the location where Dantes befriends Abbe Faria, who was also a political prisoner. The two prisoners meet when the Abbe was attempting to tunnel his way to freedom; however, a miscalculation brought him directly into Dantes’ cell, instead of out to the freedom he had desired. The two newly found friends spent the next few years passing their time. Abbe dedicated himself to the task of educating Dantes in science, literature languages. He also helps Dantes figure out whom it was that played key parts, and were ultimate responsibility lie for his incarceration. At some point Abbe began to think of Dantes as the son he never had, and confided in Dantes the location to the hidden fortune. Together the two began planning their daring escape, knowing all the while that any escape plan would be difficult, if not impossible due to the fact that the prison is completely surrounded by water, and much of the island had vertical cliff walls that would raise the likelihood of injury if not death, while escaping. Fortunately for the pair, they had nothing but time. During this era in France, prisoners with wealth and title (like the Abbe) could request certain items to make their stay a bit more comfortable. The Abbe used this to their advantage, and was able to order some tools and trinkets for his cell. The same reason Abbe was able to order trinkets is the reason Edmond had none; he was penniless, and unable to purchase items. This was also quite indicative of the times; if you were higher up in society, you were able to purchase more benefits in prison, as well as in life. The Abbe died before the two were able to act out their escape plan. Thinking quickly on his feet, Dantes was able to replace his own body in the Abbe’s body bag, solidifying his own escape. The hopes Dantes held onto, and that drove him to be victorious in his escape were gone. When he did finally gain his freedom he was faced with the fact that his loved ones were either dead, or had moved on, and it was no longer a possibility to be a part of their life, or the one that he had left behind. He was a man who must decide what it was he was going to become, and do with the life that he regained. During this time it is made clear that Dantes was struggling with his purpose in life, and felt lost. It was said that he felt, â€Å"that he belongs to no country, no land, even to the point where he feels more at ease while on the ocean† (D’Ammassa). While contemplating what he was to become and what to do with his life, now that he was a free man Dantes spent some time onboard a ship as a smuggler in the Mediterranean. Where he could confront his feelings, and decide what is was he wanted to do. During one such smuggling trip Dantes had the opportunity to go to the Island of Monte Cristo where he resigned his position a smuggler and proceeded to find the treasure Abbe entrusted him with. The Island of Monte Cristo is indeed an actual island. It is located in the â€Å"Archipelago Toscano National Park† but, is not accessible to people and is now an animal refuge (Montercristo Island). It is presumed that Dumas had visited this remote island in 1842 and thought it perfect for the use as the setting in one of his novels; however, the actual island bears little resemblance to the one portrayed in his tale. In the story Edmond finds the treasure that Abbe Faria entrusted to him, on this island. The resources from the treasure will eventually allow him the opportunity to manifest himself into a count, and begin his ascent into righting the wrongs done unto him. Once his visit to the island of Monte Cristo has ended he proceeds to Rome where he stays for a while rejuvenating himself in upscale hotels, and taking beautiful women to the opera. During his stay there Dantes met Valentine, Villefort’s daughter; this act strikes a chord deep within Dantes and spurs his retribution into action. Dantes also meets Albert de Morcerf in Rome, where he aides in Alberts release from kidnappers. To return this life saving favor Dantes asks Albert to familiarize him with the Parisian aristocrats. For those of us with an appetite for a great revenge novel, this is where you can feel the plot begin to thicken, and Dumas has you flipping through the pages. With Albert as his guide, Dantes makes his way to Paris where the intrigue intensifies as Dantes began to pick off his prey one by one. During the time when Dumas’ tail was released, Paris was the metropolitan center of France, 600,000 people lived there. It was the mecca for European culture, and sciences, and also where many of Dumas’ readers would have been located making Paris an obvious choice to set such a tale; the sale of his writings to readers in the city were booming. Paris was left in shambles until Napoleon became first consul. At which time he began to re-model the city, giving it qualities you might have seen in a more up to date Rome. He added sewers, sidewalks bridges, and wharves. These additions not only brought about a better economy, but better living conditions for many. This city full of Parisian culture was also where the Villefort, the Morcerf, and the Danglars families had all settled. These families migrated to Paris, and with their newly acquired wealth began lavishing them selves in a life of luxury. Once in Paris, and with help the Count finds his way into the midst of each of the families, becoming a most welcome guest. It is from this calculated position that Dantes is able to initiate his plan and ultimately unravel the successes, and happiness of each of the men who had at one time or another plotted against him. Dumas, was able to give his reader an understanding of the setting in The Count of Monte Cristo with ease, he simply embellished upon of the historical occasions that were taking place before his eyes. Dumas expertly tied together the political struggle between Napoleon and the Royalists. By expounding upon well-known, and heavily populated cities such as Marseille, he was able to bestow a bit of history, and expand his reader’s minds, while also adventuring with them to isolated, dangerous places like the Chateau d’if or even Monte Cristo Island. He solidifies the intrigue, danger, and of course revenge in his literary work of art, which is sure to continue to captivate readers for many generations to come. Works Cited â€Å"Chateau d’If†. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 2012 This article describes Chateau d’if the small Mediterranean island off the port of Marseille. I hope to be able to give a more accurate development of the scene where Dumas’ main character spent a great portion time. This article came from the Encyclopedia Britannica online. D’Ammassa, Don. â€Å"The Count of Monte Cristo.† Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom’s Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 15