The Count Of Monte Cristo
...So powerful in fact, that was controversial when it was
first released. The Catholic church in France condemned it
because of its powerful message it presented the reader.
This theme was one of revenge and vengeance. Monte Cristo
had two goals- to reward those who were kind to him and his
aging father, and to punish those responsible for his
imprisonment and suffering. For the latter, he plans slow
and painful punishment. To have spent fourteen years barely
subsisting in a dungeon demands cruel and prolonged
castigation.
Setting:
The Count of Monte Cristo is set within the
nineteenth century of France in large and populous cities.
This was a time of great disruption. There was confusion all
over the land in regards to who led France, King Louis or
Napoleon. The citizens of France became divided by the two
ruling parties. Royalists and the Bonapartist cut at each
others throats in order to declare that their ruler was
supreme. This situation has a profound effect on the events
of the story. Dantes' enemies used the rivalry between the
two parties in order to convince the Royalists that Edmond
is a Bonapartist, therefore it is the basis for his arrest
and inevitable captivity in the Chateau D'If..
Basic Plot:
The Count of Monte Cristo is a story about a sailor,
Edmond Dantes, who was betrayed during the prime of his
life and career by the jealousy of his friends. His
shipmate, Danglars, coveted his designation as the captain
of the mighty Pharon. Ferdinand Mondego wished to wed
Mercedes, who was affianced to Edmond.
Danglars and Ferdinand wrote a letter accusing
Edmond of carrying a letter from Elba to the Bonapartist
committee in Paris. Caderousse, a neighbor, learned of the
plot but kept silent. On his...
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