out of the collection of eastern folktales known as the arabian nights. Haydee herself always dresses in her native greek style, And even the food she eats is oriental. the romantic obsession with the exotic particularly favored such trappings of the orient, A region considered incomparably mysterious. romantics considered the women of the orient far more desirable than european women, As well as more easily available. we see this romantic notion of oriental women in dumas' description of Haydee as reclining on the ground in a position that "though perfectly natural for an eastern female. Would have been deemed too full of coquettish straining after effect in a european." the fact that Haydee can seem "perfectly natural" in a pose that would appear "strained" in a european emphasizes the degree to which the romantics considered oriental women more naturally alluring and sensual than european women. in addition. Haydee's exotic nature rubs off on Monte Cristo, Bolstering his own mystique. not only does Monte Cristo boast Haydee as a member of his household, But his grotto on the island of Monte Cristo is decorated in oriental style, And he often claims to consider himself more oriental than western. indeed. Most of Monte Cristo's odd customs stem from the orient. Haydee. With her dazzlingly unfamiliar beauty and her foreign way of life. Typifies this romantic notion of the exotic.chapters 50 and 51 demonstrate how perverse and almost inhuman Monte Cristo's psychology has become. positive emotions. Rather than vengeance and hatred. Rattle him in the way that negative emotions would rattle most people. for Monte Cristo. The possibility of good feelings bothers him most. faced with the prospect of visiting the Morrel family, An experience he knows will be fraught with good feeling. He prepares himself by visiting Haydee. he reflects that he "require[s] a gradual succession of calm and gentle emotions to prepare his mind to receive full and perfect happiness. In the same manner as ordinary natures demand to be inured by degrees to the reception of strong or violent sensations." this statement explicitly contrasts normal human psychology with Monte Cristo's perverse emotional life. indeed. Just as Monte Cristo has predicted. When he is with the Morrels his perfect, Almost frightening composure deserts him for the first time. confronted with the depth of the Morrels' gratitude. He becomes "pale as death. Pressing one hand to his heart to still its throbbings." in the face of true goodness. Monte Cristo experiences the strong physical reaction that most people experience upon encountering something particularly gruesome or dark. his obsession with vengeance has completely perverted his nature.the Morrel family has an enormous influence on Monte Cristo's estimation of humanity as a whole. prior to meeting the Morrels. Monte Cristo believes that no human being is capable of feeling pure and true gratitude. he pessimistically announces to franz and albert that "man is an ungrateful and egotistical animal," then disdainfully remarks to peppino. Whose life he has saved, "you have not then forgotten that I saved your life; that is strange, For it is a week ago." seeing the sincere and heartfelt thankfulness of the Morrels. However. Monte Cristo admits that lord wilmore would appreciate this gratitude and be "reconciled to mankind." lord wilmore is. Of course. Just another of Monte Cristo's aliases, And this statement is really an admission of Monte Cristo's own change of heart. it is Monte Cristo who is "reconciled to mankind" after he sees the Morrels provide such incontrovertible proof of humankind's capacity for gratitude.equally moving to Monte Cristo is the Morrels' complete satisfaction with their lives. though hardly wealthy. They consider themselves enormously rich and choose not to pursue any further wealth, As they know that doing so would require them to be apart more often. Monte Cristo is shocked to see people so perfectly content in their daily existence, And he takes the Morrels as proof that happiness is determined more by attitude than by absolute circumstances. in their gratitude and satisfaction. The Morrels demonstrate humanity's capacity for goodness. Which challenges Monte Cristo's condemnation of mankind as an "ungrateful" and generally vile species.chapter 30-31Monte Cristo and Haydee cause quite a stir when they appear in their box at the opera. Monte Cristo visits madame danglars' box. In which eugenie, Albert, And fernand are all sitting. while Monte Cristo leans over the balcony with fernand. Haydee catches sight of the the box and nearly faints. Monte Cristo takes leave of the danglars and morcerf families and returns to Haydee. Who is beside herself with emotion. she tells Monte Cristo that morcerf is the man who betrayed her father, Ali pacha. To the turks and then sold her into slavery.albert de morcerf and lucien debray visit Monte Cristo. they discuss albert's engagement to eugenie danglars. albert is reluctant to marry eugenie, Despite her extreme beauty and wealth, As she seems "too erudite and masculine." in addition. Mercedes is very upset at the prospect of having eugenie as a daughter-in-law, And albert cannot imagine doing anything to cause his mother pain.debray then reveals that madame danglars. His lover. Gambles large sums of her husband's money in stocks. albert jokingly suggests teaching madame danglars a lesson by manipulating her stocks with a false news report. Monte Cristo notices that debray appears unsettled by this line of conversation. it is clear that debray does. In fact. Regularly abuse his government position by giving privileged information to madame danglars.Monte Cristo plans to meet with two men and instructs them to play the roles he has outlined for them in return for significant monetary compensation. the older man must pretend to be marquis bartolomeo cavalcanti, A retired italian major and nobleman who has been searching in vain for his kidnapped son for fifteen years.Monte Cristo continues that the younger man must play the part of bartolomeo cavalcanti's son, Andrea cavalcanti. Reunited with his father by Monte Cristo. after giving the two men false identity documents. New wardrobes, And other necessities for their disguise. Monte Cristo invites them to a dinner party he is throwing the following saturday.maximilian and valentine meet again in the garden of the villefort home. maximilian reveals that franz is returning to paris soon, And valentine swears that she is unable to oppose her father's will that she marry franz. valentine mentions that her stepmother wants her to remain unmarried and join a convent so that all of her inheritance will go to edward. Who will otherwise receive almost no inheritance at all. in the course of the conversation. It becomes clear that eugenie is just as reluctant to marry albert de morcerf as he is to marry her. eugenie has confided in valentine that she never wants to marry but wants instead to lead a free and independent life as an artist.while maximilian and valentine hold their secret tryst. Villefort and his wife visit the room in their house in which noirtier lives with his devoted servant, Barrois. noirtier's stroke has left him with only the powers of sight and hearing. So he is unable to communicate with anyone but villefort, Barrois, And valentine. valentine is noirtier's sole happiness in life; because of her love and devotion. She is able to read all of her grandfather's thoughts and desires in his eyes. villefort and his wife break the news of valentine's engagement, And noirtier is silently enraged. Since franz's father was his greatest political enemy. valentine is sent to comfort her grandfather, And she confides in him that she does not want to marry franz. noirtier vows that he will help valentine escape her unwanted engagement.noirtier summons a notary and rewrites his will. he provides that if valentine marries franz, All of his inheritance will go to the poor rather than to valentine. villefort is unmoved by his father's threat and refuses to call off valentine's engagement.chapter 34downstairs. The villeforts find Monte Cristo waiting for them. Monte Cristo invites them to his upcoming dinner party and tells them that he would like to visit a telegraph office. they suggest that he visit the spanish line. Which is the busiest.Monte Cristo visits a remote telegraph post. Where he bribes the operator to pass along a false report. the next day, Debray hurries to the danglars household and tells madame danglars that her husband must sell all of his spanish bonds. debray has just learned -- in advance because of his government position -- of a telegraph that came in announcing that a revolution is about to break out in spain.madame danglars follows debray's advice. that evening's newspaper confirms the news about spain, And danglars saves a fortune as spanish bonds plummet. however. The following day the newspaper states that the previous report of impending unrest was mistaken. Stemming from an improperly intercepted telegraph communication. danglars ends up losing one million francs.analysis: chapter 30-34the scene at the opera in chapter 64 provides a sharp juxtaposition of two opposing elements of the count of Monte Cristo. on one hand. The story is a fantastical melodrama. With a vampirelike count, A beautiful greek princess. Horrible betrayals, And breathtaking acts of revenge. on the other hand. It is a highly realistic novel, Depicting the customs. Hypocrisies, And everyday lives of french nobility. dumas himself saw his novel as essentially a tale of contemporary manners. Taking great care to provide the characters with real addresses. Real restaurants, And stores to frequent, Along with behavior authentic to their social status. even the opera Monte Cristo attends is carefully chosen: robert le diable, An 1831 work by jacques meyerbeer. Is a performance that the upper crust of dumas' time would certainly have turned out to see. dumas even goes so far in his realism as to engage in some mild social satire. he mocks contemporary notions of propriety, For instance, By noting that while it would have been considered a scandal if madame danglars and her daughter had attended the opera alone. It is considered perfectly appropriate for them to be accompanied by madame danglars' lover, Debray. dumas' impressive realism gives his novel a depth that a mere melodrama would not possess.dumas portrays noirtier as one of the sympathetic characters of the novel. Which is strange in light of dumas' concern for individual liberties. in his days as a revolutionary. Noirtier committed the high sin of sacrificing individual lives to big ideas. in villefort's words. He was a man "for whom france was a vast chessboard, From which pawns. Rooks. Knights, And queens. Were to disappear. So that the king was checkmated." in other words. Noirtier treated people as means toward that which he considered an important end. perhaps dumas pardons noirtier because he violated individual rights only with the eventual aim of securing such rights. as a revolutionary leader. Noirtier fought for the common people and for liberal, Democratic ideals. in addition, Because he is poised perfectly to do harm to villefort. One of the novel's least sympathetic characters. Noirtier must, By default. Have a redeeming character.the telegraph episode of chapters 61 and 62 is one of the only events in the long and drawn-out destruction of danglars that dumas actually portrays. unlike the downfalls of fernand and villefort. Which occur in brilliant bursts of spectacle, Danglars' downfall is slow and dull. since danglars cares about nothing but his wealth. It is his wealth that Monte Cristo attacks, Causing repeated losses that destroy danglars' credit. for the most part, Dumas gives us the behind-the-scenes story of danglars' destruction in small hints. various long-standing clients of danglars suddenly borrow large amounts of money and then go bankrupt. Unable to honor their debts to him. these long-standing clients. We are to understand, Are all Monte Cristo borrowing under assumed names.chapters 35-38the guests arrive at the house in auteuil for Monte Cristo's dinner party. the entire house has been decorated magnificently. only two parts of the home have been left unchanged: the garden in the back and a small bedroom. maximilian Morrel arrives first, Followed by the danglars, Accompanied, As always, By lucien debray. next. Monte Cristo introduces the two impostors as major bartolomeo cavalcanti and his son, Andrea. much as Monte Cristo predicts. The fabulously wealthy italian prince and his son pique danglars' curiosity, Especially when Monte Cristo casually mentions to danglars that andrea is determined to find a wife in paris. finally. Villefort and his wife arrive.bertuccio. Peeking out at the scene through a partly open door. Is shocked when he sees madame danglars among the guests. he tells Monte Cristo that she is the widowed baroness who used to meet villefort in this very house. bertuccio is even more surprised to see villefort himself. Whom he thought he had killed years before. Monte Cristo explains that villefort was only injured. Not killed. When bertuccio stabbed him. bertuccio's greatest surprise. Though, Comes when he lays eyes on the man pretending to be andrea cavalcanti, As this man is actually his wayward son, Benedetto.after dinner. Monte Cristo leads the party to the one bedroom he has left unchanged. he announces to his guests that he has felt, From the first moment he stepped inside. That some horrible crime was committed in this room. he begins to describe the scene he imagines took place here. Which is. Of course. The scene he knows actually did take place here. he imagines that a mother (madame danglars). Who has just given birth, And a father (villefort) take a child down the staircase. Monte Cristo then takes his guests. Who include both villefort and madame danglars, Down into the garden and shows them the spot where. He claims. While working on his trees. He dug up the skeleton of a newborn baby. deciding that he has pushed the murderous couple as far as he wants. Monte Cristo redirects the party back to the lawn for coffee. villefort whispers to madame danglars that he must see her the next day in his office.after the party, As benedetto climbs into his carriage. He is stopped by an old acquaintance from his former life, Caderousse. Caderousse. Who has escaped from the prison where he was serving a life sentence for the murders he committed, Demands that benedetto give him an allowance of 200 francs each month. benedetto. Worried that Caderousse might jeopardize his newfound position. Reluctantly agrees.back home from the party. Madame danglars retires to her room with debray in tow. unexpectedly. Her husband bursts into the room and asks debray to leave. debray and madame danglars are shocked. Since danglars has never before opposed his wife's wishes. with debray gone, Danglars confronts his wife. he knows that debray supplies her with inside information. Which she then leaks to him. he also knows that debray pockets madame danglars' share of the investment earnings. danglars does not mind this arrangement so long as debray's information consistently wins him money, But now that he has lost a considerable sum on the spanish bonds. He resents that debray is not helping to defray the costs he incurred. danglars also reveals that he knows about all of his wife's previous lovers. Including the lovers she had during her first marriage. most important. He knows that she bore villefort's child and that her first husband killed himself as a result.the following day danglars visits Monte Cristo and presses for more information about andrea cavalcanti. he admits that he would very much like his daughter to marry this young man. Who is far richer than albert de morcerf. danglars confides in Monte Cristo that Monte Cristo de morcerf was not originally a nobleman but used to be a poor fisherman named fernand mondego. Who suddenly gained considerable wealth under mysterious circumstances. Monte Cristo pretends to recall that he has once heard of a fernand mondego in connection with the ali pacha affair in greece. danglars admits that he too has heard vague stirrings about this connection. Monte Cristo encourages danglars to get in touch with his contacts in yanina. The site of the ali pacha affair, And to make inquiries into the nature of mondego's involvement.analysis: chapters 35-38the scene in Monte Cristo's bedroom and garden at auteuil is born from the romantic fascination with the gothic and the grotesque. Monte Cristo paints a chilling scene for his audience, Complete with a dark night, A secret staircase, An illicit love affair, And an act of infanticide. gothic romances were extremely popular in the 19th century and had a strong influence on dumas and other romantic writers. dumas plays up madame danglars' hysteria and villefort's terror at hearing Monte Cristo's story to chilling effect. Leaving us almost sympathetic for these two evildoers. like the heroes and heroines of gothic novels. Villefort and madame danglars are faced with a seemingly supernatural. Terrifying, And inescapable force in the person of Monte Cristo. in this respect. Though it is also a novel of contemporary manners and a fantastical melodrama. Monte Cristo of Monte Cristo is a good example of gothic literature.the scenes in this section also indicate that Monte Cristo's two most trusted companions, Bertuccio and Haydee. Share his overwhelming desire for revenge. bertuccio wants to avenge himself on villefort because of his refusal, As public prosecutor. To seek justice in the murder of bertuccio's brother. Haydee wants to take revenge on fernand mondego for betraying her father and selling her into slavery. it is. Of course, Convenient for Monte Cristo that his own enemies overlap with the enemies of his friends. Haydee and bertuccio both have information and contacts that can help bring about the downfall of their mutual enemies, And they are willing to do whatever is required of them to accomplish this downfall. yet it seems that bertuccio and Haydee are not merely convenient to Monte Cristo but also enormously important to him as his only two true companions. however. It may be merely their common lust for revenge that draws Monte Cristo toward bertuccio and Haydee. Monte Cristo is himself so obsessed with revenge that perhaps he cannot be truly comfortable around anyone who does not share this obsession to some degree.though Monte Cristo seems quite comfortable in the company of bertuccio and Haydee. It is misleading to speak of him as having any close relationship -- platonic or romantic -- with another human being. Monte Cristo has willfully exiled himself from human society. he isolates himself to an extreme. Living above the law. Without a homeland, And without any emotional attachments. in chapter 49. Monte Cristo describes himself to villefort as "being of no country, Asking no protection from any government, Acknowledging no man as my brother." his refusal to acknowledge himself as a member of any country. Society. Or fraternity indicates that he has rejected membership in every conceivable community. none of these communities. Monte Cristo implies here and elsewhere. Live up to his strict standards of justice and propriety. as a solitary being. Unable to find a spiritual home anywhere in the modern world. Monte Cristo is a familiar type of romantic hero. the theme of spiritual exile from the modern world was a popular one in the romantic era, And famous non-conformists like prometheus -- the mythical greek hero who stole fire from the Gods to give to humans -- and satan frequently turn up as characters in romantic prose and poetry. Monte Cristo. Like other popular romantic heroes. Is the inveterate renegade, Both rejecting and rejected by society.chapters 39-42madame danglars visits villefort's office, Cursing their terrible luck at having their past dredged up again. villefort. However. Swears that the situation has nothing to do with luck. Monte Cristo. He explains, Could not have found the skeleton of their child because the man who stabbed villefort -- bertuccio -- stole the box with the corpse from villefort. he deduces that the child must have still been alive; if it had been dead, Bertuccio would have shown its corpse to the police and had villefort arrested for murder as soon as he realized villefort was still alive.concluding that the child must in fact still be alive. Villefort and madame danglars understand that they are in much danger. the fact that Monte Cristo seems to know of their crime makes their situation even more perilous. villefort promises madame danglars that he will discover who the count of Monte Cristo really is and find out how he knows so much about their past.that same day, Albert de morcerf visits Monte Cristo and invites him to his family's ball.making inquiries through his police contacts. Villefort discovers that Monte Cristo has two old acquaintances living in paris. the first is an italian priest named Abbe Busoni. The other an english aristocrat named lord wilmore. villefort sends the police commissioner to visit busoni first. busoni (Monte Cristo in disguise. Of course) says that he has known Monte Cristo for decades and reveals that Monte Cristo is really the son of a rich maltese shipbuilder. he mentions that Monte Cristo's only enemy is lord wilmore.villefort visits wilmore himself. wilmore (again. Monte Cristo in disguise) claims that Monte Cristo is a speculator who made his vast fortune when he discovered a silver mine in the middle east. when asked why Monte Cristo has purchased the house in auteuil. Wilmore explains that Monte Cristo hopes to dig up a mineral spring in the area. villefort is relieved by this information.Monte Cristo is the center of attention at the morcerfs' ball. Mercedes notices that he refuses to eat or drink anything the entire evening.Mercedes draws Monte Cristo away from the crowd and tries to coax him into eating some fruit from the garden. she becomes agitated when he refuses. Perhaps because she knows that it is an arabian custom that those who have eaten together beneath the same roof are eternal friends. Monte Cristo and Mercedes discuss their past in a roundabout way. Never explicitly acknowledging that either is aware of the other's old identity. Monte Cristo promises that he considers Mercedes a friend. villefort appears in search of his wife and daughter, Bearing the terrible news that his former father-in-law. The marquis de saint meran. Is dead.that same night. The marquise de saint-meran becomes sick, And the next morning she announces that she is going to die. she describes that during the night she saw a white figure approach her bed and heard it move the glass on her nightstand. the marquise yearns to see valentine married before she dies and orders that the marriage contract be signed the day after franz d'epinay returns to france. valentine longs to tell her grandmother that she loves another man but knows that her aristocratic grandmother would never allow her to marry a man from a family as common as maximilian's.valentine finds maximilian waiting for her in the garden. he tells her that franz has arrived in paris and asks her to run away with him. after some coaxing. She agrees. that night. Maximilian waits for valentine, Armed with all they need for their escape, But she does not appear. terrified that something has happened to her. He approaches the house and overhears a conversation between villefort and a doctor. the marquise has died, And the doctor is convinced that she was poisoned with brucine.the doctor suggests that the marquis and marquise might have accidentally been given a preparation intended for noirtier, As noirtier regularly takes brucine in small doses to alleviate his paralysis. overcome with anxiety about valentine's well-being. Maximilian sneaks into the house and finds her. valentine introduces maximilian to her grandfather. noirtier tells maximilian that he has a secret plan to prevent valentine from marrying franz.immediately following the burial of the marquis and marquise, Franz d'epinay comes to the villefort home to sign the marriage contract. just as they are about to sign, Barrois appears and says that noirtier wishes to speak to franz.noirtier instructs barrois to open a secret compartment in his desk and to hand franz a stack of papers. the papers reveal that noirtier killed franz's father in a duel. villefort flees in shock.analysis: chapters 39-42with his vast resources and hidden identities. Monte Cristo is a plausible forerunner of the modern superhero. Using his enormous gifts to fight crime and help the innocent. additionally. He is able to go incognito instantly and effortlessly. Merely by donning a simple disguise. dressed as an italian priest or an englishman. No one recognizes him as the count of Monte Cristo. in chapter 70. His red wig and fake scar so convince villefort that he is lord wilmore that villefort does not even begin to suspect his true identity. perhaps the most impressive aspect of Monte Cristo's disguises is that they fool even his closest companions. bertuccio, For instance. Never figures out that Monte Cristo and Abbe Busoni are the same person. Monte Cristo's expert ability to disguise himself, Along with his enormous strength and his seemingly inexhaustible knowledge. Make him appear superhuman.Monte Cristo can also be seen as a precursor to another popular modern figure. The detective. Monte Cristo meticulously assembles his enemies' histories, Collecting clues and evidence by slyly questioning his suspects and those close to them. Wheedling out of them any information they can give. he cleverly manipulates those around him. Pressuring his enemies to their breaking point -- tempting danglars into betrothing his daughter to cavalcanti, For instance, And subtly influencing madame de villefort to begin her campaign of murders. eventually. Monte Cristo brings to light heinous crimes that. If not for his sleuthing. Might never be uncovered.unlike his real-life model. Piçaud. Monte Cristo does not stoop to criminal actions when taking revenge. instead. What we see unfolding in these chapters is an elaborate plan to destroy his enemies by exposing their own past crimes. moreover. Monte Cristo does not rely on the crimes his enemies committed against him long ago, But instead draws on far greater crimes they have committed against others in the intervening years. danglars is ultimately punished for his cruel financial opportunism, Fernand mondego for his betrayal of ali pacha, And villefort for his merciless and hypocritical wielding of the law. seen in this light. It is not Monte Cristo who is the undoing of these men; it is rather their own criminal or selfish actions that are their own undoings. this distinction raises Monte Cristo's scheme from the level of petty revenge to the level of divine providence. as we later see. He appeals to his enemies' particular weaknesses in tempting them into ruin. it is danglars' greed, For instance. That draws him to andrea cavalcanti -- an attraction that later becomes the final blow in his destruction. villefort's undoing, By contrast. Is brought on by his strong. Unbending ambition. Which prevents him from permitting a criminal investigation to take place in his house. Thereby allowing the murderer to remain at large. Poised to strike again. destroying each villain with his own weaknesses and his own crimes. Monte Cristo truly sets himself up as the dispenser of justice rather than just a petty man getting back at old enemies.the revelation of the connection between noirtier and franz d'epinay's father casts villefort in an even worse light than ever before. we know that villefort is aware of this connection, As it is the very murder he and noirtier discuss in chapter 12. When villefort warns his father that the police are after him. it is clear that villefort wants the marriage to take place precisely because he thinks that it will guarantee that his father's crime will never come to light. once franz is a member of the family no one would think to suspect noirtier, And even if someone were to suspect noirtier. Surely franz would not want to pursue such a line of inquiry. as always. Villefort is acting solely for the sake of his own ambition. Sacrificing his daughter's future and the feelings of an innocent stranger to his own goals.chapters 43-46Monte Cristo and the man acting as andrea cavalcanti visit the danglars' home. eugenie escapes to her room to play music with her constant companion and music teacher. Louise d'armilly. danglars insists that andrea be allowed to join in the two women's music-making. albert then arrives. danglars is excessively rude to him.on the way back to Monte Cristo's house, Albert laughs over danglars' obvious preference for andrea as a son-in-law. albert then asks to meet Haydee. Monte Cristo assents to the meeting with the condition that albert not mention the name of his father. Haydee tells albert the tragic story of Haydee's childhood. her father, Ali pacha. Was the ruler of the greek state of yanina until a french soldier. Who had become ali pacha's right-hand man. Surrendered ali's castle to the turks and then betrayed him, Allowing him to be brutally murdered by his enemies. this frenchman then sold Haydee and her mother into slavery. her mother died soon thereafter, And Haydee was eventually liberated when Monte Cristo purchased her freedom. albert is bewildered by the story. Not realizing that his father is the treacherous frenchman who betrayed ali.villefort receives an angry letter from franz, Calling off the engagement. noirtier changes his will yet again. Leaving all his fortune to valentine on the condition that she is never separated from him. meanwhile, Fernand pays a visit to danglars in order to finalize the engagement between albert and eugenie. much to his dismay, Danglars tells him that he has changed his mind about the engagement. though fernand presses him, Danglars refuses to divulge the cause for his change of mind.the next morning a small article appears in beauchamp's newspaper. Reporting that a man named fernand betrayed ali pacha to the turks. though there are many people who bear the name fernand, And no one thinks to associate this article with the count de morcerf, Albert is convinced that the article is a libelous slander against his father. despite Monte Cristo's pleas for albert to show restraint, Albert orders beauchamp to retract the article or else fight a duel. beauchamp. Who did not even write the offending article, Asks for three weeks to investigate the matter before he is forced to decide between these two options.barrois fetches maximilian on behalf of noirtier. as albert. Noirtier, And valentine discuss plans for the future, Barrois. Overcome with thirst. Takes a drink from his master's lemonade. almost instantly. He falls sick and dies. the doctor discovers that there is brucine in the lemonade. though noirtier has drunk some of the lemonade. He is not affected because the small amount of brucine he takes every day for his paralysis has given him a tolerance for the substance.the doctor deduces that the poison was almost certainly meant for noirtier. he then concludes that valentine must be the murderer, As she is the sole heiress of all the intended victims thus far.Caderousse summons benedetto to his home. no longer satisfied with his f200/month, Caderousse presses benedetto for more. benedetto reveals his suspicion that Monte Cristo is really his father and that he will receive a large inheritance. Caderousse hatches a plan to break into Monte Cristo's parisian home while he is away at auteuil.the next day Monte Cristo receives an anonymous letter warning him of the robbery. he orders his entire staff to abandon the paris house. Leaving only himself and ali, Both fully armed. after several hours, A man enters through the bedroom window. ali notices another man keeping watch outside. Monte Cristo watches as the first man tries to break into his desk. he realizes. With surprise. That the thief is Caderousse. Monte Cristo quickly changes into his Abbe Busoni disguise and presents himself to Caderousse. Caderousse recognizes the priest instantly and is terrified.Abbe Busoni tells Caderousse that he will let him go free if he reveals the entire truth about how he escaped from prison and explains what he is doing here now. Caderousse explains that an englishman named lord wilmore sent a file to benedetto, Caderousse's companion in chains, And that the two of them filed off their shackles and escaped. he also admits that he is now in league with benedetto. Living off of his friend's newfound salary. busoni feigns shock at learning that benedetto's alter ego, Andrea cavalcanti -- the fiance of eugenie danglars -- is nothing but a convict. he declares that he will make this fact known immediately.to prevent the secret from leaking out, Caderousse lunges at busoni with a dagger, But the dagger bounces off the chain-mail vest that Monte Cristo is wearing underneath his habit. busoni forces Caderousse to write a note to danglars. Informing him that his future son-in-law is a convict. he then lets Caderousse leave through the window through which he entered. Telling him that if he makes it home safely. Then God has forgiven him. Monte Cristo knows. However. That benedetto is outside waiting to kill Caderousse.just as Monte Cristo predicts, Benedetto stabs Caderousse. Monte Cristo brings the injured Caderousse into his house, And Caderousse signs a statement naming benedetto as his murderer. as Caderousse dies. Monte Cristo berates him for his evil ways. Urging him to repent and acknowledge God. Caderousse refuses until Monte Cristo reveals that he is really edmond Dantes, At which point Caderousse acknowledges the existence of providence and then dies. the police begin an all-out search for benedetto.analysis: chapters 43-46the death of Caderousse marks Monte Cristo's first tangible success in exacting vengeance and delivering justice. the rest of his triumphs now come in quick succession; in fact, Each individual's impending downfall is perfectly set up at this point in the novel. danglars is losing his fortune quickly, As many of his previously reliable creditors continue to default on their debt. danglars is also about to fall into the trap Monte Cristo has set in the form of andrea cavalcanti. The disgraceful suitor of his daughter, Eugenie. fernand mondego's history is now known by at least a few people in france, And it is only a matter of time before it becomes widespread public knowledge. villefort's home is beset by murders, And his illegitimate son. Whom he has tried to kill. Is loose somewhere in parisian society. though no one but Monte Cristo knows it yet. Three lives are about to be utterly destroyed.while, As we see earlier in the novel. Julie and emmanuel herbaut are living proof that human beings can be truly satisfied with their lives, Caderousse embodies human dissatisfaction. Caderousse illustrates one of dumas' major ideas in the novel: that happiness depends more on attitude than on absolute circumstances. as Caderousse is at death's door. Monte Cristo catalogues the man's long history of dissatisfaction. feeling himself unfairly stricken with poverty, Caderousse contemplated crime, But then busoni appeared with an unexpected fortune. though this fortune seemed tremendous at first, Caderousse soon grew used to it and longed for more. So he resorted to murder in order to double his fortune. fate then smiled on him again and saved him from prison. he could have lived a happy, Comfortable life leeching off of benedetto, But he again quickly became dissatisfied and longed for more, Deciding once again to resort to theft and murder. Monte Cristo's message is that Caderousse can never be truly satisfied with what he has and will always want more. additionally, Because he is lazy and dishonest. He will always resort to dishonorable means in order to acquire what he wants. with his persistent dissatisfaction, Caderousse is the unfortunate foil to Julie and emmanuel.comparing Monte Cristo's behavior toward the dying Caderousse to the behavior a real priest would exhibit. We see the difference between Monte Cristo's idea of his divinely ordained mission of justice and the traditional christian concept of justice. as Abbe Busoni confronts the dying Caderousse with his shortcomings, Caderousse murmurs, "what a strange priest you are; you drive the dying to despair instead of consoling them." these words remind us that christianity preaches forgiveness and condemns revenge. just as Monte Cristo sets himself up as a force independent of and at odds with modern society. He also sets himself up as independent of and at odds with traditional christianity. despite this clear rift between the nature of Monte Cristo's mission and the content of christian doctrine. However, Dumas nonetheless makes ample use of christian imagery and symbolism in the novel. we recall that Dantes has been transformed in a symbolic baptism, For instance, And that Monte Cristo is said to hail from the holy land. the very name "Monte Cristo," meaning "mountain of christ," suffuses the entire novel with religious overtones. this mixture of skepticism toward and fascination with religion on dumas' part was quite common among romantic writers.chapters 47-49beauchamp arrives at albert's home with bad news. he has just returned from a voyage to yanina. Where he has found incontrovertible proof of the allegations against morcerf. beauchamp promises to suppress this information due to his friendship with albert. albert is devastated by the revelation regarding his father but grateful to beauchamp. Whom he now forgives.Monte Cristo invites albert to travel with him to his home in normandy. they spend three pleasant days at the coast before an urgent letter from beauchamp summons albert back to paris. the letter includes a newspaper clipping, From a paper other than beauchamp's. That links morcerf's name with the ali pacha affair. now there can no longer be any doubt that albert's father is in fact the man accused of betraying ali.albert arrives at beauchamp's house demanding information. beauchamp tells him all he knows: a man came from yanina bearing a stack of condemning documents and gave them to a rival newspaper editor. since the article was printed. Something even more damning has taken place. at the daily meeting of the chamber. The government body to which morcerf belongs. It was decided that an extensive investigation should be opened into the matter. at morcerf's request. The investigation was set to begin that evening.beauchamp tells albert that during the hearing. Haydee appeared and testified that morcerf betrayed her father, Ali pacha. she claimed that morcerf allowed her father to be killed by his enemies. Stole his treasures, And then sold Haydee and her mother into slavery. Haydee presented a document recording the fact that Monte Cristo had purchased her from the dealer who purchased her from fernand mondego. the document mentioned mondego by name. Haydee further supported her claim by asserting that her father's betrayer had a scar on his right hand, A scar that morcerf possesses. the judges of the chamber subsequently found morcerf guilty of the crimes alleged.albert swears to beauchamp that he will kill the man responsible for his father's disgrace or die trying. beauchamp tries to dissuade albert, But fails. he agrees to help albert track down his enemy and. To that end, Confides that danglars had been making inquiries about morcerf in yanina.albert rushes to danglars' house and challenges both danglars and andrea cavalcanti to a duel. danglars tells albert that it was Monte Cristo who suggested he write to yanina. albert then realizes that Monte Cristo must have known all along about his father's past. Since he has known all along about Haydee's past. he deduces that Monte Cristo must be behind the plot to expose his father and decides that Monte Cristo is the one he must challenge to a duel.analysis: chapters 47-49albert's reaction to the revelation of his father's shameful past consists entirely of undirected rage and an overwhelming desire for violence. he makes it clear that he wants to kill someone and that he does not particularly care whom he kills. initially, Albert is even willing to kill his best friend, Beauchamp, For the simple reason that beauchamp is associated with the newspaper in which the defaming article first appears. afraid that danglars will refuse to fight, Albert challenges andrea cavalcanti to a duel, Even though he knows full well that andrea has nothing to do with morcerf's exposure. finally. When confronted with the fact that Monte Cristo is his true enemy, Albert remarks, "i only fear one thing. Namely to find a man who will not fight." albert's reaction. Though hot-headed and irrational, Fits well with the rugged individualism heralded in the novel. albert desires to act because he does not want to be a pawn of fate or of any other powerful. Unfriendly forces. his overwhelming desire is not so much to kill but rather to avoid passivity: he will act simply for the sake of acting, Even if there is no rational reason to do so. in this strong drive to assert himself against the forces of fate that are attempting to oppress him, Albert resembles Monte Cristo.it is unclear. However. To what extent Monte Cristo truly holds albert accountable for the sins of his father. initially. Monte Cristo shows a markedly strong aversion to albert. Recoiling when he first shakes his hand in italy and clearly hating him for being fernand's son. franz d'epinay notices this aversion and warns albert to keep his distance from the mysterious Monte Cristo. yet, As the story progresses. We see Monte Cristo reluctantly growing fond of albert and struggling with his positive feelings for him. when albert reveals his strong devotion to Mercedes in chapter 55, For instance, Declaring that he could never hurt his mother by marrying eugenie. Monte Cristo seems irritated by the presence of such a noble sentiment in albert. Monte Cristo is forced to acknowledge that albert is a good man and should not be viewed merely through the lens of his father's sins.when fernand's downfall seems imminent. Monte Cristo even begins to feel pangs of pity for albert. with danglars' revelation to Monte Cristo that he has succeeded in obtaining the information from yanina, For instance. Monte Cristo finds it impossible to look at albert, And he turns away "to conceal the expression of pity which passed over his features." the fact that Monte Cristo whisks albert off to normandy just when the story about his father is about to break can itself be interpreted as an act of pity, As Monte Cristo may be trying to spare albert the pain of witnessing his father's humiliation first-hand. then again. We might just as easily see the trip to normandy as an attempt to deprive fernand of his son's support just when he needs it most. in the next chapter. Monte Cristo's attitude toward the duel only casts his feelings for albert into further doubt.chapters 50-albert and beauchamp rush to Monte Cristo's house, But are told that he is not receiving any visitors. however. The servant at the door reveals that Monte Cristo will be attending the opera that evening. albert sends word to franz, Debray, And maximilian to meet him at the opera. he then goes to see Mercedes and asks her whether she knows of any reason why Monte Cristo should consider fernand his enemy. Mercedes tries to convince her son that Monte Cristo is not an enemy and begs him not to quarrel with a man he so recently considered his friend.after albert leaves Mercedes. She instructs a servant to follow him all night and report back to her about his activities. at the opera, Albert storms into Monte Cristo's box. Insults him, And challenges him to a duel. the duel is set for 8:00 the following morning and is to be carried out with pistols. Monte Cristo asks maximilian and his brother-in-law, Emmanuel. To act as seconds. Or assistants, At the duel.Mercedes pays a desperate visit to Monte Cristo. Monte Cristo explains to Mercedes why he hates fernand. Showing her the false accusation that fernand personally mailed to the public prosecutor so many years before. Mercedes falls to her knees and begs his forgiveness, Declaring her enduring love for edmond Dantes. she pleads with Monte Cristo to save her son's life, Beseeching him to take vengeance only on those who are guilty. Monte Cristo's vengeful will is broken, And he swears that albert's life will be saved. however. His dignity requires that he still fight the duel. Which means that he himself must die the next day.Monte Cristo confides to maximilian and emmanuel that he plans to let himself be killed. he then demonstrates his almost super-human skill with the pistol so that there will be no doubt as to whether he lost the duel on purpose. albert finally arrives at the site of the duel, But rather than pick up his pistol he apologizes to Monte Cristo. Telling him that he was right to avenge fernand for wronging him. Monte Cristo realizes that Mercedes has told her son the entire story.albert and Mercedes both plan to leave all their worldly possessions behind and create a new life away from the sins of fernand. as they are about to depart their home forever, A letter from Monte Cristo arrives. Monte Cristo instructs Mercedes to travel to Marseilles. To the house in which louis Dantes once lived. buried under a tree in front of that house is the money that Dantes once planned to use to start a family with Mercedes. he writes that this money. Though a pittance. Is rightfully hers and should be enough to support her comfortably for the rest of her life. Mercedes accepts the gift and declares that she will use it as a dowry to gain entrance to a convent.Monte Cristo comes home to Haydee. Who has been eagerly awaiting him. he realizes that he might love Haydee as he once loved Mercedes. just as they bask in each other's company, Fernand bursts in, Enraged that his son did not follow through on the duel. fernand then challenges Monte Cristo to a duel himself. before fighting, Fernand demands to know who Monte Cristo really is. Monte Cristo disappears momentarily and then returns in the clothes of a sailor. recognizing him instantly as edmond Dantes, Fernand is stricken with terror and flees the house. he returns home to find his wife and son departing forever. as they pull away from the house, Fernand shoots himself in the head.analysis: chapters 50-54 in these chapters. Mercedes demonstrates that she remains unchanged from the young woman she was in Marseilles. Proving to Monte Cristo that he has been misjudging her all along. when Mercedes initially approaches Monte Cristo to beg for her son's life. She tries to win his sympathy by reminding him that she is still the same woman he once loved. with his response that "Mercedes is dead," Monte Cristo means to suggest that the innocent and good woman whom he once loved does not exist now as the wife of fernand mondego and perhaps never existed. yet Mercedes proves wrong Monte Cristo's estimation of her. Revealing her monumental strength of character when she tells albert about his father's sins against Dantes. her act requires incredible strength and courage, As it ensures that any last vestige of respect and love albert bears his father will be destroyed. it would be understandable for Mercedes to allow Monte Cristo to die rather than harm her son's psyche any further. Yet she unselfishly chooses to spare Monte Cristo's life.Mercedes is often portrayed as the most intelligent character in the novel. dumas notes that she is renowned all over paris for her intelligence, And she is the only character able to unravel the mystery of Monte Cristo's identity immediately. when Mercedes saves Monte Cristo's life. She also proves herself the most noble character. The only one capable of forgiving those who may have done her wrong. she evokes even more sympathy by abandoning her wealth and comfortable life. Refusing to live off of a fortune tainted by evil deeds. convinced of Mercedes' enduring goodness and innocence. Monte Cristo forgives her completely and attempts to amend for the fact that he is effectively depriving her of her husband and her wealth. Monte Cristo is now fully convinced. Just as we are. That Mercedes is as virtuous as ever.the initial exchange between Monte Cristo and Mercedes highlights an important motif in the novel: the significance of names. upon entering Monte Cristo's room. Mercedes addresses him as "edmond," causing him to stumble in alarm. she then insists that he call her "Mercedes" and not "madame de morcerf," boldly defying Monte Cristo's assertion that Mercedes is dead. what they actually argue about here is whether or not they remain. On any level. The good and innocent people that they once were. in calling Monte Cristo "edmond," Mercedes is proclaiming her belief that the kind and decent sailor she once knew still exists somewhere within the vengeful and mysterious Monte Cristo. by insisting that "Mercedes" is still alive. She is also trying to persuade Dantes that she remains the good woman whom he once loved—that despite his opinion. She has not become a greedy. Haughty, And disloyal aristocrat.the argument between Mercedes and Monte Cristo takes on an added layer of meaning when we consider the fact that their old names are the names of commoners while their new names are aristocratic titles. this detail links goodness with poverty and humility, As dumas highlights a contrast between sincere. Good, Common folk and aristocrats who have become corrupted by wealth and power. ultimately, Both prove their enduring goodness: Monte Cristo by offering to die for albert's sake, And Mercedes by saving Monte Cristo's life. they are both worthy of the identities that their old names connote. at their next meeting. They address each other by these names. Reinforcing their essential goodness.chapters 55-59after taking leave of Monte Cristo. Maximilian goes to see valentine and noirtier. he finds valentine feeling ill and complaining that all drinks taste bitter to her. their meeting is interrupted when madame danglars and eugenie arrive, Announcing that eugenie will marry andrea cavalcanti in one week. eugenie expresses her displeasure at being chained to a man rather than being allowed to live as an independent artist. feeling progressively sicker. Valentine excuses herself and returns to maximilian and noirtier. while with them. She loses consciousness.maximilian runs to Monte Cristo and begs for help. Monte Cristo is indifferent to valentine's plight at first, But when he hears that maximilian loves her. He promises that he will save her life. back in the villefort home. The doctor communicates with noirtier. Who seems to understand what has happened. noirtier confirms that valentine. Like all the others. Has been poisoned. the only reason she is still alive is because he has slowly been accustoming her to successively larger doses of brucine. Knowing that she would be the next victim. as the doctor goes to examine valentine. Monte Cristo rents the house next door to villefort's in the guise of the Abbe Busoni.earlier that day, Eugenie confronts danglars and declares that she will not marry andrea cavalcanti. danglars confides in her that he is on the brink of financial ruin and that he needs the f3,000,000 that his daughter's marriage with cavalcanti will bring. public knowledge that he will soon have this money at his disposal will be enough to restore his credit and allow him to borrow money in order to speculate in american railroads. eugenie agrees to go through with the signing of the marriage contract on the condition that her father merely use the report of the three million to restore his credit and not actually use any of cavalcanti's money. eugenie hints that there is a dramatic reason for her request, But danglars loses all curiosity once he is assured that she will sign the marriage contract and thus ensure the return of his credit.three days later, A large party at the danglars' residence celebrates the signing of the marriage contract. just as the contract is being signed. Monte Cristo announces the existence of the letter written to danglars by Caderousse. Monte Cristo claims that the letter has been found that very day in Caderousse's vest and that it has since been given to villefort. he does not reveal the content of the letter, But as he finishes speaking. Two gendarmes appear. Looking to arrest cavalcanti. andrea (benedetto in disguise). However. Has disappeared.as the guests leave, Eugenie rushes to her room with louise d'armilly. the two women discuss their disdain for men and their plot to run away together to italy by way of belgium. once in italy. They plan to make a living from their music. they decide to leave that night. to prevent detection, Eugenie will dress as a man and pretend to be louise's brother. though louise is frightened, Eugenie is fearless and doubtless. she cuts her hair and triumphantly dons masculine clothes. the two women pile their possessions into a carriage and ride away.as eugenie flees paris. So does benedetto. he stops overnight at an inn in the town of compiegne, But oversleeps and wakes up to find gendarmes milling around the hotel. benedetto attempts to escape through the chimney of his room. once on the roof. He must go down through another chimney, And he chooses the only one not emitting smoke. the room at the bottom of this chimney happens to be where eugenie and louise are staying. they give the alarm, And benedetto is seized.madame danglars approaches villefort, And she requests that he not pursue the case against andrea cavalcanti. for the sake of her family's dignity. Madame danglars begs that villefort simply make the affair go away. he rigidly refuses. at the end of their meeting. News comes that cavalcanti has been arrested.valentine has been sick for four days. on the fourth night. She sees a figure approach her bed. it is Monte Cristo. Who explains that he has been keeping constant watch over her from his window next door. whenever Monte Cristo sees poison put into her glass he enters her room, As he has done just now, And replaces the deadly contents with curative ones. Monte Cristo advises valentine to pretend that she is asleep. Then watch and wait in order to see who is trying to kill her.valentine does as Monte Cristo says, And sees madame de villefort enter her room and pour poison into her glass. when Monte Cristo returns. Valentine expresses complete bafflement as to her stepmother's motive. Monte Cristo explains that madame de villefort wants valentine's inheritance to go to edward. Madame de villefort's son. the saintly valentine's first emotion is pity for edward for having such ghastly crimes committed in his name. as valentine is emotionally unable to denounce her stepmother. Monte Cristo hatches another plan to expose the murderess. he tells valentine that no matter what happens she must trust him. he then gives her a tiny pill. Which she swallows as he watches.analysis: chapters 55-59the news of maximilian's love for valentine has a profound effect on Monte Cristo. Setting the scene for an emotional rebirth that is completed several chapters later. in response to maximilian's admission. Monte Cristo "close[s] his eyes, As if dazzled by internal light." this reference to an "internal light" suggests a sudden epiphany. maximilian's love for valentine opens up a possibility that Monte Cristo has never bothered to consider -- that valentine is innocent and does not deserve to die for her father's crimes. until now. He has thought of valentine as a placeholder. The child of villefort. The "daughter of an accursed race." he is now forced to acknowledge that she is an independent. Good person, Bound up in her own life and in the lives of other good people. though at this point Monte Cristo is still a firm believer in the justice of his cause. This episode is the first indication that he might not have quite enough knowledge to pull off his scheme perfectly. we see that he does not know everything about the people who will be affected by his actions.danglars and benedetto. Who are nearly joined as father- and son-in-law. Make a surprisingly well-suited unit. they share many of the same pathologies, Caring about nothing except for money and willing to betray anyone who stands in their way of personal fortune. danglars has no more qualms about selling eugenie into a loveless marriage than he has earlier about sending Dantes to a life in prison. benedetto, For his part. Has been capable of torturing and killing the woman who raised him for the sake of a few gold coins. he has also showed readiness to kill the man he thinks is his father -- Monte Cristo -- in order to receive what he expects to be a vast inheritance.both danglars and benedetto are very adept at playing roles. Pretending to be much better people than they truly are. we first saw danglars' play-acting in his interaction with Morrel. Whom he manages to fool thoroughly enough to win a recommendation into the spanish banking house where he wins his fortune. in chapter 96. We learn that danglars continues to play a part: "to the world and to his servants danglars assumed the good-natured man and the weak father... in private... the brutal husband and domineering father." likewise, Benedetto brings phoniness to a whole new level, Becoming an actual impostor in his guise as andrea cavalcanti. soon after, Benedetto behaves in a misleading manner similar to danglars'. Speaking "in the tone in which he had heard dorante or valere reply to alceste in the theÂtre français." the juxtaposition of their behaviors makes a clear point: these two greedy and deceptive men deserve to be each other's ruin.in contrast to the conniving danglars and benedetto. Valentine is so guileless that she is incapable of grasping evil motives. when faced with the fact that her stepmother is trying to kill her. She cannot even begin to figure out why. Monte Cristo is forced to remind her that if she dies, All of her inheritance would go to edward. valentine's confusion signals her complete and trusting innocence and is reminiscent of Dantes' initial inability to understand how or why he is imprisoned. however. Whereas Dantes becomes vengeful when he discovers that he has enemies. Valentine does not. in fact. She so lacks a desire for revenge that she cannot even find it within herself to denounce the woman trying to murder her. unlike Dantes' innocence. Which passes quickly. Valentine's seems almost indestructible. her innocence is not merely a function of youth and inexperience but an essential character trait that she simply cannot overcome. this trait. Presumably. Is one reason valentine is consistently referred to as an "angel."eugenie poses a sharp and interesting contrast to valentine's innocent passivity. both eugenie and valentine long for the same thing -- the freedom to choose how they live their own lives -- yet each woman goes about achieving this goal in a very different way. valentine balks at even the idea of opposing her father's will, And it takes an enormous amount of persuasion on maximilian's part to persuade her to run away with him. that valentine ultimately manages to marry the man she loves has nothing to do with her own actions, But depends entirely on the clever ruses devised by other people. Namely noirtier and Monte Cristo. eugenie, By contrast. Has no trouble standing up to her father. Speaking boldly and calmly about her refusal to follow his orders. she displays no fear at all as she prepares to run away with louise d'armilly, Enthusiastically embracing the prospect of finding her own way through europe and making a career as an artist. whereas valentine lives an entirely passive life, Depending upon other people to help her overcome any difficulties, Eugenie takes an active part in shaping her own destiny. like Monte Cristo and albert. She refuses to be a pawn of fate or any other external force. Such as the expectations of her father or of society as a whole.chapters 60-64the next morning. Valentine appears to be dead. madame de villefort is the first one to enter valentine's room. she throws the remaining liquid from the cup into the fire. Then cleans out the cup. yet when she returns later. Once the rest of the household has been notified of valentine's death. The glass is mysteriously filled again. the doctor immediately detects the poison in it. madame de villefort faints.maximilian. Unable to control himself in his grief, Enters valentine's room, Disturbing villefort as he kneels by his daughter's bed. villefort. Not knowing who maximilian is. Orders him to leave. maximilian leaves, But then returns, Carrying noirtier in his wheelchair. maximilian declares his love for valentine, And villefort extends his sympathy to him, Bound by their common grief. maximilian demands that valentine's murder be avenged. noirtier signals that he knows who the murderer is and asks to be left alone with his son. when the others are called back in. Villefort and noirtier ask them to keep the crime secret for the time being. the priest from next door, Abbe Busoni. Is then called in to pray over the body. alone with noirtier. Monte Cristo explains what is really taking place.Monte Cristo visits danglars and sees that danglars is making out five checks, Each worth f1,000,000. Monte Cristo asks to have the checks. though the money is intended for the hospital, Danglars reluctantly agrees. Refusing to admit that he no longer has enough capital to make such large loans. as Monte Cristo leaves. The commissioner of hospitals arrives. he is astounded to learn that his f5,000,000 has just been given to a single individual. danglars promises that he will have the money for the hospital tomorrow. he has no real intention of paying. However, And plans to run away that very night in an attempt to escape his creditors.at valentine's funeral. Monte Cristo keeps careful watch over maximilian. he follows maximilian back to Julie and emmanuel's house. there. Maximilian confesses that he is planning to kill himself. in an attempt to stop him. Monte Cristo reveals that he is really edmond Dantes. The man who saved monsieur Morrel from ruin. overcome. Maximilian calls out to Julie and emmanuel and tells them Monte Cristo's role in their lives. Monte Cristo stops maximilian. However, Before he can reveal Monte Cristo's true identity. alone with maximilian again. Monte Cristo plays upon his gratitude to extract a promise: for one month maximilian will remain alive and never stray from Monte Cristo's side. if maximilian is still unhappy at the end of this month. Monte Cristo will help him to commit suicide.the day after danglars leaves. Madame danglars rushes to lucien debray in a panic. she shows him the letter danglars has left explaining his reason for running away. he has written that a series of strange events has left him bankrupt and unable to repay the debt to the hospital. madame danglars waits expectantly for some kind word from her lover, But he speaks to her merely as a business partner. Handing over half the profits that they have made together using their illegal tricks to speculate with danglars' fortune. it is clear that debray wants no more to do with madame danglars now that she cannot provide him with access to danglars' unlimited capital.in another room in the same hotel where this scene is taking place, Albert and Mercedes plan out their future. albert tells his mother that he has enlisted in the army. he gives her the check he has received upon joining and tells her to use part of it to travel to Marseilles. Where the rest of her small savings is located. on their way out of the hotel they encounter lucien debray. Who is struck by the contrast between Mercedes' and madame danglars' reactions to misfortune. later the next day. Monte Cristo secretly watches as albert puts his mother into a coach bound for Marseilles. he swears that he will restore these two innocent people to happiness.bertuccio visits benedetto in prison. benedetto still expects to be saved by his powerful protector. The count of Monte Cristo. he believes that Monte Cristo is his true father, A suggestion that disgusts bertuccio. bertuccio tells benedetto that he is here to reveal the true identity of benedetto's father, But they are interrupted before he is able to do so. he promises that he will return the following day.analysis: chapters 60-64villefort's and danglars' persistent vices lead them to suffer more severe punishments than they might otherwise face. danglars' excessive greed motivates him to force his daughter into a marriage she does not want. he thereby loses both his daughter, As eugenie justifiably flees a family that forces her to settle down against her will, And his dignity. Suffering the public humiliation of nearly having an ex-convict for a son-in-law. though danglars would be financially ruined and utterly devastated even without these added blows. They certainly make his pain that much greater. similarly. It is villefort's excessive ambition that leads to the demise of his in-laws. His wife. His son, And -- he thinks -- his beloved daughter. Valentine. villefort knows that a murderer is loose in his household, But he is also aware that, As a public prosecutor. Widespread awareness of this murderer's existence could do his career and reputation great harm. fearing the loss of dignity and the possible loss of his own power. He refuses to let an investigation take place until it is too late. in their reactions to Monte Cristo's schemes. We see that danglars and villefort are complicit in their respective downfalls. Which underscores just how fully the men deserve their punishment. they have neither repented nor improved as they have aged.just as eugenie and valentine act as foils for each other, Accentuating each other's characteristics. Madame danglars and Mercedes also cut a striking contrast. there are obvious similarities between their situations, As both are now husbandless and publicly humiliated. yet their attitudes could not be more different. though madame danglars has actually played a large part in her husband's ruin. She feels as if she has been treated unfairly by fate. on the other hand. Mercedes. Who has had no part in her husband's ruin, Does not wallow in self-pity, Although she does have a right to feel that fate has treated her unfairly. rather than feel victimized. Mercedes feels that she has more wealth and luxury than she deserves. despite her innocence. She ultimately abandons her vast fortune out of commitment to her personal honor. lucien debray notes this contrast between madame danglars and Mercedes. Reflecting that "the same house had contained two women. One of whom. Justly dishonored. Had left it poor with f1,500,000 under her cloak. While the other. Unjustly stricken, But sublime in her misfortune. Was yet rich with a few deniers." though debray astutely notices the contrast. His focus is a bit off: what really differentiates the two women is not how rich they consider themselves, But how they react to their lowered status.the contrast between Mercedes' graceful reaction and madame danglars' resentful reaction illustrates with an idea prominent in the count of Monte Cristo: the importance of attitude in determining happiness or satisfaction. in objective terms. Madame danglars is in a much better position than Mercedes: she is still enormously wealthy -- as she has been siphoning money from her husband's fortune for years -- and will be able to return to her old life in parisian society in a matter of years. in addition. Since madame danglars has no fondness for her husband. His loss is not particularly painful for her. Mercedes. On the other hand. Is impoverished and will never be able to resume the comfortable life she once led. additionally. Though she is horrified by her husband's bad deeds. She has loved him and feels his loss acutely. yet. While madame danglars endlessly bemoans her relatively benign circumstances. Mercedes does not lament her far worse fortune. she accepts the events of her life stoically and even considers them her just punishment for disloyalty to Dantes. in this respect. Madame danglars is a parallel to Caderousse. Making the worst of any situation. While Mercedes. Like emmanuel and Julie, Exhibits the ability to overcome adversity with courage and acceptance.villefort buries himself in work, Building the case against benedetto. on the day of the trial. He finally approaches madame villefort and makes clear that he knows she is a murderer. he tells his wife that he will not let her die on the scaffold, As that would bring shame to both himself and to his son. villefort instead instructs her to take her own life. Using the poison she used to commit her murders. if she has not done this by the time he returns from court. He warns. He will publicly denounce her and have the authorities execute her.benedetto's trial is a major event, And all of the fashionable parisians turn out at the courthouse to watch. during the trial, Benedetto announces that he is the son of villefort. he tells the story of his birth -- how his father buried him alive. How a man then stabbed villefort and stole the box in which he was buried, And how he was taken in and raised by adoptive parents. the court asks for proof, But villefort interrupts and declares himself guilty.on his way back home. Villefort regrets condemning his wife to death. Realizing that he is no more innocent than she. he decides that he will let her live, And that they will flee france together. however. When he comes home. He finds that she has already followed his orders. in addition to killing herself. Madame villefort has also killed edouard. Unwilling to let her son live on without her.seeking solace. Villefort runs to see his father. Noirtier. Who is accompanied by the Abbe Busoni. the abbe reveals his true identity as edmond Dantes. grabbing him by the wrist. Villefort leads Dantes to the corpses of his wife and son, And he asks if Dantes' vengeance is complete now. at the sight of the dead boy, Dantes' face takes on a look of anguish. he tries to revive edouard with the powerful elixir that he uses earlier, But is unsuccessful. Dantes approaches villefort in order to offer him comfort in the knowledge that valentine is not really dead, But villefort has apparently gone insane. for the first time, Dantes doubts the justice of the project he has been carrying out. back at home. He tells maximilian that they will leave paris the next day.the next day maximilian goes to say goodbye to Julie and emmanuel. Monte Cristo comes to pick up maximilian, And they leave paris together. as they go. Monte Cristo looks out over the city and declares his work of vengeance done. maximilian and Monte Cristo arrive in Marseilles in time to watch albert board a ship bound for his military post in africa. maximilian goes to visit his father's grave. While Monte Cristo pays a visit to Mercedes. Who is now living in the small house that louis Dantes once inhabited. maximilian promises Mercedes that he will help her son in any way he can. Mercedes expresses passive resignation toward her ill fate, Claiming that it must be God's will. Monte Cristo chides her. Reminding her that God created man with free will. Monte Cristo then meets maximilian in the cemetery and tells him to wait in Marseilles in several days. Since he must take care of some business in italy.analysis: chapters 109-111chapter 111 marks the second major turning point of the count of Monte Cristo. The moment when Monte Cristo finally begins to doubt whether he is justified in taking the place of providence. with edouard's death. The seeds of discomfort that are sown in chapter 95 -- when Monte Cristo realizes that he could easily have caused the death of the innocent valentine -- now bloom into full-fledged torment. understanding that he has indirectly caused the end of an innocent life. Monte Cristo no longer feels that his actions are in total alignment with God's will. having buoyed himself all along with the belief that his mission is ordained by God. This blow to his confidence is enormous. some versions of the novel include a scene in which Monte Cristo returns to the chÂteau d'if. Looking for a sign that his mission of vengeance was justified. he finds this sign in the form of the Abbe Faria's manuscript. Which begins with the biblical quote "thou shalt tear out the teeth of the dragon and trample the lion's underfoot. Thus saith the lord." with this scene omitted. The justification for Monte Cristo's mission is never confirmed. Leaving Monte Cristo hovering in doubt as to the morality of his mission.the last act Monte Cristo makes before plunging headlong into doubt is his attempt to revive edouard using his elixir. this potion. With its seemingly magical ability to heal. Is a symbol for Monte Cristo's hubris -- his prideful belief that he. Like his elixir. Is capable of any feat. his hubris reaches its height in this scene, Culminating in the assertion that his elixir actually gives him the power to bring a boy back to life. of course. Monte Cristo is incapable of granting life, And his seemingly unassailable confidence in himself and his elixir is finally shaken.Monte Cristo's final conversation with Mercedes pits his active approach to life against her passive resignation, And the former clearly emerges victorious. when Mercedes declares that she has "become passive in the hands of the almighty," Monte Cristo counters that God does not approve of such resignation. free will. Monte Cristo contends. Is the thing that makes one human. only by exercising one's will, Asserting one's individual desires against the opposing forces of the world, Can one please God. this conversation is tinged with a slightly accusatory undertone. Since it is Mercedes' passive resignation that led her to marry fernand mondego against her own better judgment and her own desires. lacking the courage to resist. She resigned herself to the fate she saw spread out before her rather than struggle for what she really wanted and knew was right. in her passivity. Mercedes stands in stark contrast to Monte Cristo, Eugenie danglars, And her own son, Albert, All of whom try to take an individual stand against fate rather than passively resign themselves to what the world offers them.it is worth noting that the two most passive characters in the novel. Mercedes and valentine, Are portrayed as models of femininity. While the proactive characters are primarily men. the only proactive female character is the excessively masculine eugenie. Who can be interpreted as a cross-dressing lesbian. dumas suggests that passiveness is a female trait. Noting that valentine "could not understand that vigorous nature [of eugenie's] which appeared to have none of the timidities of woman." given that dumas portrays an active stand against destiny as far superior to passive resignation -- and his further implication that passive resignation. The cause of Mercedes' downfall. Is even sinful -- we can argue that dumas is not overly generous to his female characters.suicide, A common motif of the novel as well as of romantic literature in general. Is presented as an obvious response to abandonment by a beloved. even before valentine falls ill. Maximilian has prepared to take his own life in the event that she ever marries franz d'epinay. as we see in the last chapter of the novel. Haydee proves her sincere affection for Monte Cristo by declaring that she will take her life if he leaves her. yet the act of suicide -- the most dramatic means of giving up the fight against fate -- seems to fly in the face of Monte Cristo's stance against passive resignation. maximilian provides a possible insight into this seeming inconsistency, As he explains that he wants to take his own life because "all [his] hopes are blighted." Monte Cristo considers hope the only thing that makes life worth living; thus. It is plausible that his ultimate judgment on suicide would be that once all hope is gone -- as some people think it is when they lose their beloved -- suicide may be reasonable, As there is nothing left for which to fight.danglars travels to italy and presents Monte Cristo's receipt for five million francs to the firm of thomas and french. he plans to use this money to resettle in vienna rather than reimburse any of his creditors. peppino. Now one of LuigiVampa's bandits. Has been tipped off about the huge sum that danglars is about to withdraw and follows danglars to thomson and french.the next day. Vampa's bandits ambush danglars as he rides from rome to venice. danglars is presented to Vampa. Who is busy reading plutarch. Vampa places danglars in a cell, Comfortably made up with a bed. danglars decides that the bandits would have killed him already if that had been their intent. So he concludes that he will most likely be held for ransom. as danglars cannot imagine that the bandits would hold him for a sum anywhere near five million francs. He feels sure that all will work out well and goes to sleep contented.the next day, Danglars is left alone in his cell and becomes extremely hungry. in response to his request for food. He is told that he can order any meal he wants, But that he must pay a ridiculously high price for it—one hundred thousand francs for any item. reluctant but half-starved. He buys a chicken.the next day danglars asks to see Vampa. Vampa tells danglars that he is keeping him captive under someone else's orders and. Therefore, Can do nothing to alter the food situation. after twelve days, Danglars has used up all but fifty thousand of his francs buying food and drinks. he decides that he will save this last bit of money at any cost, And for days he eats nothing.finally, Danglars cries out for mercy, Feeling he can take the hunger no more. a strangely familiar voice asks him if he repents his evil ways, And he swears that he does. Monte Cristo steps into the light and tells danglars that he is forgiven. he reveals his true identity and then tells danglars that he is free to go. dumped by the side of the road, Danglars draws himself to a brook in order to drink and notices that his hair has gone white from terror.on the day that maximilian's one month expires. He meets Monte Cristo on the island of Monte Cristo and proves himself still eager to die. Monte Cristo leads maximilian into the exquisite palace carved into the rocks. Which is filled with every earthly delight. Monte Cristo tests maximilian's resolve, Attempting to determine whether his unhappiness is absolute and his devotion to valentine limitless. Monte Cristo even offers maximilian his entire fortune if he chooses life instead of death. maximilian refuses the offer. Wanting only release from the pain of lost love. pretending to relent to maximilian's wishes. Monte Cristo hands the young man a green liquid. Which maximilian assumes is poison. maximilian drinks it down and falls into a deep sleep.valentine then comes running out. Monte Cristo tells her that she must never leave maximilian's side. Since he has been willing to die in order to be reunited with her. in return for bringing the two of them together. Monte Cristo asks valentine to look after Haydee, As she will now be alone in the world. Haydee then appears and asks what Monte Cristo means. he explains that he is going to restore her to her position as a princess, And orders her to forget him and be happy. Haydee says that she would die if she had to leave him. Monte Cristo embraces her ecstatically, Finally allowing himself to believe that he can be happy in love. he says he had intended to do penance by denying himself Haydee's company, But claims that this gift must be a sign that God has forgiven him. Monte Cristo and Haydee withdraw. maximilian wakes up and finds valentine waiting for him.the next morning. Maximilian finds a letter left by Monte Cristo. Who has already departed with Haydee. the letter instructs maximilian and valentine to sail to leghorn. Where noirtier is waiting to lead valentine to the altar. Monte Cristo has given the young couple all of his property in france, As well as his holdings on Monte Cristo, As a wedding present. finally. The letter explains why Monte Cristo treated maximilian as he did. there is no such thing as happiness or unhappiness in the world. He explains, But only the comparison of one state with another. therefore. In order to know how good life truly is. One must. Like maximilian. Have once wished for death. Monte Cristo's final words are that all human wisdom is contained in two words: wait and hope.analysis: chapters 114-117Monte Cristo's timely pardon of danglars. Just before he starves to death, Can be seen as an indication that Monte Cristo has finally recognized his limits as an agent of providence. realizing that he is not a substitute for God on earth. Monte Cristo appears to have decided that it is not his right to take away another man's life or sanity. Neither of which can ever be regained. though danglars is left impoverished. He still has his life and his sanity. Unlike fernand and villefort. this punishment is the least severe of the three, As it is possible to enjoy life without wealth and also possible to gain one's wealth back. in addition, By allowing danglars to remain alive and sane. Monte Cristo is giving his enemy the chance to repent and be forgiven by God, An opportunity he does not give villefort or fernand. however. It could be argued that Monte Cristo has been planning to spare danglars' life all along: although danglars' punishment is less severe than those of fernand and villefort. It nonetheless perfectly fits his sins of greed.regardless of whether each punishment is precisely what Monte Cristo has intended, Each is a perfect match for the nature of the crime it is intended to punish. danglars betrays Dantes out of pure greed. Motivated by his desire for the lucrative position as captain of the pharaon. in the years succeeding Dantes' imprisonment, Danglars continues to live a life guided by such avarice. money is the sole object of his desire and the cause of all his misdeeds, And so it is money of which he is ultimately deprived. villefort. On the other hand. Sentences Dantes to a life in prison because of his raw ambition and his mercilessness. So Monte Cristo leaves him without the coldly rational mind that earlier allows him to impose the law so brutally. fernand, Conversely. Wants to ruin Dantes in order to win Mercedes for himself, And he is punished with the loss of the love and respect of his family. Without which fernand sees no reason to live and thus kills himself. whether intended or coincidental. The perfect fit between crime and punishment in each case emphasizes how close Dantes comes to approximating providence.Dantes has barely seemed human ever since his discovery of the treasure on Monte Cristo and his embarkation on his voyage of revenge. he has taken no joy in life, And his emotions have been limited to gratitude and vengeful hatred. with Haydee's unexpected avowal of her love. However. Monte Cristo suddenly sees his chance to reenter the human world. overcome with emotion. He tells Haydee, "through you I again connect myself with life. Through you I shall suffer. Through you rejoice." we see clearly that Monte Cristo's ability to reconnect with life requires that he feel love once again. with his father and Abbe Faria dead and Mercedes married to another man. Monte Cristo has lived without love for years. he has felt affection for Morrel. Maximilian, And Julie, But these feelings are more fondness and respect than any deep. Meaningful connection. without love, And thus without an intimate connection to any human being. Monte Cristo has been disconnected from humanity. now. With his love for Haydee requited. He can regain his full humanity and learn to "suffer" and "rejoice" again.we may interpret Monte Cristo's final words about waiting and hoping as his final renunciation of his revenge project, An acknowledgment that only God can act with the authority of providence. Leaving human beings to wait and hope that God ultimately punishes the evil and rewards the good. these words. However, Do not indicate that Monte Cristo is abandoning his strong belief in the right to try to shape one's own destiny, But merely that he is giving up the belief that one has the right to step in for God and irrevocably shape the destiny of others. 85177