The Count of Monte Cristo short summary & analysis

The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

The Count of Monte Cristo Analysis

The Count of Monte Cristo is the work of French writer Alexandre Dumas and it was first published in 1844. The novel which attracted great attention during the years when it was released has been considered nowadays as a bygone classic. The work, which has a tremendous construction and written using an extremely fluent tongue, has been subject to many adaptations including movies, serials and cartoon movies. For me, too, it has become a book that I read with pleasure, always wondering the next page. I also have to point out that ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ is one of the most gripping and the best classics I have ever read. This book, written many years ago, takes the reader virtually to the period in which it was written. I think it is a book which must be read by those who like reading novels. I also recommend our readers to read the other books of the writer such as The Three Musketeers, The Black Tulip and The Man in the Iron Mask.

The Count of Monte Cristo Short Summary

The Count of Monte Cristo starts with the return of Edmond Dantes, who is a sailor from Marseilles, from an expedition. This expedition was both very difficult for Edmond and it ended in a way that its results made him happy. Because, the captain of the ship on which he was working became ill during this expedition and died; but, before he died, he had stated in his will that Edmond would take his place if he died. The ship accountant, Danglars, who is jealous of Edmond as he became the new captain, is the only person on the ship who envies his happiness. The rest of the crew love Edmond very much and nobody questioned why he became the new captain.

When Edmond returns to his town, he sees that his aged father and his fiancée, Mercedes, have been waiting for him with great longing. But his father is quite in a weary state and he is ill. According to the information he got from his father, Edmond learns that, after his departure, their neighbor Kadrus wants from his father the money he lent; when the proud father Dantes pays his debt using the greater amount of the money his son left him, this leads him to starvation some time later. Mercedes comes to visit him every day, but his pride keeps this old father, Dantes, from asking for help from his prospective daughter-in-law. After fulfilling his longing with his father, Edmond runs towards his fiancée’s house. He learns there that Mercedes’ parents died some time ago. Her only relative is Fernand, her uncle’s son. Fernand falls in love with Mercedes and, even though he tries to convince her to marry him, Mercedes does not, even for a moment, think of deceiving him or breaking up with him. When Edmond gets in Mercedes’ house excitedly, Edmond is there, too. After hugging Mercedes, he puts his hand out to shake hands with Edmond, but he does not get a positive response. Fernand throws himself out of the house furiously. Meanwhile, two scoundrels, Danglar and Kadrus, who were met by fate, have been sitting together in a coffeehouse just ahead. What unites them is their jealousy and hatred for Edmond. Kadrus followed Edmond on his way to his fiancée’s house; on the way, he met Danglars, who hated Edmond and was jealous of him. They know that Fernand hates him, too. That’s why, starting from this point, they all want to bring him to an end. They, three of them, drink together until the evening, and encourage each other’s anger. Kadrus, who finds free alcoholic drink, gets drunk, but Danglars and Fernand have enough consciousness to set a trap for Edmond. Danglars affects Fernand and gets him to write a letter of denunciation. According to this letter, Edmond Dantes is a traitor. This letter, written with jealousy and hatred, will shake Dantes’ life.

Comments