The Count of Monte Cristo Summary

The Count of Monte Cristo Summary

How It All Goes Down

Edmond Dantès is the apple of this novel's eye. We will follow him over the course of twenty-three years and 117 chapters (yikes). During this time he will pretend to be a number of different people, including Sinbad the Sailor, Lord Wilmore, Abbé Faria, and the Count of Monte Cristo.

Edmond returns from a long journey at sea. The captain of his ship, the Pharaon, has died along the way, and Edmond has successfully lead the crew and the cargo home to Marseilles, France. The ship's owner, Monsieur Morrel, is extremely happy about this. Edmond gets a promotion. He is super-excited to marry the love of his life, a local lady named Mercédès. Everything seems to be going so well.

Unfortunately, there are two men who are severely jealous of Edmond: Danglars, the ship accountant, resents Edmond for his success and his promotion, and Fernand Mondego, a local fisherman, is in love with Mercédès. Danglars decides that they will frame Edmond for treason, telling authorities that Edmond is in possession of an incriminating letter that will prove that he is a supporter of Napoleon. Napoleon is the French Emperor who has recently been stripped of his power and exiled to the island of Elba (check out our "Setting" section for the dirt on Napoleon). Danglars knows that, on their way back to Marseilles, Edmond carried out the dying wish of their ship's captain: he agreed to deliver a package to a close friend of the captain's, and he was given a letter from the island of Elba to deliver to someone in Paris. Edmond doesn't know what either the package or the letter contains.

When Danglars and Fernand falsely accuse Edmond of treason, the authorities capture Edmond, taking him away from his wedding. Edmond then meets Monsieur Villefort, who is kind of like an assistant district attorney, and Monsieur Villefort takes a look at the so-called incriminating letter from Edmond's former ship captain. Monsieur Villefort's eyes get really big, and the next thing we know Edmond is thrown into the Chateau d'If for life. Chateau d'If is a prison on an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It turns out that the letter was written by someone close to Napoleon and was addressed to Monsieur Villefort's father. And so Monsieur Villefort destroys the letter and has its messenger locked up in order to protect his father.

Edmond spends fourteen years in prison. During that time, he almost goes crazy and nearly gives up on life. But then he meets a wealthy Italian prisoner (a priest) called Abbé Faria. The Abbé educates Edmond about all kinds of things, and the two figure out a way to dig an escape route out of the prison. They have big plans, but, at the last minute, the Abbé becomes very sick and dies. The Abbé leaves Edmond directions to a buried treasure on the island of Monte Cristo.

Edmond escapes Chateau d'If by pretending to be the dead Abbé. He swims to safety on a ship, and he eventually finds his way to the island of Monte Cristo, where he finds riches beyond his wildest dreams. With this newfound treasure, Edmond reinvents himself as the Count of Monte Cristo, traveling all over the world buying beautiful things. He begins to hatch an elaborate plot to take revenge on Danglars, Fernand, and Monsieur Villefort.

Eventually, the Count finds himself in Paris where Danglars, Fernand, and Villefort have all settled. Each of them is very wealthy, successful, and married with children. Fernand has married Mercédès. The Count is an instant hit with these social-climbing families. He's mysterious, sophisticated, wise, and elegant – everyone wants to be his best friend. The Count's intricate revenge plot gains momentum in Paris and around Paris where he gradually ruins the lives of each of his enemies.

The Count gives his home on the island of Monte Cristo and his land in France to Maximillian Morrel (the son of Monsieur Morrel), and Max's sweetheart, Valentine Villefort (Villefort's daughter). The Count leaves the island of Monte Cristo and his revenge-loving life behind, choosing to seek a new existence with his new love, Haydée, a former Greek slave. The Count rides off into the sunset.

The Count of Monte Cristo Chapter 1 Summary

Marseille – Arrival

On February 24, 1815, a three-masted boat, the Pharaon, arrives in the harbor of Marseille,

France.

A group of onlookers gathers; they can see that the boat is moving slowly, almost mournfully.

They wonder if something has happened onboard.

Still, the boat's clearly being handled with care; a young man can be seen standing beside

the harbor pilot, who has just come aboard to safely guide the boat into port, keeping a

lookout and making sure the crew is doing everything they're told.

One of the spectators jumps into a small boat, and has himself rowed toward the Pharaon.

We get our first glimpse of the young sailor when he comes to greet the man in the boat.

He's young – just barely out of his teens, if that – tall, slim, and handsome, with dark eyes

and dark hair. Oh, and he's calm and collected and pretty much as cool as can be.

The man in the boat calls out to him, calls him Dantès – Edmond Dantès to be more specific,

although he's one of those guys who's known mostly by his last name; he wants to know

what's happened onboard.

Dantès tells the man, Monsieur Morrel, that the ship's captain, Captain Leclère, came down

with an "apoplectic fever" and died. Morrel is sad to hear this, but he's also visibly relieved to

find out that the cargo's safe. He is a businessman after all.

Dantès goes on to explain that the captain came down with a fever soon after the ship left

Naples and was dead within twenty-four hours. He was given a burial at sea, and his most

prized possessions – his medal and sword from his time in the Napoleonic army – have been

brought back for his widow. (More on this Napoleon stuff in a little bit.)

When Morrel again asks if the cargo is all accounted for, Dantès takes him aboard to see the

supercargo – think of him as the ship's accountant – Danglars, a solemn-looking dude in his

mid-twenties who nobody on the crew particularly likes.

Danglars tells Morrel that, just after the captain's death, Dantès made an unscheduled stop

at the island of Elba and wasted a day and a half; as far as he's concerned, Dantès just

made the stop on a lark. Danglars is jealous of Dantès, jealous that he, so young, will

probably be promoted from first mate to captain, and he makes his jealousy known.

Morrel calls Edmond over and asks him for an explanation.

Dantès tells Morrel that he was carrying out the wishes of Captain Leclère. Leclère, it seems

had asked him to deliver a package to Marshal Bertrand, one of Napoleon's Marshals –

"Marshal" being the highest possible rank in the Napoleonic army. (Now, you can read more

about Napoleon in the "Setting" section, but the whole situation deserves a little more

explanation. As of February 24, 1815, Napoleon and other high-ranking officials from his

army had been exiled on the island of Elba, a short distance off the coast of Tuscany, for a

little over a year.)

Morrel asks Dantès if he saw the "Grand Marshal," Napoleon. Dantès replies that, in fact,

Napoleon spoke tohim, asking questions about the ship, its schedule, etc. Napoleon even

seems to remember the Morrel family; it seems Policar, Morrel's Uncle, once served

alongside Napoleon.

Morrel is overjoyed to hear this, but he takes care to warn Dantès. You did the right thing

delivering the message to Elba, he says, but don't let anybody know you did so.

Dantès doesn't understand Morrel's warning, and he's soon back to work on the ship.

Danglars asks Morrel if Dantès had a good explanation; Morrel tells him that yes, he did.

Danglars, still clearly a little angry, lets it slip that Dantès is in possession of another letter,

one that he just happened to see Captain Leclère give to Edmond as he was passing by the

dying captain's cabin.

Danglars tells him that he must have been wrong, and he leaves just as Dantès comes back

to Morrel.

With everything now taken care of, Morrel invites Dantès to dinner.

Dantès declines, telling him that he must go see his father. Morrel allows him to do so, but

insists that he come visit after he has finished with his father, until he remembers that

Edmond has another person to visit: his fiancée Mercédès.

Morrel gives Dantès permission to go, then stops him. He asks if he received any kind of

letter from Captain Leclère.

Dantès tells him no, then asks him a question of his own. He requests a fortnight's leave in

order that he might get married, then go to Paris.

Morrel tells Dantès that he can take as much time as he wants, provided he's back in three

months to guide the Pharaon on its next voyage. He then asks Edmond one final question:

Were you happy with Danglars?

Edmond tells him that the two do not get along very well. At one point during the voyage they

had some kind of dispute, and Dantès suggested they stop on the island of Monte Cristo to

"settle" it – that is, duel – but he admits that he was wrong to do so. Other than that, he says,

Danglars was a fine supercargo. In short, he says, if you wanted to keep Danglars as

supercargo, I would trust in your decision.

With that, Edmond is off to Marseilles.


Father and Son

Dantès bounds up the stairs and into his father's apartment.

He's in the middle of telling him all the news – how the captain died, how he's going to be the

new captain and make lots more money, how life's going to be a lot more comfortable from

now on – when he notices that his dad is looking worn out.

Dantès looks around, realizing only then that the apartment is bare – there's not even

anything to eat or drink.

Turns out dear old Dad used most of his 200 franc allowance from Edmond to pay back a

debt to Caderousse, their neighbor; he's spent the last three months living on next to

nothing.

Dantès is heartbroken – he hates to see his father suffer, and he's in the middle of explaining

this to his dad when who should appear but Caderousse.

Caderousse and Dantès exchange some less than pleasant pleasantries; Caderousse is

particularly excited when he sees some coins (a portion of Dantès' pay) dumped out on the

table.

Dantès reveals that Morrel has invited him to dinner. His father is disappointed to hear that

Edmond has turned down the offer, but he understands better when he mentions a certain

Mercédès. He sends his son off to see her.

Before he can go, however, Caderousse warns Dantès that a girl like Mercédès will attract

many followers; Dantès doesn't really pay attention to this.

Outside the apartment, Caderousse meets up with Danglars and tells him what he's learned

upstairs; he also tells him that he's seen Mercédès hanging around with one particularly big

Catalan dude.

Danglars thinks about this for a bit – no doubt rubbing his hands together and grinning

menacingly – before suggesting that he and Caderousse go hang out at a tavern down by

Mercédès' place, you know, to see how the big reunion goes.


Les Catalans

Over in the area of Marseille known as Les Catalans – which, oddly enough, is where a lot of

people of Catalonian/Spanish descent live – inside a modest little shack, an uncomfortable

scene is unfolding.

A beautiful, dark-haired girl is arguing with a big, swarthy man. He wants her to marry him;

she just wants to be friends. In any case, Fernand has to ship out to war soon. The girl is

named Mercédès. The dude is named Fernand.

Mercédès is waiting for her true love, Edmond, to show up, and no matter how much

Fernand tries to convince her that Edmond is not, in fact, coming, she won't budge.

Edmond shows up right on cue. He and Mercédès embrace. Fernand looks totally pale and

angry.

Mercédès tries to explain that Fernand is like a brother to her, but Edmond isn't having it. He

knows that Fernand is jealous and angry and a potential rival.

The two dudes shake hands…then Fernand runs from the house like a madman, screaming.

On his way out he runs past Caderousse and Danglars, who invite him to have a drink.

Caderousse and Danglars tease Fernand mercilessly, nearly driving him mad for the second

time. He gets especially angry when Edmond and Mercédès walk by the table acting all

lovey-dovey.

Edmond lets them know that the wedding will be taking place in a day or two, and that,

immediately afterwards, he'll be making a trip to Paris on behalf of the dead captain.


The Plot

Once Edmond leaves, the conversation continues.

Fernand says that he would have killed Edmond on the spot if Mercédès hadn't threatened to

kill herself in retaliation.

Danglars, who doesn't give a darn about Mercédès, wishes Fernand had just gotten it over

with so that he, Danglars, could become captain. He decides something needs to be done in

any case.

After getting Caderousse totally wasted (they don't want him interfering with their plan),

Fernand and Danglars quickly get down to business and try to figure out a way to ruin

Edmond's life. Caderousse warns them that Edmond will find some way to take revenge if

that ever happens, but they ignore him.

Danglars quickly thinks up and executes a plan. He writes a letter (using his left hand, in

order to disguise his handwriting) denouncing Edmond:

The crown prosecutor is advised, by a friend of the monarchy and the faith, that one Edmond

Dantès, first mate of the Pharaon, arriving this morning from Smyrna after putting in at

Naples and Porto Ferrajo, was entrusted by Murat with a letter for the usurper and by the

usurper with a letter to the Bonapartist committee in Paris.

Proof of his guilt will be found when he is arrested, since the letter will be discovered either

on his person, or at the house of his father, or in his cabin on board the Pharaon.

Danglars crumples up the letter and throws it into a corner – he wants to convince

Caderousse that it's all a joke. Danglars then takes the drunken Caderousse and hurries him

off toward Marseille.

Fernand grabs the paper and hustles down a side street, intent on delivering the

denunciation.


The Betrothal

Wedding time! We're back at the same inn where Danglars and Fernand hatched their plan,

though this time things are going down in a big banquet room upstairs.

A big crowd of Edmond's friends is there, including a bunch of sailors from the Pharaon,

Danglars, Caderousse, and even M. Morrel.

When everyone arrives, Danglars and Caderousse are sent out to find Edmond, Mercédès,

and Edmond's father. They're all looking great. A particularly grumpy looking Fernand is also

there, accompanying Mercédès. He's looking significantly less great.

Edmond is so overwhelmed by the awesomeness of the day that he can't help but think he's

a little too lucky. Everyone tells him to stop worrying.

Now, Edmond lets everyone in on a little secret: he and Mercédès are getting married in half

an hour thanks to a little monetary help from M. Morrel (a marriage license ain't free, after

all). Everyone gasps, but Danglars and Fernand are totally shocked.

Danglars can't believe it's all been arranged…but it has, and Edmond and Mercédès quickly

set off for the Town Hall; Edmond has no time to lose, as he's supposed to leave for Paris

the next day.

Just as the happy couple are saying their goodbyes, the cops come through the door;

they've got a warrant for Edmond's arrest.

Everyone is shocked, again.

Edmond asks why he's being taken in, but the cops don't even know.

When the elder Dantès begs and pleads with the police commissioner, he's told it's probably

not even that big a deal.

Meanwhile, Caderousse realizes that this might have something to do with Fernand and

Danglars's "joke." Danglars tells him to shut up.

Edmond stays calm and tells everyone he'll be all right. The cops take him down to a

carriage and they head toward Marseille. Edmond can hear Mercédès call his name as he

rides off, and he gives her a last goodbye.

Caderousse suspects that Fernand is responsible for the scene, and he tells Danglars as

much. Danglars tells him to shut up again.

Danglars himself tells everyone that he's probably just been taken in because of some

smuggled goods.

Morrel, who had accompanied Edmond down into Marseille, comes back with some bad

news. Edmond, he tells the group, has been accused of being a Bonapartist.

Now Caderousse is really suspicious; Danglars threatens him once again, and Caderousse

finally decides that it's in his best interests to keep his mouth shut.

After the party disperses, Morrel has a brief discussion with Danglars. Danglars assures

Morrel that he told no one about Edmond's visit to Elba; he also assures him that he can and

will take command of the ship when the time comes.

After Morrel takes his leave, Caderousse and Danglars are once again left alone. Danglars

reassures Caderousse that they are not responsible for what's happened; if anything,

Fernand is guilty, and that they needn't worry about being implicated. As far as he's

concerned, everything is going according to plan.


The Deputy Crown Prosecutor

As it happens, there's a very different kind of betrothal feast going down on the other side of

town.

Monsieur de Villefort, Marseille's Deputy Crown Prosecutor – think of him as an assistant

district attorney – is getting married to the very wealthy, very aristocratic Mademoiselle de

Saint-Méran. The mademoiselle's parents, persecuted under the rule of Bonaparte, are, shall

we say, quite happy to have the monarchy restored, and a lot of the conversation at the party

revolves around Napoleon and the tumultuous politics of the time.

De Villefort is the life of the party, verbally jousting with the fiery, feisty Madame de Saint

Méran. It comes out that de Villefort's father was a Girondin during the Revolution – which is

to say, he was a radical, a revolutionary – but the Saint Mérans haven't blamed him for the

"sins" of his father.

Mademoiselle de Saint-Méran asks them all to move on from the touchy subject of her

fiancée's past, and they do. Instead, they discuss the imminent removal of Napoléon from

Elba to the far more distant St. Helena – a tiny little island thousands of miles from France.

They get to talking to about de Villefort's job as a prosecutor. He assures them that it's

serious business, a matter of life and death; his work is a kind of duel against the defendant,

and his words are his weapons.

At some point the Comte de Salvieux interjects that the King himself has approved of the

match between de Villefort and Mademoiselle de Saint-Méran. Villefort is, of course,

flattered.

Just then, de Villefort is interrupted by a messenger. He returns to the room quickly bearing a

letter – the denunciation of Edmond written by Danglars and delivered by Fernand. Since the

Crown Prosecutor is out of town, de Villefort is obliged to deal with the case.

He gives his fiancée a loving look, then takes his leave


The Interrogation

After leaving the room, de Villefort puts on his game face, filled with love for his fiancée and

the knowledge of his good fortune.

After receiving a brief from the police commissioner, de Villefort heads down to his office. He

is quickly intercepted by M. Morrel.

Morrel assures M. de Villefort that Edmond is innocent and honest, but de Villefort isn't so

easily convinced.

De Villefort suspects Morrel of harboring pro-Napoleon sentiments, and he lets Morrel know,

indirectly, that he should be careful about what he says, before reassuring him that he will do

his best to make sure that justice is carried out.

Villefort makes his way to his office, past a group of policeman and Edmond. Once settled,

he calls for Edmond to be brought in.

Villefort goes through the usual formalities, asking Edmond his name and age, but he is

touched when he hears that Edmond, like himself, was interrupted on the day of his betrothal

feast.

As Edmond goes on about his personal history – nothing we haven't heard before – Villefort

is struck by the kindness and innocence in Edmond's voice and look.

Villefort asks Edmond if he has made any enemies; Edmond is surprised. I'm too young, he

says, and too innocent to have made enemies. Villefort suggests that all his good fortune

may have created some jealousy, but Edmond can't imagine that anyone would do him

harm.

Villefort takes out the denouncement, hands it to Edmond, and asks if he recognizes the

handwriting. Edmond does not.

At this point, Edmond takes a moment to thank Villefort – he can see, he thinks, that the

prosecutor is a kind, honest man.

At this point, Edmond tells Villefort the story – the whole story, everything from his visit to

Elba and the letter from Captain Leclère, of his arrival in Marseille, up to his arrest during the

betrothal feast.

Satisfied with Edmond's explanation – if anything, Villefort says, he's guilty of following his

Captain's orders and nothing more – the prosecutor asks for Leclère's letter.

Edmond tells him that it's probably in the packet of letters in front of him.

Villefort asks Edmond to tell him the name of the person the letter was addressed to.

Monsieur Noirtier, Rue Coq-Héron, number 13, Edmond says. Villefort is dumbstruck.

Villefort makes Edmond promise that he's shown the letter or mentioned the address to no

one. He rifles through the papers, finds the letter, and reads it. This only makes him feel

worse.

Edmond asks if everything is OK; Villefort tells him to shut up. After making Edmond promise

a second and third time that he has not read the letter or shown it to anyone else, he tells

him that he, Villefort, can no longer set him free.

Villefort goes on to tell him that the main charge against Edmond hinges upon the existence

of the letter – which he quickly tears up and burns in the fire. Edmond takes this to mean that

Villefort is his ally, but Villefort is really just covering his own you-know-what.

Deny the existence of the letter, Villefort tells Edmond one last time, and you'll be fine. He

calls in the police commissioner and has Edmond taken away.

With Edmond gone, Villefort thanks his lucky stars that he was able to intercept the letter.

Suddenly, he has an epiphany. The very thing that could have been his undoing, he realizes,

could prove my lucky break.


The Chateau d'If

Edmond is quickly moved from Villefort's chambers into a small, clean jail cell.

After waiting around for a few hours, Edmond is paid a visit by a couple of soldiers. He's

taken to a waiting carriage with barred windows. After a short ride, he's let out at a military

encampment, led down to the beach, and put into a small boat, along with four soldiers.

He asks the soldiers to tell him where he's being taken, but they won't tell him. Still

convinced that Villefort is on his side, he makes no attempt to resist…until the soldiers unfurl

the sail, and the boat heads out toward the open sea.

At this point, he demands, again, to know where he's headed. The soldier tells him it should

be obvious to him at this point…and it is. Up ahead, the Chateau d'If, the huge island

fortress/prison – think Alcatraz – looms in the distance.

Now Edmond tries to make an escape, but the soldiers stop him from jumping overboard. He

stops resisting, and, soon enough, they arrive at their destination. The soldiers bring him

inside, to another temporary cell – this one much darker and dirtier than the one he'd been in

before. His jailer leaves him some bread and water, then closes the door behind him.

Edmond is left alone in the darkness. The dawn comes, and the jailer has still not received

orders, not that it makes a difference to Edmond – he's spent the night in a sleepless stupor.

Edmond demands to see the jail's governor, but when his request is denied he bursts into

tears. If only I had tried to escape, he thinks, he could have lived a happy life. Instead, now,

he would go mad in prison.

When the jailer returns the next day, Edmond is still agitated; he only wants to see the

governor, nothing more – not even food or water. The jailer warns Edmond that this kind of

obsession will drive him mad – he tells him of another prisoner, an abbé who was driven mad

in that way – but Edmond doesn't listen.

Edmond threatens to kill the jailer, swinging his stool around menacingly. The jailer

immediately goes and gets a bunch of soldiers and tells them to take Edmond down to the

dungeons.

Edmond does not resist as they take him down; he is, indeed, very close to madness.


The Evening of the Betrayal

That same evening, Villefort makes his way back to the Saint-Méran house. He lets

everyone know that he must take his leave, and asks for a moment in private with the

Marquis.

He tells Mademoiselle de Saint-Méran that he must leave for a few days.

After moving to the Marquis' private study, Villefort tells his future father-in-law that he should

sell any government stock he has, and requests that he procure a letter that will allow him an

audience to the King. He makes it clear that he – and he alone – should be seen as the

bearer of the news he has. If all goes to plan, he tells to Marquis, my career will be secure.

With that, Villefort takes his leave and heads outside to catch his ride to Paris. This time he's

intercepted by Mercédès, who demands to know where Edmond's been taken.

Though he feels bad for her, all he can manage to say to Mercédès is "no comment." He

makes one last stop at M. Saint-Méran's – it's not clear, but it seems that he and his wife

maintain two residences – where he says his goodbyes to the Marquise and his fiancée.

Meanwhile, Mercédès returns to her home, followed by Fernand, who spends the evening

watching her while she sleeps. (Creepy, no?)

M. Morrel won't stop trying to help Edmond. He does his best to find information about his

friend, but soon he realizes that there's not much he can do.

Caderousse gets wasted.

Danglars sleeps like a baby.

Villefort, after obtaining the necessary letter, kisses everyone goodbye and heads off.

Old Dantès is already dying with grief.

And, well, Edmond's still in prison.


The Little Cabinet in the Tuileries

Over in Paris, the King and his advisors are chilling at the Palais des Tuileries.

King Louis XVIII is doing his best to ignore one of his ministers and read some Horace;

despite being the king, he's not really into politics.

The Duke of Blacas is attempting to warn the king that there's some trouble brewing in

southern France – that's in the direction of Marseille; Bonaparte, or at least his followers,

may be getting up to no good. In fact, he tells the king, there's a visitor from the South

carrying with him some very bad news.

After a brief argument between Blacas and the Minister of Police, the king finally allows

Villefort – whose name Louis XVIII actually remembers – to enter the room.

Villefort informs the king and his ministers that he has it on good authority that Napoleon has

left Elba – and may already be in France.

When the king asks him where he got his information, he says it came from "an

interrogation," and that the man he interrogated has been put into prison.

The king does not seem particularly fazed by Villefort's information – but then the Minister of

Police enters the room, looking shaken.


The Corsican Ogre

As you might expect, the Minister of Police has some bad news: Napoleon landed in France

two days earlier, and is most likely making his way toward Paris.

Convinced that the threat is real, the king thanks Villefort, and asks him for more advice.

Villefort tells him that they could raise support against Napoleon in Provence and

Languedoc, but that in some areas the people will almost certainly join up with the former

emperor.

At this point the King is pretty mad at his Minister of Police. He can't believe that all of his

government agents have been scooped by a deputy crown prosecutor.

Villefort is careful not to overplay his hand, though: he's still scared that the conspiracy might

be traced back to his father.

Conveniently enough, Blacas brings up another matter with King, "the matter of the Rue

Saint-Jacques!" Villefort nearly jumps out of his chair, but somehow manages to keep his

cool.

The death of a certain General Quesnel – who was seen visiting the Rue Saint-Jacques –

seems to have been less than accidental. They've even got a description of a potential

murder suspect – one that sounds surprisingly similar…to Villefort's father. (Are you really

that surprised?)

The king makes it very clear that the man in question mustbe found…and then turns to

Villefort: You're staying with your dad, he says, right? (like it's the most natural thing in the

world).

Villefort tells him that he's staying in a hotel.

The king gives Villefort the cross of the Legion of Honour – he unpins it from his own coat, no

less – as a reward, then tells him that he's free to go back to Marseille.

After getting to his hotel and settling down for dinner, when his valet comes in and tells him a

visitor has arrived…a visitor who fits the description of the murder suspect.

Sure enough, Villefort's father has come to pay him a visit.


Father and Son

Once the valet leaves, M. Noirtier locks all the doors in the room.

Villefort asks his father if he knows anything about the Bonapartist club on the Rue Saint-

Jacques; of course, he replies, I'm the vice president.

Villefort and his father discuss the matter of General Quesnel, spending a lot of time

discussing the nature of "murder" in general. Noirtier tells him that the General had been

invited to the club under the assumption he was a Bonaparte sympathizer; still, he swore to

keep the plan secret. He must, Noirtier continue, have taken a wrong turn somewhere and

ended up in the Seine. He assures his son that there's nothing anyone can do to stop

Napoleon, then turns to leave.

Villefort stops him and tells him that the police have a description of the supposed murderer.

With surprising quickness, Noirtier gives himself a shave and dresses himself in his son's

clothing.

Noirtier thanks Villefort for saving his life – he's serious – and promises to return the favor.

He tells his son to give the king the straight dope on what's happening with Napoleon – in the

end, his honesty will help him regain the monarchy's favor, should it be restored. He also

assures him that he, Villefort, will get to keep his job in Marseille.

And then he's gone.

Villefort watches from the windows as he runs from the hotel, then gets to work disposing of

his father's old clothing. Soon enough he's back in Marseille.


The Hundred Days

As it turns out, M. Noirtier isn't far off with his predictions: Napoleon quickly takes control of

the country and Noirtier, who has become a powerful advisor, protects his son.

M. Morrel, now able to come out and support Napoleon, feels emboldened enough to make

a new inquiry regarding Edmond.

He finds himself face to face with Villefort, who has since been promoted to principal – which

is to say, not assistant – magistrate. Villefort plays it cool, pretending to only vaguely recall

the circumstances of Edmond's arrest, despite the fact it all went down only six weeks

earlier.

He tells Morrel that Edmond's arrest turned out to be a very serious matter, and that,

basically, he can't say for sure what happened to Edmond, that he has no records, and that,

even under the new government, things like this take time.

It would be best, he says finally, to send a petition to the Minister of Justice; he even goes so

far as to dictate the letter himself.

Once Morrel leaves, however, he puts it away for safekeeping. It's never sent to Paris.

In the short time Napoleon held the throne, we're told, Morrel tries to get help for Edmond a

couple more times, but was similarly unsuccessful. In the end, nothing changes for Edmond.

Nonetheless, Danglars has a very uncomfortable "hundred days." He fears that, under the

new government, supposed Bonapartists like Edmond will be released, and that Edmond will

take revenge upon him. So he leaves Morrel and heads off to work for a Spanish trader.

Fernand mopes most of the time, occasionally wondering if Edmond will return someday to

kill him. In that event, he decides, he'll just kill Edmond first. Before anything like that can

happen, though, he's pressed into military service.

Mercédès sends him off with some encouraging words; if he survives the war, he thinks, he

might just be able to marry her.

Mercédès is left alone to cry and wait. She contemplates suicide, but her faith prevents her

from killing herself.

Caderousse gets sent into the army like Fernand, but, since he's older than Fernand, he's

only given coastguard duty.

Old Dantès loses all hope when Napoleon takes the throne. Five months after Edmond's

imprisonment, he dies in Mercédès' arms.

M. Morrel is kind enough to pay for his funeral.


The Raving Prisoner and the Mad One

It's a year a later and Louis XVIII is back on the throne.

The Inspector General of Prisons has decided to make a trip down to the Chateau d'If to see

how things are.

Edmond, made hyper-sensitive to noise by his year in prison, knows something's up. The

inspector does his job, asking prisoners if they have any complaints or requests. The food,

they complain, is awful; freedom is their only request.

Though the inspector realizes how silly it is to be doing this kind of thing – he hears the same

thing everywhere – he still takes it upon himself to visit the prison's "special" inmates down in

the dungeons. The governor gets two soldiers to accompany them down – just in case.

The inspector is told that Edmond has been thrown in the dungeon – a place he finds

horribly disgusting – for threatening to kill a porter. Still, despite the smell, and the fact that

Edmond and his fellow prisoner are pretty much insane – he visits them anyway.

Seeing the inspector, Edmond summons up some hidden eloquence and tries to get the

inspector to help him. All he wants, he says, is to know what crime he has committed, and to

be given a fair trial; he even asks forgiveness for threatening the porter.

The inspector is touched by his requests, and he agrees to look at his file once they get

upstairs.

Edmond tells the inspector that Villefort, the prosecutor, was kind to him, and that any notes

that he might have left will prove his innocence.

Before heading upstairs to look at the records, the inspector makes a stop at the other cell.

Inside he finds the Abbé Faria drawing a very precise geometrical pattern on the ground.

Upon hearing the inspector enter, the abbé covers himself up, trying his best to look

presentable.

The inspector asks if he has any requests. He does not. The abbé tells the inspector that

he's been in jail since 1811, that the food is awful, and the lodging despicable. He goes on to

say he has something else very important to tell him.

He proceeds to promise him a huge amount of money – millions of francs – in exchange for

his release. This is exactly the kind of thing that the abbé is known for, and the inspector has

been warned in advance.

The abbé goes on to tell the inspector that he is not mad, that the treasure exists, and that

he knows where, exactly where, it is stashed.

When the inspector will not listen to him, the abbé says good riddance and goes back to his

calculations.

His tour done, the inspector heads back upstairs to check on Edmond's records. There he

finds a short note:

EDMOND DANTÈS:

Fanatical Bonapartist. Played an active role in the return from Elba. To be kept in solitary

confinement, under the closest supervision.

All the inspector can bring himself to do is write "no action" on the file.

The inspector's visit gives Edmond hope, but the longer he waits, the less he believes he

ever even received a visit from the inspector.

A year after the inspector's visit, a new governor is installed in the prison. The governor

cannot even be bothered to learn his prisoners' names. Edmond Dantès becomes Number

34.


Number 34 and 27

As you might expect, the whole rotting in prison thing weighs heavily upon Edmond. He asks

for any and every kind of change: to be thrust deeper into darkness, to be given fresh air and

exercise; he asks for a cellmate, even if he's the crazy abbé. Deprived of real human

contact, he talks to his jailer, despite the fact that his jailer won't talk back.

Eventually, he turns to God, praying fervently and furiously ever day, but his prayers aren't

answered. He becomes obsessed with the idea that his life, so promising, was destroyed by

fate.

He begins to curse his jailer. He throws himself against the walls of his cell.

He decides, at one point, that human hatred, not divine vengeance, must be responsible for

his plight; he decides, too, that proper retribution requires a punishment crueler than death.

His thoughts turn to suicide, and the simple thought that he could end his life, the knowledge

that he retains some power over his fate, eases his pain. He decides there are two ways for

him to go: hanging and starvation.

Four years into his imprisonment, he decides to starve himself. He throws away his food

each day until he becomes so weak that he cannot even summon the strength to do that.

That evening, he hears a strange scratching, unlike the noise of vermin that he has become

accustomed to. He writes it off as a hallucination.

He hears the same noise, louder now, a few hours later. Edmond is intrigued. When the jailer

comes in with his lunch, he makes sure to talk loudly, in order that he might cover up the

noise – he's sure that a fellow prisoner, a fellow human being is responsible for it.

Still, he can't be sure, at least not yet. Driven on by hope, he begins eating again, then sets

about finding a way to test his hypothesis about the noise.

He decides to knock on the wall: if the work resumes quickly thereafter, he'll know it's being

done by a workman; if it ceases until the evening, he'll know it's a prisoner.

The noise does not resume that evening, nor the next day, nor the day after that. It's only

three days later that he hears even the faintest scratching.

Encouraged, he begins to look for some tool he can use to work at the cement between the

stones in the wall.

He decides to break his water pitcher and sharpen the end of its handle into a point. He

works all night, making little progress, but he's happy nonetheless.

The next day, the jailer doesn't seem too concerned about the broken pitcher; he merely

finds Edmond a new one.

Edmond realizes that, had he spent the last few years working like this, he could have been

out, or at least been closer to escaping; though he's disheartened, he doesn't give up, and in

three day's time he's managed to loosen a stone.

Unfortunately, he can't seem to move the stone any further, at least not with his current tools.

To make a long story short, he comes up with a way to get a hold of the metal handle on the

tin soup pot the jailer brings every day.

Using the handle, he's able to dig deeper, but he runs into an obstacle: a large beam in the

wall.

He cries out in despair only to hear a voice from below answer his cry.

The two voices get to talking. Edmond introduces himself and, when asked, describes the

location of his cell.

The other voice/person is distressed. He was under the impression that he'd been digging

toward an exterior wall and would soon open up a tunnel to the sea, from which he could

escape.

The voice then introduces himself as Number 27. He tells Edmond to close up his hole,

conceal everything and wait for his signal.

Edmond, afraid of never hearing from 27 again, pleads with him to return soon.

Number 27, reassured by Edmond's youth, promises to return soon.

After sealing up the hole, Edmond is overcome with joy.

Number 27 calls the next day, soon after the jailer leaves Edmond's cell. They decide that

the coast is clear and, like that, a man, a whole man emerges from the hole.


An Italian Scholar

Edmond hugs his new friend. The man is short, with thick eyebrows and a thick black beard.

His clothes are in tatters. He appears to be around 65 years old.

Before they do anything else, the man sets about cleaning up the cell.

He picks up the stone Edmond removed and asks why it was cut so crudely; he's surprised

that he doesn't have any tools. Edmond is surprised to find that the man does have tools –

and what tools he has: a well-crafted file, chisel, pliers, and level.

He's used the file, he tells Edmond, to dig fifty feet. Still, he's not encouraged by what he

sees in Edmond's cell: his only window looks out over a courtyard patrolled by soldiers; he

fears that all is lost.

Edmond asks Number 27 to introduce himself.

Abbé Faria tells him that he has been imprisoned since 1808 for plotting to unite Italy – the

particulars are insanely complicated, so don't worry about them.

All of Faria's talk of Italy and popes and plots begins to make Edmond think that maybe the

abbé is insane after all. He asks the abbé if he has really, after all this planning, abandoned

the idea of escaping.

The abbé tells Edmond that he simply can't go on – not after reaching what he thought was

the end of his journey, only to find a whole new challenge.

Seeing that the abbé had put his heart into his escape attempt, Edmond is inspired: if this

man, he thinks, could devote himself to such a task, surely I could too.

Edmond has an idea. Why don't they dig another tunnel leading under the path in the

courtyard, kill the guard, and escape from there?

The abbé reminds him that such an act would make him guilty of a crime, whereas now he is

innocent; Edmond can't argue with this reasoning. Why else hadn't he simply killed his jailer?

They must be more patient, he continues, if they want to succeed.

Edmond asks the abbé how he could have waited so long and so patiently. "I wrote or I

studied," he tells Edmond (16.85). Edmond is amazed. Where, he wonders, could you have

gotten pens, paper, and ink?

The abbé tells him that he's made them, and he promises to show them – along with

his Treatise on the Prospects for a General Monarchy in Italy – to Edmond when they visit

the abbé's cell.

The abbé goes on to tell him that he once owned thousands of books, that he speaks five

living languages, and that he is teaching himself modern Greek using his knowledge of

Ancient Greek.

Edmond is eager to see the abbé's work as soon as possible and, so, they leave

immediately for his cell.


The Abbé's Cell

You can think of this chapter as a sort of twisted, nineteenth-century take on MTV Cribs; this

is Abbé Faria's chance to shine, to show off all the cool stuff he's made since he got thrown

in prison. Such cool stuff includes:

An extremely accurate sundial drawn on the wall.

In one secret compartment:

His masterwork (Treatise on the Prospects…)

The pens he used to write his work.

His penknife. (Yes, penknives were actually once used to sharpen the ends of pens.)

His ink.

His lamp, which is fueled by the fat from the meat he is given to eat every day.

His flint, which he uses to light the lamp.

Once Edmond has seen all this, the abbé opens up another secret compartment containing:

25-30 feet of rope ladder, made from bedsheets.

A sewing needle.

Edmond is amazed by all of this; he becomes aware of the depths of his ignorance.

Before he learns anything, however, he wants to tell Faria his life story.

He gets right to the point and starts discussing the circumstances of his arrest almost

immediately.

Faria, like Villefort before him, quickly concludes that there is only one explanation for his

imprisonment: someone was jealous of Edmond and sought to ruin him. "If you wish to find

the guilty party," he says, "first discover whose interests the crime serves! Whose interests

might be served by your disappearance?" (17.57).

Edmond can come up with no answers, and so Faria interrogates him. After much

questioning, Dantès finally sees the light: Danglars and Fernand were behind it! One wanted

his job, the other his lover.

Still, Edmond can't understand why the crown prosecutor, who seemed so kind, didn't help

him. As it happens, Faria remembers the name Noirtier and, despite knowing little more than

Edmond, can make the connection: Noirtier, the former revolutionary, was Villefort's father;

Villefort destroyed the letter to protect himself.

We already know all this, but it's news to Edmond. He runs back to his cell and laments his

terrible fate.

After the jailer makes his dinner rounds, Faria comes back and invites Edmond to dinner.

Being mad – and entertainingly mad at that – Faria receives some special treatment,

including wine for Sunday dinner, so he and Edmond make a good time of their meal.

Faria apologizes to Edmond: he realizes that he's probably planted the desire for revenge in

his heart. Edmond only smiles ominously in return and asks him to change the subject.

And so Faria talks on and on about all sorts of interesting stuff.

When Edmond asks him if he could teach him some of what he knows, the abbé tells him he

could learn it all in only two years' time.

Faria draws up a syllabus that night. Edmond's education begins the next day, and he

proves to be a quick study. He no longer talks of escape, and in a year he finds himself

greatly changed.

The abbé, however, is plagued with bouts of depression.

At one point, the abbé admits that he has become obsessed with the thought of escaping.

Edmond proposes, again, that they could kill the guard and escape, but he'll have nothing of

it.

A few months pass.

The abbé asks Edmond if he's ready to go forward with the escape plan, provided that they

only kill the sentry as a last resort. Edmond says yes.

The abbé takes out a detailed drawing of his escape plans; Edmond is overjoyed.

They spend more than a year working tirelessly on their plan; in fifteen months it's

completed. In that time, Edmond learns to adopt the abbé's aristocratic bearing and

manners.

One night, he hears the abbé cry out. He finds him standing in the middle of his – Edmond's

– cell, pale and scared.

Faria tells Edmond that he is about have a seizure, and that, in order to save him, he must

run and get a bottle of red liquid from one of the secret compartments. When Edmonds

comes back with the bottle, Faria tells him that, once he goes into a fit and then seems to

relax, he – Edmond – must pour eight to ten drops in his mouth.

Edmond does as he's told, and over an hour later the abbé shows signs of life.

Once he recovers, Faria tells Edmond that he must undertake the escape alone, as he will

have another, much stronger fit soon, a fit that will almost certainly kill him. He has been told

as much by the doctor who originally treated him and concocted the potion.

Edmond tells him that he simply will not try to escape without the abbé. As such, Faria tells

him he must cover up the passage they've carved as best he can. Edmond sets to work

immediately.


The Treasure

The next day, Edmond returns to Faria's cell. He finds the abbé sitting up in bed, clutching a

piece of paper.

The paper, he tells Edmond, is his treasure, and his treasure is now to be split with Edmond.

Edmond is still a little skeptical of Faria's claim – he thinks, maybe, that the sickness has

driven him closer to madness.

Faria allows Edmond to read the paper, which represents half of a note:

This treasure which may amount to two

Roman écus in the furthest cor

Of the second opening, which

To him in full benefice as

Itor

April 25, 149

Edmond doesn't know what to make of this, and their discussion is interrupted by the arrival

of the jailer. Edmond is a little weirded out by the whole thing, so he puts off visiting Faria.

Faria apparently can't wait, as he climbs through the tunnel; he has a story to tell Edmond, a

story that he learned from his former patron, Cardinal Spada.

The particulars of the story aren't so important. Let it suffice to say that, a few centuries

earlier, an ancestor of Spada was invited to dine with Cesare Borgia, the son of Pope

Alexander VI; Spada died under mysterious circumstances; the Pope and Cesare set about

looking for Spada's large inheritance, but could find nothing. From then on the Spada family

lived relatively modestly – no sign of their great fortune appeared. After Faria's patron died,

Faria got to looking through his papers. Just about a month before he was arrested in 1807,

something big happened. While lighting a candle with a stray piece of paper, Faria realized

that it contained a very important message written in…wait for it…invisible ink.

To make a long story short, he now had his hands on some valuable fragments of paper,

which, when put together, read:

This day, April 25, 1498, hav…ing been invited to dinner by His Holiness

Alexander VI, and fearing that, not…content with making me pay for my cardinal's hat he

might wish to inherit my wealth and…deign for me the fate of Cardinals Crapara and

Betivoglio, fatally poisoned,…I declare to my nephew Guido Spada,

my sole legatee, that I have con…cealed in a place that he knows,

having visited it with me, that is…in the grottoes of the little

Isle of Monte Cristo, all that I o…wned in gold bars, gold coin, precious

stones, diamonds, jewels, that I al…one know of the existence of this treasure which

may amount to nearly two mill…ion Roman écus, and that he will

find, on lifting the twentieth…rock starting from the little

creek eastwards in a straight line. Two…openings have been made in

these grottoes: the treasure is in the…furthest corner away from the second,

which treasure I bequeath and endow…to him in full benifice as my

sole heir.

April 25, 1498 CES…ARE SPADA

Edmond is blown away. He can't believe Faria was able to figure all of this out.

Faria explains that he was arrested before he could get the treasure. If we get out of prison,

he tells Edmond, half of it is yours, and if I should die, you can take it all.

Edmond asks if there's someone else out there who deserves the treasure more. Faria

assures him there's not. The only reason I kept the secret from you so long, says Faria, was

to test you and to surprise you.

Edmond, still incredulous, tries to reject Faria's offer; he's not his son, and so he doesn't feel

he should be his heir.

Faria tells him that he's wrong, that he is like a son to him. Overcome, Edmond lays his head

on Faria's chest and begins to weep.


The Third Seizure

As it turns out, Edmond already knows the isle of Monte Cristo from his sailor days.

Faria talks constantly about the treasure, and forces Edmond to memorize the entire letter.

Times passes.

One night, he hears a cry come from Faria's cell. Edmond heads over and finds Faria in the

throes of his third seizure. The abbé tells Edmond that there's nothing he can do, but

Edmond tries to revive him with the red potion nonetheless.

He fails. The abbé's last words are: "Monte Cristo! Do not forget Monte Cristo!" (19.35).

Soon enough, the jailer discovers Faria's body. Since he's a churchman, they decide that he

deserves to be buried in a sack. Before they can get to burying him, the governor insists they

make sure he's dead by poking him with a hot iron.

He's definitely dead.

The governor and jailers leave Faria in the cell, covered in the sack; they will bury him in the

morning.


The Graveyard of the Chateau D'If

Once everyone leaves the cell, Edmond heads over to look at Faria's sack-covered body.

After despairing and contemplating suicide, he suddenly gets a brilliant idea.

Using Faria's tools, he cuts a whole in the sack and removes Faria's body. After putting the

body in his own bed and covering it in bedsheets, he gets into the sack and sews himself

inside.

He has a plan of attack all thought out:

If the guards figure out he, a living man, is inside the bag, he'll cut it open with the knife,

scare them, then run.

If they bury him, he'll wait for a suitable moment to dig himself out of the grave – which will

no doubt be shallow – then run.

If he can't get out of the grave, then so be it. He was probably going to end up dying anyway.

After suffering the whole night through, Edmond finally hears the guards enter. He gets

confused when he hears them discussing "the knot."

The guards carry him a short while, then stop. A moment later, he feels a rope being tied

around his feet. Now the guards are discussing the roughness of the sea; one remarks,

"Yes, the abbé runs a serious risk of getting wet" (20.44).

Edmond is confused. Suddenly, he can feel the guards swinging him, and then he's falling,

flying through the air. He cries out the moment he hits the water. He's being dragged to the

bottom of the sea by the thirty-six pound cannonball attached to his legs.

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