Submitted by ComicsNBigBooks t3_yc2xcl in books
ChaosAE t1_itllthh wrote
Reply to comment by Jaedos in Just finished The Count of Monte Cristo by ComicsNBigBooks
It is really the children that make him the villain and is why he is written so well. Seeing it all we can understand his actions but he consciously destroys the lives of many innocent people just for his revenge.
ZeMastor t1_itp5xrg wrote
"Many" = 2.
Johannes the jeweler and little Edouard de Villefort.
Albert and Mercedes don't really count, because the destruction of their lives was self-inflicted. Nobody forced them out of their home or reduced them to desperate poverty. If they wanted to, they could sell the house, take the money and move somewhere else.
OTOH, look at the lives he had saved/helped as the Count:
- Morrel Sr.- saved from suicide, and gifted a new ship to regain his rep and prosperity.
- Noirtier- Currently safe at Leghorn, happily awaiting Val and Max so he can bless their marriage. Without the Count, Madame Villefort would have eventually found a way to kill him.
- Julie Morrel Herbault- due to the Dantes' doing, she could marry Emmanuel and not live in poverty when her father was financially ruined.
- Emmanuel Herbault- Able to marry Julie Morrel because she's got a dowry (courtesy of Dantes). Otherwise, his family would not have approved the marriage to Valentine.
- Maximilian Morrel- Would have committed suicide with his father, but Dantes saved the father, and also the son. Received a HUGE wedding gift in wealth from the Count.
- Ali- saved from execution by the Sultan. Seems to be content serving the Count.
- Haydee- sailing off with the man she loves. If it weren't for the Count, she would still be a slave and a concubine in a Sultan's harem.
- Peppino- would have been executed, but the Count bought his freedom.
- Valentine de Villefort- she would have been murdered by poison by Madame Villefort, but the Count saved her (for Max's sake) and gifted her a huge wedding present in $$$.
- Eugenie Danglars- Would have been married (reluctantly) to Albert. Instead, the Count provided her with a forged passport, enabling her to run away to Italy with her girlfriend. (she's LGBT).
- Louise D'Armilly- Thanks to the Count, she ran away with the person she loves (she's LGBT).
Not that he's perfect. but overall, he did more good than harm. More innocents saved, and the guilty punished.
TywinShitsGold t1_itpk9t4 wrote
In all fairness to Eddie - he was actually guilty of the offense. He did stop off Elba during the exile. He did meet with the emperor and took secure communications on board.
That’s treason, and he’s lucky he didn’t get an appointment with a guillotine.
ZeMastor t1_itqdcu0 wrote
True, but one of the key points in the book was that Dantes did not even get a trial. Villefort just had him quietly hustled away to D'if.
Could possibly mean that the bar for an execution was pretty high, and would have required a trial and a certain bunch of signatures. V. wanted to keep the entire affair on the down-low (protecting Noirtier), and an actual trial would have mean that Noirtier's name would have gone out. And Dantes' likeability and naivety might have won over the other judge.
It could also mean that V. is a better human being than he seemed to be initially. Like, only wanting to shuffle Dantes away until it was convenient to release him (after Napoleon's death). But eventually he forgot about that and Dantes was left to rot.
This is not the only example of "French traitor protagonist in a classic novel slipping between the cracks and not being executed." Victor Hugo allowed Marius to live, and even get married, and live aboveground after Marius' involvement in the Revolt. Marius was at the barricades, shot at soldiers, and threatened to blow everybody up, ffs. But Hugo waved it away by saying that Marius' months-long convalescence saved him, the hubbub died down, and nobody bothered to look for him because so much time had passed.
TywinShitsGold t1_itqgvm4 wrote
It might have been a little shady and corrupt, but it was basically a plea deal. He had letters showing the emperors intended return and revolution - which is treason. Notier wasn’t some underworld/unknown figure, he was a well known Parisian Bonapartist. And the Morrells were already under suspicion.
Danglars was an opportunist looking to make a political play, Ferdinand was a jealous asshole, but the worst thing Villefort can be accused of is being a politician. He distanced himself from his dad, he married into the bourbons. He didn’t exactly get along with the old man, but Nortier protected him during Bonaparte’s short restoration.
Young Eddie was a fool 10 different ways - Notier/Villefort notwithstanding. Napoleon had just been deposed and exiled. Marseilles was heavily royalist and anti-Bonaparte. Yet he thought nothing of just stopping by at Elba. And he wasnt naive and indifferent - he knew who he was talking to and he was proud to do it - though he kept the secret according to his captains wishes. He was first mate on a “smuggling” boat. How could he not know, hell the accountant (Danglars) knew. One look at the chart and it would be obvious they’re stopping by Elba to pass messages. He might have spent a couple years on boats, but daddy Dantes lived in town, Morrell lived in town. He had to know about the unrest - especially since boats carried word abroad to trading partners.
I don’t think Villefort had any intent of releasing Eddie at any point. Regardless of Bonaparte retaking the throne. A) he was a royalist, B) he knew it wasn’t going to last. Letting Eddie out after 3 months would out him as a Bonapartist like his father and kill his future in France. He’d be sidelined once Napoleon fell apart again. But he didn’t go so far as cutting Eddie’s head off without a trial.
ZeMastor t1_itrre0s wrote
Can't be a plea deal when the accused didn't even place a plea or try to make a deal. V. was truly ready to release Dantes, and Dantes was ready to head out the door. Until V. found out the letter was addressed to Noirtier. Up until that point, V. wasn't ready to prosecute Dantes (and he wanted to impress Renee with his mercy). V. had seen real foaming-at-the-mouth Bonapartists and wouldn't hesitate to condemn them but that boy wasn't one of them. He saw a dumbass who was in way over his head in something that he didn't truly understand.
V. didn't hang out with the old man because of political ambitions. But we have seen that V. was willing to warn Noirtier that the police were looking for Gen. Quesnel's assassin, and the description of the perp looked just like ol' Dad. And V. just stood by as Noirtier shaved and changed his clothing, and even took parts of V's own wardrobe. So they had differing politics, but V. wasn't hostile or willing to let his father get arrested.
Yeah, Dantes was a naive fool, but I'd write it off as "typical 19 year old". Dantes might have heard a few things here and there, but blew it off as, "Meh, doesn't concern me. No politics for me. All I care about is my job, my Dad and marrying Mercedes. Oh, the captain's last wish was to deliver this letter... ummm, OK."
And that's exactly what he told V. and V. saw his sincerity and believed him.
Jaedos t1_itotrvs wrote
That seems to be the moral here.
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments