The Count of Monte Cristo
question
Which act of revenge do you cheer the most?
Dick
(last edited
Aug 22, 2022 11:49AM
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Aug 19, 2022 11:59AM
In literature, there is nothing quite like when a villain gets his comeuppance. In TCOMC, Edmond spared no expense in making sure his version of justice was meted out according to the measure of the "justice" he received. That is to say, he showed no mercy to those who had a part to play in his destruction.
My question is this: which act of revenge against the main villains did you find the most satisfying and why? The main villains being Danglars, Caderousse, Fernand Mondego/Count de Morcerf, and Villefort.
Secondly, what about Mercedes? Collateral damage or did she deserve the secondary impacts of Edmond's revenge on the Count de Morcerf?
Thanks all and have a great weekend!
My question is this: which act of revenge against the main villains did you find the most satisfying and why? The main villains being Danglars, Caderousse, Fernand Mondego/Count de Morcerf, and Villefort.
Secondly, what about Mercedes? Collateral damage or did she deserve the secondary impacts of Edmond's revenge on the Count de Morcerf?
Thanks all and have a great weekend!
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Instinctively, Villefort, and I stick by that.
The sweetest revenge is for the bitterest crime, and while Danglars and Mondego were very jealous in the moment they stitched Edmond up, I don't think there's anything like the cold indifference Villefort showed to the young sailor. It really was evil, and all to save his own skin. He was deeply insecure of his own family history and unwilling to let go of his public image (I doubt he'd have gotten the sentence he gave Dantes had he been accused of Bonapartism, and I doubt it would have gotten that far anyway). So much for his wrongdoing.
The revenge feels right in every way because every consequence of what he's done, not just to Edmond, bites him back in his French nobleman calves. It's very cyclical. By imprisoning him, he gives Edmond years to mature, acquire more knowledge than he - and even more cunning. He is no longer the helpless sailor/messenger with nothing to say. Of course, Edmond then gets rich and is able to infiltrate the society that Villefort craves, only to turn it against him. The resurfacing of Noirtier's Bonapartism upon Valentine's engagement, the exposure of his wife as murderous, and finally, most satisfyingly, the public humiliation by his son, Andrea, the criminal. Years later, the Count makes Villefort feel just what he was on the verge of when he sent him to Chateau d'If: Pangs of guilt on behalf of his family (then his father, now his son), fear of his own social vulnerability. Villefort wasn't jealous or greedy ordinarily, he was vain. So Edmond gave him the worst punishment: Public disgrace.
The sweetest revenge is for the bitterest crime, and while Danglars and Mondego were very jealous in the moment they stitched Edmond up, I don't think there's anything like the cold indifference Villefort showed to the young sailor. It really was evil, and all to save his own skin. He was deeply insecure of his own family history and unwilling to let go of his public image (I doubt he'd have gotten the sentence he gave Dantes had he been accused of Bonapartism, and I doubt it would have gotten that far anyway). So much for his wrongdoing.
The revenge feels right in every way because every consequence of what he's done, not just to Edmond, bites him back in his French nobleman calves. It's very cyclical. By imprisoning him, he gives Edmond years to mature, acquire more knowledge than he - and even more cunning. He is no longer the helpless sailor/messenger with nothing to say. Of course, Edmond then gets rich and is able to infiltrate the society that Villefort craves, only to turn it against him. The resurfacing of Noirtier's Bonapartism upon Valentine's engagement, the exposure of his wife as murderous, and finally, most satisfyingly, the public humiliation by his son, Andrea, the criminal. Years later, the Count makes Villefort feel just what he was on the verge of when he sent him to Chateau d'If: Pangs of guilt on behalf of his family (then his father, now his son), fear of his own social vulnerability. Villefort wasn't jealous or greedy ordinarily, he was vain. So Edmond gave him the worst punishment: Public disgrace.
Great choice! Thanks for responding. Villefort was by far the most corrupt and cunning of Dantes’ enemies.
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