The Count of Monte Cristo is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, serialized from 1844 to 1846. Edmond Dantès, a young sailor wrongly imprisoned in the Château d'If, escapes after fourteen years, finds a hidden treasure and returns as the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo to take revenge on those who betrayed him.
The betrayal
In 1815, on the day of his betrothal to Mercédès, Dantès is denounced as a Bonapartist agent by jealous rivals. The deputy prosecutor Villefort buries the case to protect himself.
In prison he meets the Abbé Faria, who educates him and tells him of a treasure on the island of Monte Cristo.
The revenge
Rich and transformed, Dantès returns to Paris under several identities and strikes, one by one, at Danglars, Fernand and Villefort.
As his plans succeed, he begins to doubt his right to punish, and the novel ends with a message of waiting and hope.
The Dumas workshop
Dumas wrote the novel with his collaborator Auguste Maquet, who prepared plans and drafts. It was inspired by a case found in the memoirs of a police archivist.
Its serialization in the Journal des Débats kept readers across Europe waiting for each new episode.
Anecdotes
A real château
With the money from his successes, Dumas built a house near Paris, at Port-Marly, which he named the Château de Monte-Cristo. He had to sell it a few years later.
François Picaud
The story was inspired by François Picaud, a shoemaker imprisoned after a false denunciation under Napoleon, who was said to have taken revenge on his accusers.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Edmond Dantès?
A young sailor who becomes the Count of Monte Cristo.
Where is he imprisoned?
In the Château d'If, off Marseille.
Who helps him in prison?
The Abbé Faria.