The Count of Monte Cristo

Politics and history play a key role in shaping characters’ lives. Does the novel represent politics and history as impersonal forces acting on society, or as a larger-scale version of the same conflicts and ambitions that motivate the characters on an individual level?

Edmond adopts different identities (Monte Cristo, Abbé Busoni, Lord Wilmore) with different people and in different circumstances. What seems to guide his choice of identity? Choose one or more scenes and examine why he adopts the persona that he does.

Edmond suffers at the hands of the justice system, and later critiques it in various ways. How does he define justice and how does he think it should be served?

Compare and contrast the humiliation and downfall of Morcerf, Villefort, and Danglars. How do they react? How do they reveal their priorities in a moment of crisis?

Monte Cristo repeatedly uses people’s secrets and weaknesses against them. To what extent are these people complicit in their own downfall, and to what extent are they victims of Monte Cristo’s revenge?

The patriarchal society depicted in the novel prioritizes men, while women’s choices and roles are more limited. Choose one of the novel’s female characters and discuss how she negotiates these limitations.

Monte Cristo has traveled widely and often compares and contrasts the customs of different places. What is the significance of the differences and similarities he finds between countries and societies? Consider the novel’s context within European colonialism.

Debt and people’s attitudes toward debt and obligation play a central role in the novel. Choose a character and examine their attitude toward their debts, literal or figurative.