The Count of Monte Cristo
Alexandre Dumas
Contains spoilers for the entire book.
Discussion topics
Topic 01 of 08
The betrayal
What does each of Edmond's betrayers, Danglars, Fernand and Villefort, want, and which betrayal is the worst?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does Caderousse stay silent?
- How much does luck, rather than malice, play a part in Edmond's ruin?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.
Discussion topics
What does each of Edmond's betrayers, Danglars, Fernand and Villefort, want, and which betrayal is the worst?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does Caderousse stay silent?
- How much does luck, rather than malice, play a part in Edmond's ruin?
How do the years in the Château d'If change Edmond Dantès?
Keep the conversation going
- What does the Abbé Faria give him besides the treasure?
- Is the Count of Monte Cristo a new man, or the old one hardened?
Does the Count really believe he is an agent of Providence, and do you?
Keep the conversation going
- How do his disguises let him play that role?
- When does his certainty first begin to falter?
Which of the Count's revenges did you find most satisfying, and which most troubling?
Keep the conversation going
- How did the fate of Villefort's family affect you?
- What does Edward's death make the Count realise?
How should Mercédès be judged for marrying Fernand?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of her plea to the Count to spare Albert?
- What does she lose, and what does she keep, by the end?
What role does Haydée play in the Count's plans, and in his heart?
Keep the conversation going
- How does her testimony change Fernand's fate?
- Is her love for the Count a true ending for him?
Why do Maximilien and Valentine matter so much to the Count?
Keep the conversation going
- What does Noirtier, who cannot speak, add to their story?
- Was the Count right to test Maximilien's despair as he does?
What does the Count mean by 'wait and hope', and has he earned that wisdom?
Keep the conversation going
- Was his revenge worth what it cost him and others?
- How did you feel as he sailed away at the end?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.