Characters Discussed
Edmond Dantès
Edmond Dantès (ehd-MOHN dahn-TEHS), a young man unjustly imprisoned in the grim Château D’If. He escapes fourteen years later, after he has learned where a vast fortune is amassed. He secures the fortune and assumes the title of Count of Monte-Cristo. He then sets about avenging himself on those who were instrumental in having him imprisoned.
M. Morrel
M. Morrel, a merchant and shipowner, the friend of young Dantès, and the benefactor of Edmond’s father. He is later saved by Monte-Cristo from bankruptcy and suicide.
M. Danglars
M. Danglars (dahn-GLAR), an employee of M. Morrel. He helps to betray Edmond Dantès to the authorities because of professional jealousy. He later amasses a fortune, which Monte-Cristo causes him to lose. He is further punished by being allowed to starve almost to death as he had allowed Edmond’s father to starve.
Mercédès
Mercédès (mehr-say-DEHZ), the betrothed of young Edmond Dantès. Believing him to be dead, she marries his rival, Fernand Mondego. In the end, she leaves her husband’s house, gives his fortune to charity, and lives on the dowry Edmond had saved for her in his youth.
Louis Dantès
Louis Dantès (lwee), Edmond’s father. He dies of starvation after his son is imprisoned.
Gaspard Caderousse
Gaspard Caderousse (gahs-PAHR ka-deh-ROOS), a tailor, innkeeper, and thief. One of Edmond’s betrayers, he is killed while robbing Monte-Cristo’s house.
Fernand Mondego
Fernand Mondego (mohn-deh-GOH), the count de Morcerf (mohr-SEHRF), a fisherman in love with Mercédès. He mails the letter that betrays Edmond to the authorities. He later marries Mercédès and becomes a soldier and a count. Monte-Cristo later brings about the revelation that Fernand got his fortune by selling out the pasha of Janina to the enemy. His wife and son leave him, and he commits suicide.
The Marquis de Saint-Méran
The Marquis de Saint-Méran (sahn-may-RAHN) and
The Marchioness de Saint-Méran
The Marchioness de Saint-Méran, the father and mother of M. Villefort’s first wife, poisoned by his second wife.
Renée
Renée (reh-NAY), the daughter of the marquis and marchioness de Saint-Méran. She marries Villefort.
M. Villefort
M. Villefort (veel-FOHR), a deputy prosecutor, later attorney general, and a royalist. He causes Edmond to be imprisoned because he fears involvement in a Napoleonic plot. Monte-Cristo later discovers an attempted infanticide on the part of Villefort and causes this secret to be revealed publicly at a trial Villefort is conducting. After this public denunciation and the discovery that his second wife has poisoned several members of his household, her son, and herself, Villefort goes mad.
The Abbé Faria
The Abbé Faria (fah-RYAH), Edmond’s fellow prisoner, who dies of a stroke after educating Edmond and revealing to him the whereabouts of the vast lost fortune of the extinct family of Spada in the caverns of the isle of Monte-Cristo.
Emmanuel Herbaut
Emmanuel Herbaut (ehr-BOH), a clerk in Morrel’s business establishment. He marries Julie Morrel.
Julie Morrel
Julie Morrel, the daughter of the merchant Morrel. She finds the purse in which Monte-Cristo had put money to repay the loan that Morrel had given his father, old Dantès, and thus saves her own father from bankruptcy. She later marries Emmanuel Herbaut.
Maximilian Morrel
Maximilian Morrel, the son of the merchant, a soldier and a loyal friend of Monte-Cristo. He marries Valentine de Villefort.
Viscount Albert de Morcerf
Viscount Albert de Morcerf (mohr-SEHRF), the son of Fernand and Mercédès. He leaves his disgraced father’s house, gives his fortune to charity, and seeks his own fortune as a soldier.
Baron Franz d’Épinay
Baron Franz d’Épinay (day-pee-NAY), the friend of Albert, about to be betrothed to Valentine de Villefort when the betrothal is called off after Franz discovers that her grandfather had killed his father.
Luigi Vampa
Luigi Vampa (LWEE-jee VAHM-pah), a Roman bandit and friend of Monte-Cristo. He kidnaps Albert but frees him at Monte-Cristo’s order. Later he also kidnaps Danglars, robs, and almost starves him.
Peppino
Peppino (pay-pee-NOH), also known as Rocca Priori (roh-KAH pree-oh-REE), one of Vampa’s band. Monte-Cristo saves him from being beheaded.
Countess Guiccioli
Countess Guiccioli (GWEET-choh-lee), the friend of Franz and Albert in Rome and later in Paris.
Giovanni Bertuccio
Giovanni Bertuccio (joh-VAHN-nee behr-TEWT-chyoh), the steward of Monte-Cristo, who reveals to his master Villefort’s attempted infanticide. Unknown to Villefort, he saves the child’s life.
Lucien Debray
Lucien Debray (lew-SYAHN deh-BRAY), a friend of Albert, secretary to the Internal Department, and the lover of Mme Danglars.
M. Beauchamp
M. Beauchamp (boh-SHAHN), Albert’s friend, a newspaper editor.
Count Château-Renaud
Count Château-Renaud (sha-TOH reh-NOH), another of Albert’s friends.
Eugénie Danglars
Eugénie Danglars (ew-zhay-NEE), the daughter of Danglars, about to be betrothed, first to Albert, then to Andrea Cavalcanti. She later runs away with her governess to go on the stage.
Assunta
Assunta (ah-sew-TAH), Bertuccio’s sister-in-law. She claims Villefort’s child from the foundling home where Bertuccio had placed it.
Benedetto
Benedetto (bay-nay-DAY-toh), also known as Andrea Cavalcanti (kah-vahl-KAN-tee-), the illegitimate son of Villefort and Mme Danglars. He does not know who his parents are, and they believe him to be dead. He is a forger, a thief escaped from the galleys, and the murderer of Caderousse. He discovers that Villefort is his father and reveals this fact at the trial. It is implied that the court will find “extenuating circumstances” in his new trial.
Haidée
Haidée (eh-DAY), the daughter of Ali Tebelen, pasha of Janina and Basiliki, captured and sold as a slave by Fernand Mondego after he betrays her father. She is bought by Monte-Cristo, and they fall in love.
Baptistin
Baptistin (bah-tees-TAN), the servant of Monte-Cristo.
Hermine Danglars
Hermine Danglars (ehr-MEEN), Danglars’ wife and the mother of Benedetto and Eugénie.
Héloïse de Villefort
Héloïse de Villefort (ay-loh-EEZ), the second wife of Villefort. She poisons the Saint-Mérans and tries to poison Noirtier and Valentine so that her son may inherit their vast wealth. Her guilt discovered, she kills her son and herself.
Edouard de Villefort
Edouard de Villefort (ay-DWAHR-), the spoiled, irresponsible son of Héloïse and Villefort. He is killed by his mother.
Valentine de Villefort
Valentine de Villefort (vah-lahn-TEEN), the daughter of Villefort and Renée Saint-Méran Villefort. She is poisoned by the second Mme Villefort but is saved by Noirtier and Monte-Cristo after being given a sleeping potion that makes her appear dead. After her rescue, she marries Maximilian Morrel.
Noirtier de Villefort
Noirtier de Villefort (nwahr-TYAY), the father of Villefort and a fiery Jacobin of the French Revolution. Completely paralyzed by a stroke, he communicates with his eyes.
The Marquis Bartolomeo Cavalcanti
The Marquis Bartolomeo Cavalcanti (bahr-toh-loh-may-OH), the name assumed by a man pretending to be Andrea Cavalcanti’s father.
Barrois
Barrois (bah-RWAH), a faithful servant of old Noirtier, poisoned by drinking some lemonade intended for Noirtier.
Ali Tebelen
Ali Tebelen (al-LEE tayb-LAN), the father of Haidée, betrayed by Fernand.
Louise d’Armilly
Louise d’Armilly (dahr-mee-YEE), the governess to Eugénie Danglars. They run away together in hopes that they can go on the stage as singers.
Lord Wilmore
Lord Wilmore and
Abbé Busoni
Abbé Busoni (byoo-ZOH-nee), aliases used by the count of Monte-Cristo.