Edmond Dantès
Edmond Dantès | |
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The Count of Monte Cristo character | |
Created by | Alexandre Dumas |
Portrayed by | |
In-universe information | |
Aliases |
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Occupation |
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Significant others | Mercédès Mondego (ex-fiancée) Haydée Tebelin |
Nationality | French |
Edmond Dantès (pronounced
History
Dantès, first mate
When the reader is first introduced to Edmond Dantès, he arrives in
The engagement and the arrest
The marriage never occurs, however. On the very night of their nuptial feast, Dantès is arrested as a suspected
Despair and near-suicide
After six long years in solitary confinement in the dungeons of the Chateau, Edmond decides to commit suicide by starving himself. Fearing he will be forced to eat, he throws out his food in secrecy. After nearly six months, he hears scratching against the wall of his cell. Curiosity about the source of the noise inspires him to begin eating again. He taps on his wall several times, and when the scratching stops, he concludes that it is a prisoner trying to escape. He then uses the saucepan on which his food is served to begin digging where he heard the scratching before in hopes that it was another prisoner digging his way to freedom. Dantès eventually breaks through enough of the wall that he is able to exchange a brief greeting with an old Italian abbé named Faria, sometimes called the "Mad Priest", who had indeed been attempting to dig to freedom.
Edmond and the Abbé
The two prisoners become very close, with the learned
Loyalty and betrayal
Upon returning to Marseille, Edmond learns that his father had died of hunger and that Mercédès had married Fernand 8 months after he was supposedly executed for treason. His old neighbour Gaspard Caderousse is still alive, and—under the guise of the Abbé Busoni—Edmond visits him to learn more. Caderousse tells him that Morrel had tried to obtain a fair trial for Edmond, and how Mercédès pleaded for his release. He also learns that those who had remained loyal to him had suffered greatly, while those who had betrayed him had prospered. Edmond thanks Caderousse for the information, paying him with a large diamond that he said had come into Edmond's possession while in prison. Realizing that only Morrel had remained loyal, Edmond creates three disguises — an Englishman named Lord Wilmore, a clerk from the banking firm Thomson and French, and Sinbad the Sailor — and uses them to save Morrel from bankruptcy and suicide. Edmond then goes into hiding, spending nine years reforming himself as the Count of Monte Cristo.
Paris and the Count
Edmond emerges into Parisian society as the mysterious and sophisticated Count of Monte Cristo. Having purchased the deed to the island from whence he obtained his treasure, Edmond is able to place himself in the upper strata of Parisian society and assume the role of one of the most influential men in all of France. As such, he is introduced to several other powerful men, most notably Danglars, who is now a wealthy
Portrayal in adaptations
James O'Neill, father of playwright Eugene, performed the title role over 6,000 times during his career. Edmond Dantès has been portrayed on film many times by actors such as George Dolenz, Robert Donat, Jean Marais, Louis Jourdan, Gérard Depardieu, Richard Chamberlain, and, most recently, Jim Caviezel. Dantès has also been portrayed on stage, including in a musical adaptation of the novel.
In the Japanese animated television series
There are also at least three adaptations into television soap operas, the last of which being the 2006 Mexican series Montecristo.
In 2011, ABC debuted the television drama Revenge, billed as a loose adaptation of Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. In it, the character of Dantès is envisioned as a female protagonist by the name of Emily Thorne (portrayed by actress Emily VanCamp).[1]
He is portrayed as an Avenger-class Servant in the popular mobile game, Fate/Grand Order, where his character is designed for the game by Rui Komatsuzaki and voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki.
Referenced in other films
Edmond Dantès was referenced in the final scenes of
Writer/director John Hughes used Edmond Dantès as his pseudonym late in his career.[2]
Sources
The story of Dantès' imprisonment in the Château d'If was likely inspired by the imprisonment of general
References
- ^ Stanley, Alessandra (September 20, 2011). "'Revenge' on ABC Places Emily VanCamp in the Hamptons". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
- IMDb
- ISBN 978-0307382474.