In this ever-popular tale of love and revenge in the post-Napoleonic era, Edmond Dantes, a nineteen-year-old sailor from Marseilles, is soon to be a captain of his very own ship and to marry his beloved, the beautiful Mercedes. But spiteful enemies provoke his arrest on the very day planned for his wedding, and without ceremony he is condemned to lifelong solitary imprisonment in the notorious Chateau d'If. His sole companion in prison is the "crazy" priest Faria, who shares with Edmond a secret plan of escape and a map to hidden riches on the island of Monte Cristo. When Faria dies, Edmond attempts the incredible and daring attempt alone. And finally he is free—and rich beyond imagination—after fourteen years of unjust imprisonment. Keeping his true identity a secret, Edmond enters society as the Count of Monte Cristo, a polite, refined nobleman with a private determination to reclaim his lost love. . .and to exact a slow, careful revenge upon his accusers.
With this classic tale. Alexandre Dumas has employed all the elements of a compelling drama—suspense, intrigue, love, vengeance, rousing adventure, and the triumph of good over evil—which likely explains its irresistible appeal over the years.
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