HE Was a Clever Man

Edmond Dantès is a very clever man. Throughout the story we learn about his genius master plan, which he uses to take down and get revenge on his greatest enemies.

"He stood up, put his hands on his forehead as though he were dizzy and murmured, 'Who sent me this thought? Was it you, O God? Since Only the dead leave here, I'll take the place of a corpse!'" (77)

This is from the beginning of the book when Dantès makes his first move to his greater scheme by taking the place of his dead friend, Faria, to escape prison. This idea is incredibly brilliant because this prison is nearly impossible to escape, but corpses leave the prison walls with ease. Dumas uses indirect characterization in which the reader is expected to assume that Dantès is an intelligent individual for thinking of such a clever plan.

"THE COUNT WALKED OVER AND STOOD BETWEEN Caderousse and the window, thus cutting off the terrified thief's sole avenue of escape" (334)

This shows Dantès' clever plan to trick Caderousse. He tricks Caderousse into believing that he is Abbé Busoni then, as Caderousse dies he reveals his true identity of Dantès. This is clever because all this time he uses Caderousse to find out information about himself.

He Has BEen Traumatized

In the earlier chapters of The Count of Monte Cristo, we experience Edmond's journey through a traumatic early life including death, betrayal, and suffrage.

"'...Oh, My god! My God!You know how much i've suffered! Help me now that i can no longer help myself!'" (82)

Dantès says this after he has been falsely imprisoned for fourteen years, seen his best friend die helplessly, and escaped the prison by risking his life. This quote shows that Dantès had a traumatic past and feels helpless.

"He had a sad answer to each of the two questions dantes had asked: old Louis dantes was dead and Merecedes had disappeared" (95).

The quote shows another one of Dantès' traumatic moments because he had just learned of his father's death and his fiancee's disappearance. The people he loved most in his life are now gone. This has a reflection on how Dantès views the world because he now sees it in a grey shade of darkness.

He seeks for Justice

While Edmond is wrongfully imprisoned, he determines that Cadarouse, Fernand, and Villefort are reponsible for all the torture he has been through. When he escapes prison, he lives his life through different identities, such as Asse Bosani and the count of Monte Cristo, to achieve the goal of making their lives miserable.

"'i regret having helped you clarify your past and having told you what i did' 'why?' 'Because I've instilled in your heart a feeling that wasn't there before: vengeance" (58).

This is Faria speaking to his new friend, Dantès. He helps Dantès discover who is responsible for his suffrage, then regrets it because he sparked need for revenge inside of Dantès. This is also significant because it stands as the very first notice of Dantès wanting justice to the reader.

"He told himself that it was the hatred of man, not the vengeance of god, which had plunged him into the abyss where he now found himself. He doomed these unknown men to all the tortures his fiery imagination could contrive, but even the cruelest ones seemed too miild and too short for them, for after the torment would come death, which would bring them, if not at rest, at least the insensibility which resembles it" (42).

Dantès wants to get revenge on these men so badly to the point that he is thinking of how he will torture them. This shows the peak of Dantès' anger towards his enemies by showing strong want for justice by getting revenge, and it sets up Dantès' path as a dynamic character.

"Caderousse, closing his eyes, fell back with a last cry and a last sigh. He was dead. 'One!' said the count mysteriously, looking steadfastly at the corpse" (344)

Dantès has just successfully killed his first enemy. This quote shows his plan to supply justice to himself and revenge to his enemies working. The quote is significant because it shows Dantès actively seeking and achieving justice.

Edmond Dantès is a Byronic hero because he is intelligent, traumatized, and he seeks for justice. These three characteristics of a byronic hero can been identified through Dantès as he experiences suffrage and creates a devious plan that is thought out and executed to make justice for himself.