Due to his knowledge and rhetorical power, even his enemies find him charming, and because of his status, they all want to be his friend. Playing on Caderousse's greed, Monte Cristo learns about what has happened since his arrest, and how his other enemies have all become wealthy and prosperous. Since Caderousse has already been punished to some extent, Monte Cristo gives him a diamond that can be either a chance to redeem himself, or a trap that will lead his greed to ruin him.
Caderousse's greed leads him into murder, until Monte Cristo frees him and gives him another chance at redemption. He does not take it, and becomes a career criminal. Caderousse's greed is the death of him when he is murdered by a confederate—actually the illegitimate son of Villefort see below —while trying to rob Monte Cristo's house. Caderousse begs for Monte Cristo to give him another chance, but the Count refuses, grimly noting that the last two times he did so, Caderousse did not change his behavior.
Monte Cristo then meets Danglars, who has become a banker. Monte Cristo dazzles him with his seemingly endless wealth, eventually persuades him to extend him 6,, francs credit, and withdraws nine hundred thousand. Under the terms of the arrangement, Monte Cristo can demand access to the remainder of the six million francs 5,, francs at any time.
The Count manipulates the bond market and quickly destroys a large portion of Danglars' fortune, and the rest of it begins to rapidly disappear. Her noble father, Ali Pasha , the ruler of Janina , had implicitly trusted Fernand, only to be betrayed by him in a war. After his death, she and her mother were sold into slavery. The Count manipulates Danglars into researching the event, which is published in a newspaper. As a result, Fernand is brought to trial for his crimes. She alone recognizes Monte Cristo.
When Albert blames Monte Cristo for his father's downfall and publicly challenges him to a duel, she goes secretly to Monte Cristo and begs him to spare her son.
The mother and son depart to build a new life free of disgrace, he to Africa as a soldier to rebuild his life and honor under a new family name Herrera given to him by his mother, and she to a solitary life back in Marseille.
Last to feel Monte Cristo's vengeance is Villefort. Villefort's family is divided. Then she attempts to murder Valentine's grandfather, Nortier, but his servant accidentally drinks the poisonous draught and dies.
Nortier is coincidentally saved from a second attempt when he disinherits Valentine as a ploy to stop Villefort from forcing Valentine to marry Franz d'Epinay.
Meanwhile, Monte Cristo haunts Villefort with his past affair with Danglars' wife and the son they had. Years before, Mme. Danglars bore a child by Villefort, at a house in Auteuil. Villefort had buried the child, thinking it was stillborn. However, the boy was rescued from his grave and raised by Bertuccio, an enemy of Villefort who attempted to kill the judge on the night of his child's birth.
Monte Cristo, whom Bertuccio now serves as a paid servant and who now owns the house in Auteuil, is able to use them against Villefort. As a grown man, the son enters Paris in disguise as Prince Andrea Cavalcanti sponsored by the Count and cons Danglars into betrothing his daughter. Caderousse blackmails Andrea, threatening to reveal his past, and Andrea murders Caderousse.
Andrea is arrested and about to be prosecuted by Villefort. Then he goes off to Andrea's trial. There, Andrea reveals that he is Villefort's son, and rescued after Villefort buried him alive. Villefort admits his guilt and flees the court. He feels he is as guilty as his wife, and rushes home to stop her suicide. Dumas, A. Chapter Toxicology.
Dumas, Alexandre. Lit2Go Edition. November 12, After the usual civilities, the count inquired after M. But what detains her? Go, Edward, and see. Madame de Villefort stretched out her hand to ring, intending to direct her waiting—maid to the spot where she would find Valentine, when the young lady herself entered the apartment. She appeared much dejected; and any person who considered her attentively might have observed the traces of recent tears in her eyes. Valentine, whom we have in the rapid march of our narrative presented to our readers without formally introducing her, was a tall and graceful girl of nineteen, with bright chestnut hair, deep blue eyes, and that reposeful air of quiet distinction which characterized her mother.
Her white and slender fingers, her pearly neck, her cheeks tinted with varying hues reminded one of the lovely Englishwomen who have been so poetically compared in their manner to the gracefulness of a swan. He rose to return the salutation. Madame de Villefort at this really did turn pale, and was very nearly angry with this household plague, who answered to the name of Edward; but the count, on the contrary, smiled, and appeared to look at the boy complacently, which caused the maternal heart to bound again with joy and enthusiasm.
I could not help thinking so just now; the idea came over my mind, and as mademoiselle entered the sight of her was an additional ray of light thrown on a confused remembrance; excuse the remark. Besides, the Parisian world is entirely unknown to me, for, as I believe I told you, I have been in Paris but very few days.
No,—but, perhaps, you will permit me to call to mind—stay! Pray come to my aid, madame; do not these circumstances appeal to your memory? The doctors, anxious for my lungs, had prescribed the air of Naples. We went by Bologna, Perugia, and Rome. Mademoiselle was walking in the shade of the garden, and your son disappeared in pursuit of the peacock. We discoursed a long time, madame, on different subjects; of Perugino, of Raffaelle, of manners, customs, of the famous aquatofana, of which they had told you, I think you said, that certain individuals in Perugia had preserved the secret.
Noirtier the unwelcome meal that sustains his pitiful existence. But excuse me, sir, for talking of our domestic misfortunes; I interrupted you at the moment when you were telling me that you were a skilful chemist.
I have studied chemistry because, having determined to live in eastern climates I have been desirous of following the example of King Mithridates. The count followed her with his eyes. Madame de Villefort closed the door carefully after the child, the count appearing not to notice her; then casting a scrutinizing glance around the chamber, the young wife returned to her chair, in which she seated herself.
He has but one fault, he is somewhat wilful; but really, on referring for the moment to what he said, do you truly believe that Mithridates used these precautions, and that these precautions were efficacious?
Allow me to compliment you on your knowledge; such learning is very rare among ladies. Well, at the end of ten days you would have taken a centigramme, at the end of twenty days, increasing another milligramme, you would have taken three hundred centigrammes; that is to say, a dose which you would support without inconvenience, and which would be very dangerous for any other person who had not taken the same precautions as yourself.
Well, then, at the end of a month, when drinking water from the same carafe, you would kill the person who drank with you, without your perceiving, otherwise than from slight inconvenience, that there was any poisonous substance mingled with this water.
The two favorite studies of my youth were botany and mineralogy, and subsequently, when I learned that the use of simples frequently explained the whole history of a people, and the entire life of individuals in the East, as flowers betoken and symbolize a love affair, I have regretted that I was not a man, that I might have been a Flamel, a Fontana, or a Cabanis.
Science becomes, in their hands, not only a defensive weapon, but still more frequently an offensive one; the one serves against all their physical sufferings, the other against all their enemies.
With opium, belladonna, brucaea, snake—wood, and the cherry—laurel, they put to sleep all who stand in their way. There are as many elixirs of every kind as there are caprices and peculiarities in the physical and moral nature of humanity; and I will say further—the art of these chemists is capable with the utmost precision to accommodate and proportion the remedy and the bane to yearnings for love or desires for vengeance.
Villefort had failed to seek out the man who had killed Bertuccio's brother. Villefort is thus ruined. His wife also poisons his daughter, son, and herself.
He becomes crazy. Madame Heloise de Villefort is the public prosecutor's second wife. She is obsessed with attaining an inheritance for her son Edouard. Valentine, daughter of Villefort and his first wife, is to inherit her grandfather's fortune as well as her mother's parents' fortune. She also poisons Valentine. Monte Cristo saves Valentine, however. When Monsieur de Villefort discovers her evil deeds he demands that she commit suicide.
She thus poisons both herself and Edouard. Valentine is an endearing creature who is much loved by her grandfather, the Bonapartist Noirtier and Maximilien Morrel. Her grandfather helps her out of a marriage contract with Franz d'Epinay.
Noirtier reveals to d'Epinay that he had killed his father. D'Epinay thus no longer desires the marriage, and Valentine will be able to marry Maximilien. Valentine becomes ill, however. Monte Cristo saves her from the poisons of Her stepmother, however.
He wishes happiness upon her and Maximilien. Edouard is a mere nine-year old boy, who is poisoned by his own mother when she commits her own suicide. Monte Cristo realizes that he may have gone to far with his vengeance when this innocent boy dies.
Monsieur de Villefort goes mad when he sees his son dead. Heloise De Villefort poisons them in her efforts to secure their fortune for her son.
Noirtier is Monsieur de Villefort's Bonapartist father. It was to Noirtier that Napoleons' letter, which Dantes was to deliver before his arrest, was addressed. When Villefort noticed this, he quickly imprisoned Dantes, though he realized that Dantes was a mere pawn in the transaction. Twenty four years later, when Dantes returns as Monte Cristo,Noirtier has suffered from a stroke and can no longer speak.
He lives with his son, and is extremely close to his granddaughter, Valentine. He saves her from marrying Franz d'Epinay by informing the Baron that it was he that was responsible for killing d'Epinays father.
Noirtier will bless the marriage of Valentine with Maximilien. This is the doctor who attends to the many "sicknesses" in the Villefort household. He is adamant that the deaths are due to poison, yet he does not reveals his suspicions to the public at Villefort's request. Caderousse is originally Dantes' neighbor. He is incredibly jealous of Dantes. Caderousse's greed destroys him, for when Dantes returns as Abbe Busoni, Caderousse is given a diamond by the Abbe.
Caderousse, however, kills the jeweler who buys the diamond. He also kills his wife. He himself is now incarcerated. A few years later Dantes visits his prison as Lord Wilmore and helps him escape. This is merely part of Dantes' punishment. Caderousse has not changed, he is still the same greedy man. Thus he dies in Monte Cristo's house murdered by his old friend Benedetto.
The Count reveals his identity to Caderousse just as he is dying. Benedetto is the son of Madame Danglars and Monsieur de Villefort. Villefort is destroyed when Benedetto returns as Andrea Calvacanti with the help of Monte Cristo to accuse Villefort of burying him alive as a newborn. Benedetto also had been a smuggler who had stayed at the inn run by Caderousse.
Benedetto kills Caderousse as Caderousse flees from Monte Cristo's house after his attempted robbery. Before Monte Cristo begins his revenge, he rewards M. Morrel and his family, for they were his true friends. Morrel was the shipowner of the Pharaon. He had invested efforts in saving Dantes from prison but to no avail. He had also paid for Dantes' father's burial.
Morrel is about to commit suicide because he can no longer his word financially. Monte Cristo anonymously saves him from such a plight. On his deathbed M. Morrel reiterates his belief to his family that the savior was Edmond Dantes. Morrel's son is in love with Valentine de Villefort.
He becomes a good friend of the Count. He even agrees to be the Count's second man in a duel. The Count tests Maxilmilien's love by pretending that Valentine is dead for a month. He then rewards Maximilien's noble character with Valentine. He also gives them riches before he departs with Haydee. Julie is the sister of Maximilien.
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