In the chapter entitled "The Betrothal Feast," old Dante's
father remarks, "What a silent party!" and his son replies that he is too happy to be
joyous because at times joy oppresses just as much as
grief:
"I
cannot help thinking it is not man's lot to attain happiness so easily. Good fortune is
like the palaces of the enchanted isles, the gates of which were guarded by dragons.
Happiness could only be obtained by overcoming these dragons, and I, I know not how I
have deserved the honour of becoming Mercedes's
husband."
Besides presaging
the misfortune which is to come for Edmund Dantes, there is an element of symbolism that
emerges from this remark. For, the isle of If where the prison is located, and the isle
of Monte Cristo figure greatly into the fate and composition of what makes Edmund
Dantes. Further, in his mission of revenge, Dantes must overcome the dragons of his
hatred in order to be redeemed. For instance, in his plan to destroy de Villefort,
harms innocents in his path such as Edouard, the young son of Madame de Villefort, and
in disgracing Ferdinand, the Count of Monte Cristo damages the honor of Mercedes's
beloved son Albert. Recognizing the dragons of malice that accompany what he feels is
his provendential retribution, Dantes then saves the love of Maxmillian and Valentine.
In so doing, he, too, is redeemed.
Thus, from the wonderful
narrative of Dumas there emerge two themes, the limitations of revenge and the redeeming
power of love. In his meeting with M. de Villefort after having saved Mme. de Villefort
and her son from imminent danger when the dappled greys run away with the carriage, the
Count of Monte Cristo declares,
"...I have compared natural justice, and I must
say, sir that it is the law of primitive ation; that is, the law of retaliation that I
have most frequently found to be according to the law of
God."
However, as he pursues
his divine retaliation, Dantes realizes that there are limitations. Whereas he
originally has felt that the Biblical notion of the sins of the father being dealt upon
the children to justify the destruction of his enemies is righteous, Dantes is shocked
into reassessing his notion of being the instrument of Providence when Eduoard de
Villefort's life is innocently shed. He tells Maxillian later that the gods of
vengeance operate with an infallibility that is not possible for mortal
man.
With his wisdom, then, comes Monte Cristo's
recognition of the power of love; he is most moved by the absolute devotion of
Maxmillian for Valentine, as well as the maternal love of Mercedes for her son, Albert.
Finding some peace and returning to life as a man in the love of Haydee, Dantes tells
her, "...through you I again connect myself with life, through you I shall suffer,
through you rejoice."
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