Alexander Dumas Essays (Examples)

n the course of Dantes' revenge plot against Mondego, Fernand is publicly vilified and humiliated, and Mercedes and her son Albert head to far-off lands where their names and pasts will not be known and they can begin new lives, away from the shame brought to them by Fernand Mondego as their husband and father. Both Mercedes and Albert are basically good people, and their shame at Fernand's actions shows this. Yet the fact that they must leave to start new lives is a very harsh punishment, and it is visited upon them through no fault of their own. Dumas seems to be making a subtle point about revenge and the fallout of any action that harms another person, even -- or perhaps especially -- if the harm is only done to their reputation. Regardless of the point he is making in the novel, however, it is clear that the…

In the movie, however, tings end up drastically different for Mercedes and her son Albert, as well as for Dantes himself. Fernand Mondego is still shamed by some of is pas actions, but rather than flee Mercedes tells Dantes something very important -- Albert is actually Dantes' son, and the only reason Mercedes married Mondego was because she thought Dantes had died shortly after being imprisoned. This allows Dantes and Mercedes to form a new relationship, and Dantes is able to know Albert as his son. The movie ends with this new happy family starting a calmer life together, something that would have been utterly impossible in the book. In this way, the good aren't punished and in fact tings end up almost as happy -- perhaps happier, due to Dantes' riches -- as they would have had Dantes never been imprisoned. Balance is restored more effectively in the movie than it is in the book, making the story sharper.

One of the most interesting characters in the novel is Villefort, the inspector who falsely condemns Dantes for his own personal and political motives. Dantes plot to get revenge on Villefort is one of the most complex in Dumas' original novel, and ultimately Villefort is driven insane by the numerous crimes he ahs committed that Dantes makes sure will be brought to light. This novel does an excellent job of making him a well-rounded character; he comes across as a basically good man who did several horrible things out of desperation, and who ultimately is taken over by his internal guilt. Though there is some element of this in the 2002 film version, it is again more black-and-white when showing his character and his punishment. The only crime in the movie that Villefort is shown to be guilty of is imprisoning Dantes in exchange for the murder of his own father, but he is generally seen in a much more negative light than that in which he is presented in the novel. His eventual arrest signals that he is not at all good, and could never have hoped for a kinder fate.

Films simply cannot be as complex as many novels and still retain the power of emotional and dramatic sway over their audiences. If all of the character and plot twists of Dumas' the Count of Monte Cristo had been included in the film, it would have taken eight hours (or longer) to watch and would have been immensely boring and hard to follow. Even the book can be difficult to follow at times, but with careful consideration and the ability to take one's time, the reader is still able to enjoy the story. In a film, however, the pace has to remain relatively fast in order to keep everyone's interest. This film version does an excellent job of keeping the original impact while changing the story.

Caderousse does nothing to prevent an innocent man from being accused. He has only a superficial role as part of the plot to frame the young man, and does not profit from it because of his incompetence and addiction. He even understands, however dimly, that Dantes will be able to take revenge, should the plot be discovered. When "one gets out of prison,' said Caderousse, who, with what sense was left him, listened eagerly to the conversation, 'and when one gets out and one's name is Edmond Dantes, one seeks revenge'" (Chapter 4). Caderousse eventually meets an untimely end, after murdering a man to whom he sold the jewel the Dantes deliberately gave to him, because Dantes knew that Caderousse's temper would result in the drunkard's destruction.

Villefort is perhaps the most complex character in The Count of Monte Cristo. At first, he states that he believes that Dantes is…

Business in ussia

The ussian Federation occupies most of Eastern Europe and north Asia. It stretches from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the East and from Arctic Ocean in the North to Black Sea in the south (Pearson Education, 2012). It is the largest of the 21 republics that make up the Commonwealth of Independent States. There are also 6 federal territories, 2 federal cities, 49 regions, 1 autonomous region, and 10 autonomous areas (Pearson Education, 2012). Norway and Finland borders the Federation in the northwest while Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, and Ukraine border it in the west. In the south it is bordered by Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and North Korea. ussia occupies a land area of approximately 17,075,500 sq km (Pearson Education, 2012).

ussia is spread over all climatic zones except tropical. West of the Ural mountains from the Black Sea to the Arctic…

References List

Kwintessential (2004). Doing Business in Russia. Retrieved from  http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doing-business-russia.html 

Pearson Education (2013). Russia: Maps, History, Government, Geography, Culture, Facts,

Guide and Travel. Retrieved from  http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0107909.html 

Russian Embassy (2012). Russian Geography-Regions of Russia. Retrieved from  http://rusemb.org.uk/russiageography/

Hapsburg Empire in the Half entury before World War I

At the outbreak of World War I, The Hapsburg Empire was one of the last vestiges of Holy Roman Empire to be found in Europe. The eventual defeat of the Austrian Haspburgs culminated a demise that began in the half century before the war started.

The reason for the longevity of the Hapsburg Empire rested in its ability to form advantageous political alliances whether they be through marriage- Maria Theresa and Joseph II, religion- acceptance of Protestants ending discrimination against Jews or militaristic- alliance w / Germany, in nature. During the half century before the World War, The Haspburgs created some allegiances that would prove to be faulty.

During the rimean War (1853-1856) the Haspburgs flirted with siding with the France and England against Russia if Russia did not leave Romania. Russia withdrew but not without hard feelings towards the…

Conflicting National Interests

 http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/civil_n2/histscript6_n2/wwstart.html 

Military Casualties of W.W.I  http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/casualties.htm

We are surrounded on all sides by enemies, and we have to advance almost constantly under their fire. We have combined, by a freely adopted decision, for the purpose of fighting the enemy, and not of retreating into the neighboring marsh, the inhabitants of which, from the very outset, have reproached us with having chosen the path of struggle instead of the path of conciliationæthere can be no talk of an independent ideology formulated by the working masses themselves in the process of their movement, the only choice is -- either bourgeois or socialist ideology. There is no middle course (for mankind has not created a "third" ideology, and, moreover, in a society torn by class antagonisms there can be a non-class or an above-class ideology)."

The Revolution of 1905 developed in two phases. First, a diverse group opposing the Tsar and encompassing much of the political spectrum took form.…

8. Freeze, Gregory. (2002) Russia: A History. New York: Oxford University Press, ibid.

9. Freeze, Gregory. (1995) From Supplication to Revolution. New York: Oxford University Press, ibid.

10. Carr Hallet Edward. (1981) A History of Soviet Russia: The Bolshevik Revolution. New York: The Macmillan Company, ibid.