The Count of Monte Cristo

1) Three ethical issues revealed in the film are vengeance, mercy and honesty. Each is interwoven throughout the film to develop characters and the plot. Once Edmond Dantes is innocently placed in prison, he believes his future consists of one action: vengeance. He must punish those who have hurt him such as Fernand Mondego and Monsieur De Villefort. As he suffers in prison, he rejects the idea of God and mercy inscribed on the prison wall, and lets his hatred and need for revenge overwhelm his soul. Once he is taken under the wing of Priest, this need for vengeance begins to slowly fade away, as evident in his decision not to kill Jacopo during the knife fight. However, his need for vengeance always simmers, such as when he becomes wealthy by finding vast amounts of gold and is asked what he wants to buy, and he replies “revenge”. He also takes small measures of emotional vengeance when he denies his identity to Mercedes, when he won’t let Villefort kill himself and when he places the pawn in the chest for Mondego to find. His decision to offer mercy to Mondego at the end almost costs Mercedes her life, as she is shot by a fleeing Mondego. But, in the end, he realizes Priest and Mercedes were correct and it is best to give mercy to one’s enemies. With the themes of vengeance and mercy, the theme of honesty is also experienced throughout the movie. Villefort lies about the murder charges against Dantes, which causes his father to commit suicide. Napoleon lies about the contents of the letter in the opening part of the movie. Mondego lies about Dantes’ role in the treason plot. The lack of honesty throughout the movie reveals the true motives of major characters as well as their true selves.

2) The concept of power is portrayed in the movie in two different ways; one, the power man has is fleeting, vulnerable, corruptible and impermanent. The other concept of power is one held by God, but available to us through knowledge, mercy and love. Most characters in the movie in positions of power use their power for evil. Villefort condemns innocent Dantes to prison, Mondego uses his wealth and connections to betray Dantes and take his fiancée. The warden of the prison uses his power to exact anniversary beatings on Dantes, for no reason other than his amusement. At one point, Mondego comments that “in life, we are all kings or pawns” as if to suggest that a person either has absolute power or none. And absolute power corrupts absolutely. Contrasting these evil earthly powers is the concept of heavenly and good power. Dantes first sees the power of God inscribed on the prison wall, pushing him to believe he will be saved. Priest teaches Dantes that power is found through knowledge, mercy and faith in God. Mercedes begs Dantes to forgive Mongedo as that’s what God would want and Dantes implores “Can I not escape him?!” Whereas the power man has on earth eventually disappears, as we see Mondego in the end, bankrupt and near arrest, the power of God cannot be contained, tarnished or corrupted.

3) Individual choices and actions influence relationships in both a negative and at times, a positive way throughout the movie. We continually see the main characters make choices that directly influence others, seemingly without remorse or concern. Mondego is not satisfied with his life despite having success and fortune. He drinks too much and he doesn’t respect boundaries or formalities. He makes the decision that he wants Dantes fiancée. His choice to betray his friend helps set in motion years of anguish and torment for both Dantes and Mercedes; Dantes in prison, planning revenge and Mercedes in an unhappy marriage. Villefort, in his quest for power and wealth, chooses to condemn an innocent man, a pawn, to a life in prison. Even Dantes himself makes the choice to plot his revenge; he goes to Paris, becomes the Count of Monte Cristo and comes very close to almost killing Mondego and his own son. Priest and Mercedes’ choices have a more positive impact. Priest chooses to take Dantes under his wing and transforms Dantes into a better man. Mercedes choice to stay loyal to her true love, Dantes, for many years, makes their reunification at the end more natural and pure. As with two of the major themes of the movies being good versus evil and manly power versus Godly power, the characters’ individual choices throughout the movie impact other characters in both beneficial and detrimental ways. There is little justification to the motives of Mondego or Villefort other than greed or lust or envy. There is certainly justification in the choices of Priest and Mercedes as their choices come from a place of love, sincerity and kindness. Dantes, as a main character should be, is the most complex; his choices come from a place of deep passion. His need for vengeance, his need to survive prison, his need to be with Mercedes again. His choice to forgive Mondego eventually leads to Mondego’s own death when he seeks revenge against Dantes, which the viewer believes is absolutely justified.

4) Three characters in the movie and how Johnson’s elements of character relate to them are Priest, Dantes and Mercedes. Priest is a man of wisdom. He has read and learned the great works of literature, he knows math and economic formulas and has devised a plan to escape the prison. He is a man of integrity; despite his harsh environment, he still says thank you every day when given his food. Priest is a man of optimism; he will spend eight years digging tunnel if it means a chance for freedom. And Priest is a man of compassion; he spends countless hours teaching and counseling an emotionally and spiritually broken Dantes. Dantes is a man whose elements of character change and grow throughout the movie. Yes, he is courageous at first but he is not wise, such as being vulnerable to the plot against him and believing he is ready to captain a ship with little experience. It is through meeting Priest that he becomes wise and just. He no longer believes that vengeance is the only solution to his past injustices. He develops compassion for others. At the end of the movie, he admits that Priest was right, that forgiveness is the only way to achieve peace in one’s soul. Mercedes’ elements of character are unwavering throughout the movie; she is truly a foil to Dantes’ character. Mercedes is honest and loyal. She never removes the ring of string Dantes gave to her despite being married to Mondego. She is wise and compassionate; she knows that forgiveness is what Dantes must choose in order to be truly happy and move on from his past. Her loyalty to Dantes is the basis for her one dishonest act, hiding the true identity of her son’s father, which is not Mondego, but Dantes. 5) Leaders and leadership in the film are mostly depicted as self-serving, dishonest and amoral. Leaders will not hesitate to be dishonest as Villefort is when he burns the letter or tells Dantes he is free to go and then condemns him, while trying to protect his friend Clarion. The warden of the prison treats the inmates terribly and relishes his role as an enslaver and abuser. Leaders cannot be taken at face value; they are constantly plotting and scheming at the expense of anyone in their way, including friends and family. The exceptions to this negative portrayal of leadership is the leadership roles of Priest. Priest helps Dantes become a more intelligent and rounded man. Priest sees leadership as patient and kind such as when he teaches Dantes physics and swordsmanship and economics, as well as his commitment to digging a tunnel to freedom. The depiction of leaders in the movies allows the viewer to see the contrast between those leaders who use their position for their own benefit versus those who use their leadership position to help others.