Socratic Seminar Questions

Nate Tillotson
Gold P.2
2. I believe that Valentine and Maximilian best exemplify the idea of true love. Their story is like
that of Romeo and Juliet. Valentine was willing to fake her death to be with Maximilian, and he
would rather die than live in a world without her (Dumas 525).
3. I believe that the Count was justified in his acts of revenge. He lived through many years of
agony and torment, and the jurisprudence system was corrupt and ineffective, and thus he
could not be avenged conventionally. He later justified his actions when he revealed himself to
Danglars: Im the man you betrayed and dishonored, the man whose fiancee you prostituted,
the man on whom you trod on the way to fortune, the man whose father you caused to die of
hunger..(Dumas 522)
4. Villefort is the most cruel character in the novel. His huge ambitions and aspirations drove
him to do extremely cruel things. When he was hearing the case of Dantes, he initially displayed
sympathy towards him (Dumas 25) until he discovered that he could profit from his arrest
(Dumas 30). In addition, he tried to save his reputation by killing his infant illegitimate son
(Dumas 262).
5. The central theme of The Count of Monte Cristo is vengeance. All of the time since he got out
of prison, he has been plotting his revenge against Danglars, Caderousse, Mondego, and
Villefort. He also believes that God is with him, and invokes his name as he resolves himself to
punish the wicked(Dumas 131)
7. At the end of the novel, Dantes learns that his vengeance may not have been justified. He
first realized this when he realized that his actions led to the death to Edouard, a child. The
novel stated, He realized that he had gone beyond the limits of rightful vengeance and that he
could no longer say, God is for me and with me(Dumas 485).
8. Through all of the adversity he faced during his life, Dantes completed his revenge on all of
his enemies. Although he regretted some aspects of it(Dumas 485) he felt accomplished,
victorious, and fulfilled, but not necessarily happy.. When speaking to Haydee, he said, God,
who raised me up against my enemies and made me victorious, didn't want me to have this
penance at the end of my victory(Dumas 529) He explicitly stated that he was victories, but this
does not indicate that he was happy.
10. The happiest characters at the end of the novel are Maximilien and Valentine. They went to
enormous lengths to be with each other, and as the count explains, only a man who has
experienced ultimate despair can feel ultimate bliss (Dumas 531). Therefore, according to
Dumas, they have ultimate bliss.

12. In the count's letter to Maximilian, he claims that there is neither happiness nor misery in
the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more(Dumas 531).
This statement rings true for all times, places, and situations. This statement explains why both
happiness and depression exists in all demographic areas, whether it is wealth, location or
social status. This theme reverberates throughout the novel. In the case of Maximilien, he was
at a point ultimate despair when he thought that Valentine was dead, to the point of being willing
to take his own life(Dumas 525). Then when he discovered that Valentine was alive, he could
then be at ultimate bliss.(530)
14. If I could have dinner with one of the characters, it would be Edmond Dantes, or the Count
of Monte Cristo. His unique paradigm and experiences would make him a fascinating guest for
dinner. Also, it would be interesting to hear his stories from his incredible life, as well as his
motivations, ambitions, and feelings.