The Count of Monte Cristo

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Identify Napoleon Bonaparte with a brief list of traits and historical facts you might know or surmise. How does his story fit into the larger historical context of Europe in the early 1800s? What were his lasting impacts on the world?

Teaching Suggestion: The Count of Monte Cristo is set in a chaotic period of French history, just before, during, and after the brief restoration to power of Napoleon Bonaparte. Understanding this historical period is foundational to understanding the themes Dumas grapples with in the novel. Students will doubtless have varying degrees of knowledge about Bonaparte; the resources listed below can help fill in any gaps in their understanding so that all students have the requisite background knowledge to read the novel effectively.

• This 13-minute video from Captivating History offers a thorough overview of Napoleon and his historical context.
• This article in The Spectator by historian Luke Daly-Groves considers Napoleon’s lasting impact on the world.

2. In which historical time period did Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron) live and write? What is English Romanticism? What is a Byronic hero? What lasting impact has Byron had on Western literature and culture?

Teaching Suggestion: Dumas presents his protagonist, Edmond Dantès, as a Byronic hero. Understanding how such a hero was interpreted in Dumas’s time will help students understand Edmond more thoroughly and more accurately assess what Dumas seeks to convey through the character. The resources listed below should help to fill in any gaps in students’ understanding of Byron, his heroes, and their impact.

• This 10-minute video from The School of Life offers an introduction to Romanticism.
• This 15-minute video from PBS’s Storied explains the origins and lasting impact of Byronic heroes.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

What do you personally think about revenge? Under what conditions might it be satisfying or unsatisfying? Is it ever justifiable?

Teaching Suggestion: The core of Edmond Dantès’s personality is gradually consumed by his desire for revenge against his enemies, and questions about vengeance are central to the novel’s themes. Although this question can be answered in writing, students may enjoy discussing their ideas about vengeance with the class or in small groups. You might want to be mindful, however, of the potential for difficult topics such as school shootings to arise during such a discussion, and plan in advance for how to handle this.