The Count of Monte Cristo

A Desperate Surrender

On the fifth day, Danglars drags himself to the cell door and falls to his knees before Peppino, begging for food and offering a thousand francs for a mouthful of bread. When Peppino does not respond, Danglars calls for the chief. Vampa appears, and Danglars surrenders his last gold, asking only to live—he no longer demands liberty. When asked if he suffers greatly, Vampa coldly notes that others have suffered more, those who died of hunger.

The Voice of Edmond Dantès

A deep, solemn voice emerges from the shadows, asking if Danglars repents of the evil he has done. Danglars, trembling, asks what he must repent of. The man in the cloak reveals himself as Edmond Dantès, the very person Danglars sold and dishonored, whose betrothed he prostitute, whose father he condemned to die of hunger, and whom he also condemned to starvation. Danglars cries out and falls prostrate before his victim.

The Pardon

Edmond Dantès forgives Danglars, though his accomplices have not been so fortunate—one is mad and the other dead. He instructs Danglars to keep his remaining fifty thousand francs and tells him to eat and drink, promising entertainment tonight. Vampa is ordered to free Danglars once he is satisfied. Danglars remains prostrate as the count withdraws, and when he raises his head, he sees only a shadow disappearing down the passage, before which the bandits bow respectfully.

The White Hair

According to the count’s directions, Vampa brings Danglars the finest wine and fruits of Italy before leading him to the road and pointing out a post-chaise. Danglars leans against a tree through the night, unaware of his surroundings. When daylight dawns and he stoops to drink from a nearby stream, he discovers that his hair has turned entirely white—a physical manifestation of the psychological torment he has endured.

CAPÍTULO 117. The Fifth of October

Chapter 117, “The Fifth of October,” takes place primarily at sea and on the island of Monte Cristo. Maximilian Morrel, deep in grief, arrives by yacht at dusk to meet the Count, who has summoned him with the promise of a painless death on the date Morrel specified. The chapter traces Morrel’s arrival, his emotional exchange with the Count about whether he is truly beyond consolation, the deadline of the fifth of October at nine o’clock, the entrance into the Count’s luxurious underground grotto, a philosophical conversation about death, the Count’s last-ditch offer of his hundred-million fortune to keep Morrel alive, Morrel’s steadfast refusal, his acceptance and consumption of a mysterious substance, and the gradual onset of its effects as the chapter ends. Chapter 117. The Fifth of October The chapter resolves the principal fates in the Count of Monte Cristo. Morrel lies dying and receives a vision of Monte Cristo and Valentine; Monte Cristo reunites the lovers and requests that Valentine watch over Haydée. When Monte Cristo announces that Haydée must leave him, she confesses her love, which he accepts as a sign of divine pardon. After Morrel revives, Jacopo delivers Monte Cristo’s farewell letter bequeathing his properties to the young couple and entrusting them with the maxim “Wait and hope.” The Count and Haydée then depart by sea as Morrel and Valentine watch from the shore.

CAPÍTULO 117. The Fifth of October

Chapter 117, “The Fifth of October,” takes place primarily at sea and on the island of Monte Cristo. Maximilian Morrel, deep in grief, arrives by yacht at dusk to meet the Count, who has summoned him with the promise of a painless death on the date Morrel specified. The chapter traces Morrel’s arrival, his emotional exchange with the Count about whether he is truly beyond consolation, the deadline of the fifth of October at nine o’clock, the entrance into the Count’s luxurious underground grotto, a philosophical conversation about death, the Count’s last-ditch offer of his hundred-million fortune to keep Morrel alive, Morrel’s steadfast refusal, his acceptance and consumption of a mysterious substance, and the gradual onset of its effects as the chapter ends.