The Count of Monte Cristo

Dantès’s Plan to Swap with Faria’s Corpse

Without second-guessing his desperate plan, Dantès moves Faria’s corpse to his own cell, arranging it to look like he is sleeping in bed to fool the jailer during the evening meal. He retrieves the burial sack that held Faria, strips off his own clothes, climbs inside the sack, and sews the mouth shut from the inside to mimic a corpse. He also outlines backup plans: if grave diggers discover he is alive while transporting the body, he will cut his way out of the sack and escape; if he is buried, he will dig through the soil to flee under cover of night, or accept suffocation if caught.

Dantès Swaps Places with Faria’s Corpse

Dantès completes the physical swap of places with Faria’s corpse: he places Faria’s body on his own bed, covers it with his blanket, positions its head toward the wall to fool the jailer into thinking he is asleep, and leaves the tunnel connecting the two cells open. He then enters Faria’s burial sack, lying in the exact position the corpse had occupied, before sealing himself inside. He fears his racing heartbeat will reveal he is alive if jailers enter unexpectedly, and worries the governor may order the body removed earlier than scheduled, destroying his last hope of escape.

Dantès Waits for the Grave Diggers

After sealing himself inside the burial sack, Dantès waits in agonizing suspense, his heart pounding so hard he fears it will give him away. He has not eaten since the prior evening but has no time to think of hunger, focused solely on avoiding discovery until the grave diggers arrive to collect the “corpse”. When he hears the footsteps of two men approaching his cell, he holds his breath and steels himself for what comes next.