Edmond Dantès is a man of many faces and many disguises. He gives Halloween a run for its money. And, yet, who is this guy really? Somewhere along the way, we almost forget who the Count...

As a young woman, Mercédès is kind of one-dimensional character. She's beautiful, exotic, and faithful. She has a kind heart. She's happy for Edmond when he returns and she cries for him...

Albert is the son of Fernand and Mercédès. When you first met him, you probably hated him, yeah? When he's in Rome, he doesn't do as the Romans do; he acts like an arrogant little brat, m...

Danglars, SupercargoDanglars's motive is pretty darn boring: he's jealous of a younger, more attractive, more talented co-worker. He's sort of like Dwight on The Office, minus the glasses and nerdi...

Eugénie Danglars isn't like the other girls. Dumas makes it clear as day:As for her upbringing, if there was anything to be said against it, it was that, like some traits of her physiognomy, i...

Young VillefortYoung Villefort is the closest thing we get to a foil for Edmond. He's young, he's lucky in love, and his job prospects are good. Oh, and in case the parallels weren't clear enough,...

Monte Cristo may be baddest of the bad and the coolest of the cool, but Monsieur Noirtier sure does give him a run for his money. Diehard revolutionary, expert duelist, advisor to Napoleon, loyal g...

Rebirth's a big deal in The Count of Monte Cristo. Edmond Dantès becomes the Count of Monte Cristo, Danglars the supercargo becomes Danglars the ultra-rich banker, etc. Benedetto is unique, th...

Like his fellow convict Benedetto (a.k.a. Andrea Cavalcanti), Caderousse certainly knows how to waste a golden opportunity. Caderousse was never perfect – he was a drunk, and a coward, and le...

Abbé Faria is quite possibly the greatest mentor ever. How else do you explain the transformation of the young, innocent Edmond Dantès into the ultimate playboy, the beautiful brilliant,...

The first act of Haydée's life is sad – she sees her own father get gunned down right before her eyes and is sold into slavery – but it's the second act that's more worthy of analy...

Young Max is often referred to as "Maximilian Morrel, captain of spahis." Taken literally, it means that he's a captain of a cavalry unit in the French colonial army. What it boils down to, though,...

The only daughter of M. Pierre Morrel, she is chosen by Edmond to help save her father. Dantès, in the guise of an agent from Thomas and French, tells her that she'll one day receive a letter...

Beauchamp is a good journalist and a good friend. When a correspondent writes from Yanina implicating Albert's father in the betrayal of Ali Tebelin, Beauchamp takes it upon himself to do his profe...