The Count of Monte Cristo: No Human is a God “[Dantes] realized that he had exceeded the limits of vengeance, he realized that he could no longer say: ‘God is for me and with me.’” (1181). The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is set right after the first Napoleonic Wars, telling a story of vengeance conducted by a man, Edmond Dantes, a sailor, towards the three men that wrongfully imprisoned him for a crime he had not committed. Upon his escape from the Chateau D’If, where he was imprisoned for 14 years, he unearths a treasure. Utilizing that wealth, he, transforming into the Count of Monte Cristo, brings destruction upon the newly become Baron Danglars, a wealthy banker, Count de Morcerf, an ex-soldier previously known as Fernand,…show more content… Determining that Fernand, Danglars and Villefort committed wrongdoings, Dantes punishes them. But, did he really have this authority? I don't think so. His revenge brings pain and suffering to innocents. Through his vengeance on Fernand, he brings suffering to innocent bystanders, Fernand's son, Albert, and his wife, Mercedes, who used to be Dantes fiancee. Upon Haydee, the Count’s slave, proves Fernand's illegitimate acquisition of his wealth, Albert and Mercedes leave their wealth behind to rebuild a new life. Writing to Albert, he states, “Providence does not wish the innocent to pay for the guilty” (1003). The Count then contradicts himself when he subsequently leaves Mercedes loveless, poor and alone with her only hope resting on Albert’s life as a soldier. The Count further injures innocents, Baroness Danglars and her daughter Eugenie with his plot to financially ruin Danglars. Withdrawing 5 million and leaving Danglars with only 100,000 francs, Danglars writes a letter to Baroness Danglars denoting that she “will no longer have a husband” (1131). Not only does this leave the Baroness with a reduced income and miniature wealth but also ruins her relationship with Lucien Debray, who she had been secretly working with to increase their joint wealth. After the Cavalcanti plot that finally ruined Danglars, due to Danglars need for the Cavalcanti’s money, Eugenie tries to leave her family,…show more content… M. Morrel, upon his death bed, speaks to Maximilian telling him that the man who saved their family from financial ruin was Edmond Dantes, his long lost friend. Albert mentions that Franz, his close friend, tried to “make me believe [Dantes] was a spectre returning from the Beyond” (479). Believing Edmond to have been long dead, Mercedes is shocked when she recognized her first betrothal, Edmond Dantes, disguised as the Count of Monte Cristo. When the Count engineered Valentine’s faked death without Maximilian's knowledge, Maximilian plans to commit suicide since he strongly believed that Valentine was dead. Only the Count’s promise that he possesses the power to cure him prevents Maximilian’s plan from proceeding. Maximilian, in his delirious state, quotes that “this angel is like the one i lost” (1239) when Valentine is returned to him. He strongly believes that Dantes brought back Valentine from the dead. Contrary to this portrayal, Dantes does not have power over life and death, a lesson which he himself learns when faced with the corpse of Edouard. He attempts to use the elixir which Abbe Faria taught him and the same recipe which he later shared with Mms. Villefort. The elixir symbolized Dantes belief that he has the power over life and death - power to restore life and power to take life. It’s a power that Dantes acknowledges that he does not have when he