The Accounts of Monte Cristo

Mercedes

At the beginning of the story, Mercedes is a young Catalan girl who is in love with Edmond Dantes; they have been together for three years. Described as "a young and beautiful girl, with hair as black as jet, her eyes as velvety as the gazelle's... her arms... embrowned, and resembling those of the Venus at Arles, moved with a kind of restless impatience, and she tapped the earth with her pliant and well formed foot so as to display the pure and full shape of her well turned leg, in its red cotton stocking"
Mercedes' mother has been dead for a year at the beginning of the story; she has subsisted largely on public charity.
She and Dantes are due to be married, but he is arrested at the wedding feast.
After Napoleon's return she remains in Marseilles, waiting for Edmond.
After his escape from prison, Dantes learns from Caderousse that Mercedes is now married to Fernand, and lives with him in Paris. She was married to him 18 months after Dantes was imprisoned, and they have a child together.
When Monte Cristo visits Albert upon arriving in Paris in 1838 he meets Mercedes at the house; she is visibly distressed upon meeting him.
She is opposed to Albert's marriage to Eugenie.
The night before the Count's duel with Albert, Mercedes visits him and pleads with him not to kill her son, revealing that she has known his identity all along. Dantes agrees but says that he will allow Albert to kill him intead. Mercedes reveals the full story of Fernand's betrayal to Albert, who calls off the duel and apologises to Dantes.
Mercedes and Albert leave Fernand; Albert joins the army and Mercedes returns to her old life in Marseilles.

Fernand

Fernand is the cousin of Mercedes. At the beginning of the story he works as a fisherman and is described as "a tall young man of twenty or twenty two". He has repeatedly asked Mercedes to marry him, claiming to have had her mother's blessing, but she has refused, seeing him only as a cousin and friend.
He wishes to kill Dantes because of Mercedes' affection for him, but she says that if he attempts anything she will throw herself into the sea.
After leaving Mercedes' house following Dantes's return, he meets Danglars and Caderousse by chance; they conspire together to anonymously accuse Dantes of Bonapartism; Danglars thinks of the scheme and writes the letter; Fernand delivers it; Caderousse speaks up in Dantes's defence, but does nothing to stop the scheme going ahead.
After Napoleon's return he is conscripted into the army and leaves Marseilles.
After his escape from prison, Dantes learns from Caderousse that during his imprisonment Fernand has grown rich and successful. He served at the Battle of Ligny in 1815; one night he was serving as sentry to a general who defected to the English, taking Fernand with him. He earned the general's patronage and was made captain; he then served in the war with Spain in 1823 and was promoted to colonel and obtaining a title - the Comte de Morcerf. He then served in the Greek War of Independence, entering the service of Ali Pasha as Instructor-General. When Ali Pasha was killed he left Fernand considerable money, and he now lives in Paris, married to Mercedes.
By the time of the Monte Cristo's arrival in Paris in 1838, Fernand has left the army; at the restoration of the monarchy he was made a peer, and has gone into politics.
Fernand conceals his low birth, saying that his family was ruined by the revolution. He has an income of 50,000 francs a year - he hopes to increase his fortune through marrying Albert to Eugenie Danglars.
Danglars calls off the wedding of Albert and Eugenie, as he wants to replace Albert with Andrea Cavalcanti. Beauchamp uncovers information implicating Fernand in the murder of Ali Pasha. Albert goes to confront him, but Beauchamps asks for three weeks to prove the story.
Though Beauchamp agrees to bury the story, the accusations against Fernand in the Ali Pasha affair are published in another newspaper.
Fernand is accused in the Chamber of Deputies of betraying and killing Ali Pasha, and an inquiry is set up to examine the charges. Haydee attends and provides the evidence to convict him.
Albert learns that Monte Cristo is behind the accusations against Fernand, and publicly challenges him at the opera.
When Albert learns the true story of Dantes's imprisonment, he and Mercedes leave Fernand; Albert joins the army and Mercedes returns to her old life in Marseilles.
Fernand goes to the Count's house when he learns that the duel with Albert has not taken place. He intends to fight Monte Cristo, but is overcome with shock when Dantes reveals his true identity. He goes home and - ruined, disgraced and abandoned by his family - he kills himself.

Danglars

At the beginning of the story Danglars is the Supercargo aboard the Pharaon. He is described as "a man of twenty five or twenty six years of age, of unprepossessing countenance, obsequious to his superiors, insolent to his inferiors; and then, besides his position as responsible agent on board, which is always obnoxious to the sailors, he was as much disliked by the crew as Edmond Dantes was beloved by them." He is jealous when Morrel promotes Dantes to captain of the Pharaon. Dantes relates that they quarrelled during the voyage; Dantes challenged Danglars but he refused to fight.
Fernand meets Danglars and Caderousse by chance; they conspire together to anonymously accuse Dantes of Bonapartism; Danglars thinks of the scheme and writes the letter; Fernand delivers it; Caderousse speaks up in Dantes's defence, but does nothing to stop the scheme going ahead.
When Dantes is arrested, Danglars is made captain of the Pharaon in his place.
Shortly after Napoleon's return Danglars leaves Morrel's service and is not heard of in Marseilles again.
After his escape from prison, Dantes learns from Caderousse that during his imprisonment Danglars has grown rich and successful. During the war with Spain he was employed in the commissariat of the French army. He made a fortune through speculation, and married the daughter of a banker, who died. He married a second time, a widow of noble birth. He is a millionaire and has been made a baron.
He refuses Morrel a loan, even in his time of greatest need.
Danglars is said to have negotiated a loan of 6,000,000 francs for Charles X in 1829 and was made a baron as a reward. His daughter Eugenie is arranged to be married to Fernand and Mercedes' son Albert when both are old enough.
At the time of Monte Cristo's arrival in Paris, Danglars is now a member of the Chamber of Deputies; he dresses ostentatiously, wearing an over-sized wig.
Though hesitant, Danglars agrees to extend Monte Cristo unlimited credit. The Count immediately asks for 6,000,000 francs.
Dantes bribes the telegraph operator to send a false signal, reporting an uprising in Spain. Debray relays this message to Madame Danglars, advising her husband to sell his Spanish bonds immediately. He does so, losing 1,000,000 francs.
Danglars is aware of the affair between his wife and Debray but happy with the arrangement, as Debray gives Madame Danglars inside information which he can use to make money on the stock market.
Danglars calls off the wedding of Albert and Eugenie, as he wants to replace Albert with Andrea Cavalcanti.
Cavalcanti asks for Eugenie's hand in marriage and is accepted.
Eugenie tells Danglars that she won't marry Andrea. He reveals that his financial speculations have nearly ruined him, and that he needs Cavalcanti's money. Eugenie agrees to go ahead with the marriage in three days' time.
At the marriage ceremony, soldiers turn up at Danglars' house with orders to arrest Andrea, now revealed to be Benedetto. He flees before they can take him away.
Monte Cristo visits Danglars and asks for the remainder of the 6,000,000 francs promised to him, leaving Danglars nearly ruined. He takes what he has left and flees Paris.
Danglars manages to withdraw 5,000,000 francs from the house of Thomson and French in Rome using Monte Cristo's name, but he is kidnapped soon after by Luigi Vampa's men.
They hold him hostage and only agree to feed him if he pays extortionate prices for the food, eventually depriving him of almost all of his money. Eventually Dantes relents, and spares Danglars. When he looks in the mirror the next day he sees that his hair has turned white.

Gerard de Villefort

At the beginning of the story Villefort is the deputy Proceurer de Roi, though only 27. He is engaged to Renee de Saint-Meran, from whom he will gain a fortune and political connections; when Dantes is accused, he conducts the interrogation; he has a reputation for ambition and for bringing Bonapartists to justice.
He feels well disposed towards Dantes and doesn't think he's involved in the plot, but discovers his father Noirtier is implicated so has Dantes sent without explanation to the Chateau d'If to silence him.
He leaves his wedding feast to go to Paris and warn the king of Napoleon's return, gaining political favour and the legion of honour.
During the hundred days, his marriage is put off until a more favourable tie politically; following the restoration he is promoted and moves to Toulouse, marrying Renee.
Bertuccio reveals that he had declared a vendetta against Villefort not long after this, around 1817. He follows him several months later to the house at Auteuil. While there, he sees Villefort with a young, pregnant woman, and waits in the garden to ambush him. He sees Villefort bury something in a box in ground, and stabs him, believing him dead. Digging up the box, he finds a child, thought to be dead, but who survives. He gives the child, Benedetto, to his sister in law to raise.
In Paris, Villefort visits Monte Cristo following Ali's rescue when their horses run wild. His appearance has changed: "from slender he had become meager; from pale, yellow; his deep-set eyes were now hollow, and gold spectacles, as they shielded his eyes, seemed to make a portion of his face. All his costume was black, with the exception of his white cravat, and this funereal appearance was only broken by the slight line of red ribbon which passed almost imperceptibly through his button hole, and appeared like a streak of blood traced with a pencil". He is now the Proceurer General.
He is attempting to marry his daughter Valentine to Franz d'Epinay, but this is opposed by Noirtier.
It is revealed that Madame Danglars was the woman with whom Villefort had the child, Benedetto. Villefort begins to be suspicious of Monte Cristo, and sets his agents to investigate him.
The agents end up questioning only Busoni and Lord Wilmore, and learn nothing.
Villefort nearly succeeds in marrying Valentine to Franz, but is frustrated at the last moment when Noirtier reveals that it was he who secretly killed Franz's father many years before, in 1815. Franz calls off the wedding.
When Barrois and Mme. de Saint-Meran are found to have been poisoned, M. d'Avrigny tells Villefort that he suspects Valentine.
After Valentine's supposed death, Villefort reveals to his wife that he knows she was the poisoner. He tells her she must take her own life.
During his trial, Benedetto publicly reveals that Villefort is his father. Villefort acknowledges his guilt and runs back to his home.
He finds Dantes there waiting for him, who reveals his true identity. He also finds that Madame Villefort has killed herself, along with their son Eduoard. Stricken with grief, Villefort goes mad.

Caderousse

At the beginning of the story Caderousse works as a tailor in Marseilles and is neighbour to Dantes and his father. A man of twenty five or six.
Fernand meets Danglars and Caderousse by chance; they conspire together to anonymously accuse Dantes of Bonapartism; Danglars thinks of the scheme and writes the letter; Fernand delivers it; Caderousse speaks up in Dantes' defence, but does nothing to stop the scheme going ahead.
After Napoleon's return he is conscripted into the army and leaves Marseilles.
Following Dantes's escape from prison, he finds that Caderousse now owns a small inn on the road from Bellgarde to Beaucaire.
He has run the inn for 7 or 8 years but has fallen on hard times. He is described as "a man of from forty to fifty-five years of age, tall, strong, and bony, a perfect specimen of the natives of those southern latitudes; he had dark, sparkling, and deep-set eyes, hooked nose, and teeth white as those of a carnivorous animal; his hair, like his beard, which he wore under his chin, was thick and curly, and in spite of his age but slightly interspersed with a few silvery threads. His naturally dark complexion had assumed a still further shade of brown from the habit the unfortunate man had acquired of stationing himself from morning till eve at the threshold of his door, on the lookout for guests who seldom came, yet there he stood, day after day, exposed to the meridional rays of a burning sun, with no other protection for his head than a red handkerchief twisted around it, after the manner of the Spanish muleteers". He is married to the woman known as La Carconte. Dantes visits him disguised as the Abbe Busoni, giving him a large and valuable diamond in exchange for information about the other conspirators.
Caderousse is coerced by La Carconte to rob the jeweller who values the diamond. She and the jeweller are both killed in the attempt and Caderousse is later arrested and sent to the galleys for life.
In Paris, Caderousse returns, having escaped the galleys; he and Benedetto had served their sentences together, and he blackmails him, threatening to reveal his true identity to Danglars.
Caderousse blackmails Benedetto into participating in a robbery at Monte Cristo's house.
During the break in, he is surprised by Dantes disguised as Busoni. He is given the opportunity to leave, but is murdered by Benedetto.

Pierre Morrel

M. Morrel co-owns the shipping company which operates the Pharaon and employs Dantes and Danglars. He is affectionate towards Dantes and supportive of him being captain of the Pharaon. He is around 36 at the beginning of the story.
He has a reputation as a Bonapartist.
After Dantes senior dies, Morrel pays his debts and for the funeral.
After Dantes escapes from prison, he finds that Morrel has fallen on hard times in the intervening period; he has lost five ships in two years, and is threatened with bankruptcy.
Morrel is now in his 50s: "his hair had turned white, time and sorrow had ploughed deep furrows in his brow, and his look, once so firm and penetrating, was now irresolute and wandering, as if he feared being forced to fix his attention on some particular thought or person". When his last hope the Pharaon is wrecked he despairs, but Dantes in the guise of the Clerk of Thomson & French gives him a further three months to pay.
When he cannot come up with the money to repay his debts, he prepares to kill hiself to preserve his family's honour, but is saved when Dantes rebuilds the Pharaon in secret.
In Paris, it is revealed that Morrel has died in the intervening years, and the business has been sold by Julie and Emmanuel.

Maximilian Morrel

Pierre Morrel's son, a soldier.
At the time of Dantes's escape from prison he is 22. Noted for his rigid observance, not only of the obligations imposed on a soldier, but also of the duties of a man, he has gained the nickname 'the stoic'.
He visits Albert de Morcerf with Chateau-Renaud on the morning that Monte Cristo arrives in Paris. He is now a captain, and had saved Chateau-Renaud's life in Algeria. While on leave from the army, he lives with Julie and Emmanuel.
He is in love with Valentine de Villefort and the two have been secretly meeting; they cannot be together as she is arranged to be married to Franz d'Epinay.
In the Dantes's duel with Albert, Maximilian and Emmanuel act as seconds.
Stricken with grief when he believes Valentine to be dead, Morrel prepares to kill himself, but is interrupted by Dantes, who finally reveals his true identity. He makes Morrel promise that he will wait for one month before carrying out his wish to commit suicide.
When Dantes leaves Paris, his task completed, Morrel goes with him.
When the appointed day comes, Dantes take Morrel to the island of Monte Cristo where he reveals that Valentine is still alive. He says that he kept this from him to show him that only after knowing true despair can one know true happiness.

Louis Dantes (Edmond's father)

Edmond's father; he is frail and elderly. He is in debt to Caderousse.
After Edmond's arrest and Napoleon's downfall he loses hope and dies. Morrel pays his debts and for the funeral.

Abbe Faria

The prisoner in the cell next to Dantes, known as Number 27. He was imprisoned there in 1811, having been held in Fenestrelle Fortress for three years before that, and according to his captors went mad in 1813, offering them increasingly vast sums of money to secure his release.
He tunnels into Dantes's cell six years following Dantes's imprisonment, attempting to tunnel out but miscalculating. Born in Rome, he was private secretary to Cardinal Spada for 20 years.
He is described as "a man of small stature, with hair blanched rather by suffering and sorrow than years." He has "a deep set, penetrating eye, almost buried beneath the thick, gray eyebrow, and a long (and still black) beard reaching down to his breast".
Neglected by their captors, the two become close companions. He helps Dantes deduce who betrayed him, and teaches him various subjects: mathematics, physics, languages, and history. The two make a plan to escape, but Faria is affected by seizures, the second of which leaves him paralyzed and unable to walk.
He reveals to Dantes the location of an immense treasure, buried by Caesar Spada on the island of Monte Cristo in the 15th century. Faria had been secretary to his descendant and had discovered the location of the treasure accidentally one day while working in the library. He was arrested shortly after: imperial agents believed him to be a proponent of Italian unification, which Napoleon was opposed to at the time. The treasure amounts to 2 million Roman crowns: nearly 13 million francs.
Some time later he suffers a third seizure and dies. Dantes escapes the Chateau d'If by switching places with him before his body is thrown into the sea.

Jacopo

Jacopo is a Corsican sailor who helps rescue Dantes after he escapes and is drowning. He has a "frank and manly appearance".
He shows loyalty to Dantes and seems to recognise a superiority in him over other men.
When rich, Dantes rewards his loyalty with money and a boat.
After Dantes saves the Morrel family, he leaves with Jacopo on his boat.

La Carconte

Wife of Caderousse; lives with him at the inn they run together. He real name is Madeleine Radelle but is called La Carconte after the village of her birth. She is described as "pale, meagre and sickly looking. born in the neighbourhood of Arles, she had shared the beauty for which its women are proverbial; but that beauty had gradually withered beneath the devastating influence of the slow fever so prevalent among dwellers by the ponds of Aiguemortes and the marshes of camargue." She has become bitter and regularly complains about her fate.
After Dantes leaves Caderousse a diamond, she coerces him to rob the jeweller who values it. She and the jeweller are both killed in the attempt.

Julie Morrel

Daughter of M. Morrel. She is 16 or 17 at the time of Dantes's escape from prison and is in love with Emmanuel Herbaut. During Morrel's crisis, she is summoned by Sinbad the Sailor to Dantes's old house, where the money to pay off Morrel's debts has been left in the purse that Morrel used to help Dantes's father, with the label 'Julie's dowry'.
By 1838 when Dantes arrives in Paris, Julie and Emmanuel have been married for nine years and have sold the shipping company after her father's death.

Emmanuel Herbaut

An employee of Morrel's. He is in love with Julie Morrel and stays with the company even after most others have abandoned Morrel. He is 23 or 24 at the time of Dantes's escape from prison.
By 1838 when Monte Cristo arrives in Paris, Julie and Emmanuel have been married for nine years and have sold the shipping company after her father's death.

Noirtier de Villefort

Noirtier is Villefort's father; he was a senator and girondin before Napoleon's rise; a noted Bonapartist.
He is described as having "dark hair, black, with black eyebrows, dressed in a blue frock coat decorated with the legion of honour".
He is vice-president of the Bonapartist club; he works to facilitate Napoleon's return.
After Dantes's arrival in Paris, it is revealed that in the intervening years he has suffered a stroke and is now paralyzed. He can only communicate through blinking.
He has a close relationship with his granddaughter Valentine.
Noirtier can only communicate with a look, and only three people can understand him: Villefort, Valentine, and Barrois.
He opposes Valentine's marriage to Franz d'Epinay; on hearing of it he attempts to dissuade Villefort from going through with the plan by disinheriting Valentine in his will.
Shortly before Valentine's wedding, Noirtier asks to see Franz, and reveals that it was he who secretly killed Franz's father many years before, in 1815. Franz calls off the wedding.

Luigi Vampa

A feared bandit, operating near Rome.
During the carnival, Albert is lured away and kidnapped by Vampa's men.
Franz visits Monte Cristo and asks him to intercede for Albert. Together they visit Vampa, who releases Albert, showing the Count's influence over him.
After his ruin, Danglars manages to withdraw 5,000,000 francs from the house of Thomson and French in Rome using Monte Cristo's name, but he is kidnapped soon after by Vampa's men.
They hold him hostage and only agree to feed him if he pays extortionate prices for the food, eventually depriving him of almost all of his money.

Albert de Morcerf

Albert is the son of Mercedes and Fernand; he is 20 in 1838. He visits his friend Franz d'Epinay in Rome for the carnival and they meet the Count of Monte Cristo.
Albert is charmed by the Monte Cristo, but Franz is suspicious of him. During the carnival, Albert is lured away and kidnapped by Luigi Vampa's men.
Franz visits Monte Cristo and asks him to intercede for Albert. Together they visit Luigi Vampa, who releases Albert, showing the Count's influence over him.
Following Albert's release, Monte Cristo asks him to show him around Paris, and they agree to meet at Albert's house in three months' time.
Albert is arranged to be married to Eugenie Danglars, this having been agreed about 8 years previously.
Mercedes is opposed to his marriage to Eugenie.
Danglars calls off the wedding of Albert and Eugenie, as he wants to replace Albert with Andrea Cavalcanti. Beauchamp uncovers information implicating Fernand in the murder of Ali Pasha. Albert goes to confront him, but Beauchamp asks for three weeks to prove the story.
Beauchamp reveals that he has travelled to Janina and that the accusations against Fernand are true, but agrees to suppress the truth; he and Albert are reconciled.
Monte Cristo invites Albert to go away with him, and they spend three days together at his home in Normandy. An urgent letter arrives from Beauchamp revealing that the accusations against Fernand have been published in another paper.
Albert learns that Monte Cristo is behind the accusations against Fernand, and publicly challenges the Count at the opera.
The night before the duel, Mercedes visits Monte Cristo and pleads with him not to kill her son, revealing that she has known his identity all along. Dantes agrees but says that he will allow Albert to kill him intead. Mercedes reveals the full story to Albert, who calls off the duel and apologises to Dantes.
Mercedes and Albert leave Fernand; Albert joins the army and Mercedes returns to her old life in Marseilles.

Debray

A friend of Albert's who visits him on the morning Monte Cristo arrives in Paris. He is private secretary to the Minister of the Interior and is described as "a tall young man, with light hair, clear grey eyes, and thin and compressed lips". He wears a tortoise shell eye glass, suspended by a silken thread.
He often spends time in the company of Madame Danglars.
It is confirmed that he and Madame Danglars are lovers.
Dantes bribes the telegraph operator to send a false signal, reporting an uprising in Spain. Debray relays this message to Madame Danglars, advising her husband to sell his Spanish bonds immediately. He does so, losing 1,000,000 francs.
Danglars is aware of the affair between his wife and Debray but happy with the arrangement, as Debray gives Madame Danglars inside information which he can use to make money on the stock market.

Beauchamp

A friend of Albert's who visits him on the morning Monte Cristo arrives in Paris. He is a journalist and editor of a newspaper.
Beauchamp uncovers information implicating Fernand in the murder of Ali Pasha. Albert goes to confront him, but Beauchamp asks for three weeks to prove the story.
Beauchamp reveals that he has travelled to Janina and the accusations against Fernand are true, but agrees to suppress the truth; he and Albert are reconciled.
When Albert challenges Monte Cristo at the opera, Beauchamp and Chateau-Renaud act as seconds.

Chateau-Renaud

A friend of Albert's who visits him on the morning Monte Cristo arrives in Paris. He is described as "a handsome young man of thirty, gentleman all over, that is, with the figure of a Guiche and the wit of a Montemart". His nobility goes back to the twelve peers, and his ancestors had a place at the round table. He had been fighting in Algeria and had his life saved by Maximilian Morrel. He had previously fought a duel with Franz d'Epinay; Franz's arm was broken.
When Albert challenges Monte Cristo at the opera, Beauchamp and Chateau-Renaud act as seconds.

Franz d'Epinay

Young Baron and friend of Albert de Morcerf. He meets Dantes in 1838; he has been living in Rome for 3 or 4 years; he decides to go hunting one evening and is taken to the isle of Monte Cristo, where he is entertained by Sinbad the Sailor. They take a mixture of hashish and opium, and Franz has a complex hallucination. When he awakes Sinbad is gone.
He acts as cicerone to Albert while he is staying in Rome for the carnival.
Albert is charmed by Monte Cristo, but Franz is suspicious of him. During the carnival, Albert is lured away and kidnapped by Luigi Vampa's men.
Franz visits Monte Cristo and asks him to intercede for Albert. Together they visit Luigi Vampa, who releases Albert, showing the Count's influence over him.
When Albert returns to Paris, Franz says he will stay in Italy for another year or two.
He is arranged to be married to Valentine de Villefort.
At Villefort's request, he returns to Paris earlier than planned, to marry Valentine.
Shortly before the wedding, Noirtier asks to see Franz, and reveals that it was he who killed secretly killed Franz's father many years before, in 1815. Franz calls off the wedding.

Madame Danglars

Madame Danglars is the wife of Danglars; she is of noble birth, having previously been married to the Marquis de Nargonne.
She often spends time in the company of Lucien Debray. Monte Cristo offers a large sum for her dappled grey horses; Danglars agrees without consulting her, causing a disagreement between them. The Count soon returns the horses as a gift. The next day the horses run wild when Madame Villefort and Edouard are riding in the carriage, but are subdued by Ali.
It is confirmed that she and Debray are lovers.
She makes money by gambling on the stock market; she has recently made 300,000 francs on Haitian bonds.
Dantes bribes the telegraph operator to send a false signal, reporting an uprising in Spain. Debray relays this message to Madame Danglars, advising her husband to sell his Spanish bonds immediately. He does so, losing 1,000,000 francs.
Danglars is aware of the affair between his wife and Debray but happy with the arrangement, as Debray gives Madame Danglars inside information which he can use to make money on the stock market.
It is revealed that Madame Danglars was the woman with whom Villefort had the child, Benedetto.

Eugenie Danglars

Daughter of Danglars, arranged to be married to Albert de Morcerf, this having been agreed about 8 years previously. She disdains men and does not wish to get married, preferring instead to live the life of an artist and spending a lot of time in the company of her friend, Louise d'Armilly.
She is 17 at the time of Monte Cristo's arrival in Paris. She is described as "beautiful, but her beauty was of too marked and decided a character to please a fastidious taste; her hair was raven black, but its natural waves seemed somewhat rebellious; her eyes, of the same color as her hair, were surmounted by well-arched brows, whose great defect, however, consisted in an almost habitual frown, while her whole physiognomy wore that expression of firmness and decision so little in accordance with the gentler attributes of her sex; her nose was precisely what a sculptor would have chosen for a chiselled Juno. Her mouth, which might have been found fault with as too large, displayed teeth of pearly whiteness, rendered still more conspicuous by the brilliant carmine of her lips, contrasting vividly with her naturally pale complexion."
Albert does not appreciate her 'type' of beauty.
Danglars calls off the wedding of Albert and Eugenie, as he wants to replace Albert with Andrea Cavalcanti.
Cavalcanti asks for Eugenie's hand in marriage and is accepted.
Eugenie tells Danglars that she won't marry Andrea. He reveals that his financial speculations have nearly ruined him, and that he needs Cavalcanti's money. Eugenie agrees to go ahead with the marriage in three days' time.
At the marriage ceremony, soldiers turn up at Danglars' house with orders to arrest Andrea, now revealed to be Benedetto. He flees before they can take him away.
Eugenie and Louise d'Armilly run away together, intending to live as artists in Italy.

Louise d'Armilly

A and friend and schoolfellow of Eugenie who assists her in music; she is said to be "a young woman without fortune whose talent promised to develop into remarkable powers as a singer".
She is described as "somewhat beautiful, and exquisitely formed; a little fairy-like figure, with large curls falling on her neck, which was rather too long, as Perugino sometimes makes his Virgins".
Following Andrea's arrest, she and Eugenie run away together, intending to live as artists in Italy.

Madame de Villefort

The second wife of Villefort, step-mother to Valentine. She and her son Edouard are riding in the carriage when Madame Danglars' dappled greys run wild, and are rescued by Ali. She is 25 at the time of Monte Cristo's arrival in Paris.
She resents Valentine for the sake of Edouard, as Valentine stands to receive more inheritance.
Monte Cristo introduces her to the idea of poisoning, and prescribes her a drug which can be poisonous.
After several deaths, it is revealed that she is the poisoner in the Villefort household.
Villefort reveals to his wife that he knows of her crimes. He tells her she must take her own life.
When Villefort returns from Benedetto's trial, he finds that she has killed herself, along with their son Eduoard. Stricken with grief, Villefort goes mad.

Marquis de Saint-Meran

Father to Renee; he is a rich and respected noble, soon to be father in law to Villefort at the beginning of the story.
pThe house at Auteuil which Monte Cristo purchases previously belonged to the Marquis.
He and his wife are travelling to Paris for Valentine's wedding, but he dies on route.

Marquise de Saint-Meran

Mother to Renee; soon to be mother in law to Villefort at the beginning of the story. She is described as "a woman with a stern, forbidding eye, though still noble and elegant-looking despite having reached her fiftieth year". Her father was executed during the revolution.
She and her husband are travelling to Paris for Valentine's wedding, but he dies on route.
Shortly after arriving at Villefort's house she is found dead as well. M d'Avrigny suspects deliberate poisoning.

Renee de Saint-Meran

"A young and lovely girl, with a profusion of light-brown hair, and eyes that seemed to float in liquid crystal"; she is the daughter of the rich Marquis de Saint-Meran and is engaged to Villefort at the beginning of the story.
Renee and Villefort are married after Napoleon's downfall.
She dies not long after Dantes is imprisoned, in 1817. Before she died they had a daughter, Valentine.

Valentine de Villefort

Villefort's daughter by his first marriage to Renee de Saint-Meran. She is 18 at the time of Monte Cristo's arrival in Paris.
She is in love with Maximilian and has been secretly meeting him; they cannot be together as she is arranged to be married to Franz d'Epinay. She has a close relationship with her grandfather Noirtier.
After several poisonings in the Villefort house, Valentine falls ill after drinking a glass of water.
She was partially protected from the poisoned drink, as Noirtier had previously given her small amounts of poison to accustom her to it.
Dantes gives Valentine a substance which sends her into a death-like state, so that her family and friends believe her to be dead.
After the grief-stricken Morrel says he intends to commit suicide, Dantes makes him promise to wait for one month. When the appointed day comes, Dantes take Morrel to the island of Monte Cristo where he reveals that Valentine is still alive. He says that he kept this from him to show him that only after knowing true despair can one know true happiness.

Edouard de Villefort

Son of Villefort by his second marriage, a young and mischievous boy. He and his mother are riding in the carriage when Madame Danglars' dappled greys run wild, and are rescued by Ali. He is described as "small for his age, unnaturally pale. a mass of straight black hair, defying all attempts to train or curl it, fell over his projecting forehead, and hung down to his shoulders, giving increased vivavity to eyes already sparkling with a youthful love of mischief and fondness for every forbidden enjoyment"
Madame de Villefort resents Valentine for the sake of Edouard, as Valentine stands to receive more inheritance.
When Villefort returns from Benedetto's trial, he finds that Madame de Villefort has killed herself, along with Eduoard. Stricken with grief, Villefort goes mad.

Barrois

Servant of Noirtier de Villefort; he has been with him for 25 years at the time of Monte Cristo's arrival in Paris.
Barrois is thirsty while serving Noirtier, and drinks some lemonade prepared by Valentine. He dies shortly aftewards, and M d'Avrigny suspects deliberate poisoning.

Major Cavalcanti

An Italian nobleman; he ranks among the most ancient nobility of Italy. He is passing through Paris and staying with Monte Cristo.
He is described as "about fifty-two years of age, dressed in one of the green surtouts, ornamented with black frogs, which have so long maintained their popularity all over Europe. He wore trousers of blue cloth, boots tolerably clean, but not of the brightest polish, and a little too thick in the soles, buckskin gloves, a hat somewhat resembling in shape those usually worn by the gendarmes, and a black cravat striped with white, which, if the proprietor had not worn it of his own free will, might have passed for a halter, so much did it resemble one". In fact he is not a real nobleman but an imposter hired by Monte Cristo. The Count instructs him to enter Parisian society with his son Andrea, also an imposter, under the pretence of finding him a wife.
With his role in introducing the imposter Andrea complete, he leaves Paris.

Andrea Cavalcanti

An imposter hired by Monte Cristo to be the son of Major Cavalcanti. He is around 21.
It is revealed that Andrea is in fact Benedetto.
Not long after Andrea's introduction to Parisian society, Danglars calls off the wedding of Albert and Eugenie, as he wants to replace Albert with Cavalcanti.
Andrea asks for Eugenie's hand in marriage and is accepted.
Caderousse blackmails him into participating in a robbery at Monte Cristo's house.
During the break in, Caderousse is surprised by Dantes disguised as Busoni. He is given the opportunity to leave, but is murdered by Benedetto.
A warrant is issued for Benedetto's arrest.
At the marriage ceremony, soldiers turn up at Danglars' house with orders to arrest Andrea, now revealed to be Benedetto. He flees before they can take him away.
Shortly after, he is arrested while making for the countryside.
Bertuccio visits Benedetto in prison and reveals to him that Villefort is his father.
During his trial, Benedetto publicly reveals that Villefort is his father, leading to his ruin.

Benedetto

Child of Villefort, he is thought to be stillborn but is taken by Bertuccio and found to be alive. Bertuccio gives him to his sister in law to raise, but Benedetto grows up to be cruel and sadistic in nature.
He and his accomplices torture and accidentally kill Bertuccio's sister in law, while trying to get money from her. Benedetto disappears after this and at the time of Monte Cristo's arrival in Paris Bertuccio has not seen him since.
It is revealed that Andrea Cavalcanti is in fact Benedetto.
Benedetto is also revealed to be the son of Madame Danglars.
Not long after Andrea's introduction to Parisian society, Danglars calls off the wedding of Albert and Eugenie, as he wants to replace Albert with Cavalcanti.
Andrea asks for Eugenie's hand in marriage and is accepted.
Caderousse blackmails him into participating in a robbery at Monte Cristo's house.
During the break in, Caderousse is surprised by Dantes disguised as Busoni. He is given the opportunity to leave, but is murdered by Benedetto.
A warrant is issued for Benedetto's arrest.
At the marriage ceremony, soldiers turn up at Danglars' house with orders to arrest Andrea, now revealed to be Benedetto. He flees before they can take him away.
Shortly after, he is arrested while making for the countryside.
Bertuccio visits Benedetto in prison and reveals to him that Villefort is his father.
During his trial, Benedetto publicly reveals that Villefort is his father, leading to his ruin.

Haydee

A beautiful Greek princess who is seen at the opera with Monte Cristo. He says she is his slave, bought in Constantinople.
She occupies a separate apartment at the Count's residence, and has three servants. Though he refers to her as a slave, he is deferential to her, and she is in love with him.
She is revealed to be the daughter of Ali Pasha, killed at Janina.
Fernand is accused in the Chamber of Deputies of betraying and killing Ali Pasha, and an inquiry is set up to examine the charges. Haydee attends and provides the evidence to convict him.
With his revenge completed, Dantes leaves with Haydee, acknowledging his love for her.

Bertuccio

Monte Cristo's steward, a man of 45 or 50.
He purchases a house a Autueil for the Count.
Bertuccio was sent to Monte Cristo with a letter of recommendation from the Abbe Busoni in 1829. Bertuccio was in prison at Nimes prior to this.
Orphaned when he was 5, Bertuccio was brought up by his brother, a soldier. The brother was killed during the unrest at Nimes. Villefort was the Proceurer de Roi at the time, and refused to bring the perpetrators to justice. Bertuccio declared a vendetta against Villefort in around 1817 and followed him several months later to the house at Auteuil. While there, he sees Villefort with a young, pregnant woman, and waits in the garden to ambush him. He sees Villefort bury something in a box in ground, and stabs him, believing him dead. Digging up the box, he finds a child, thought to be dead, but who survives. He gives the child, Benedetto, to his sister in law to raise.
Following his arrest, Bertuccio visits Benedetto in prison and reveals to him that Villefort is his father.

Baptistin

Baptistin is Monte Cristo's valet de chambre; he has been in his service for a year at the time of his arrival in Paris.

Ali

A servant of Monte Cristo's. He is described as "nubian, dressed in a plain white tunic". He is a mute. Sinbad the Sailor tells Franz that Ali was destined to be executed for straying too close to the harem of the Bey of Tunis. Sinbad waited until his tongue was cut out, and then bought him as a slave.
When Monte Cristo arrives in Paris, Ali serves as his valet-de-chembre. He has many skills and has been a soldier and a smuggler in the past.
He rescues Madame Villefort and Eduoard when the dappled greys run wild by subduing the horses with a lasso.

Abbe Busoni

A persona Dantes assumes, often when dealing with Caderousse. He is a priest who speaks with a strong Italian accent. Dantes assumes this persona when visiting Caderousse following his escape.

Sinbad the Sailor

A persona Dantes assumes. He is described as "a man from thirty eight to forty years of age, dressed in a tunisian costume, of a paleness that was almost livid, but with a remarkably handsome face". He dwells in a cave on the isle of Monte Cristo.

Lord Wilmore

A persona Dantes assumes; the Count says that Lord Wilmore was the one who helped Morrel. He is an eccentric English lord with a reputation for philanthropy.
It was Dantes disguised as Wilmore who originally helped Caderousse and Benedetto escape the galleys.

Captain Leclare

The captain of the Pharaon. Died of a brain fever before the events of the story. Dantes reports his death to Morrel when the Pharaon arrives in Marsielles. Danglars tells Morrel that Leclare had given a letter to Dantes before he died.

Inspector General of Prisons (M. de Boville)

The Inspector General of Prisons visits Dantes in July 1816, a year after his imprisonment, but does not help him.
Dantes visits him in disguise after his escape from prison. He has invested 200,000 francs in Morrel's business, but does not expect to see a return. Dantes buys the debt from him in the guise of the Clerk of Thomson & French.
He is later promoted to a high ranking position in the police. At Villefort's request he sets men to investigate Monte Cristo, but they end up questioning only Busoni and Lord Wilmore.

Clerk of Thomson & French

A persona Dantes assumes when visiting Morrel following his escape from prison. He is described as "an Englishman of thirty or two and thirty".

Penelon

A sailor in the service of Morrel at the beginning of the story.
At the time of Monte Cristo's arrival in Paris, he lives with Julie and Emmanuel.

Cocles

A loyal clerk in the service of Morrel at the beginning of the story.
At the time of Monte Cristo's arrival in Paris, he lives with Julie and Emmanuel.

M. d'Avrigny

The Villefort family doctor. When the Marquise de Saint-Meran is found dead, he tells Villefort he suspects deliberate poisoning, but agrees not to take it further.
When Barrois is also found to have been poisoned, d'Avrigny tells Villefort that he suspects Valentine.

Peppino

An Italian man associated with Luigi Vampa. He is scheduled to be executed, but is pardoned at the last minute.
When Luigi Vampa's men kidnap Danglars, it is Peppino who is his jailer.
They hold him hostage and only agree to feed him if he pays extortionate prices for the food, eventually depriving him of almost all of his money.

Ali Pasha

A real life ruler in the Ottoman Empire.