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Alexandre Dumas Biography Name ______Period _____ Score ______/30 Alexandre Dumas Biography Name ____________________ Period _____ Score ______/30 Early life Alexandre Dumas was born on July 24, 1802 in France. He was the son of a general of the French Revolutionary armies, while his grandfather was from a noble family. Dumas's father died when he was four years old, leaving the family with very little money. Dumas was not a very good student; but, his handwriting was noticeably beautiful so he studied to work as a notary (a public officer who witnesses the signing of important documents and makes them official). As a teen, he discovered his talent for writing. He began with musical comedies and then historical plays in collaboration (working together with others) with a poet friend named Adolphe de Leuven. Historical subjects, as well as his ability to collaborate, were to be permanent elements of Dumas's work during his career. Dumas then found work as a secretary to the Duke of Orléans (later King Louis Philippe, 1773–1850) in Paris, France. He read and attended the theater as much as he could during his time off. He was greatly influenced by the works of William Shakespeare (1564–1616) and wrote his first plays in 1825 and 1826. Others followed, with Henri III (1829) bringing him great success and popularity. The French Revolution of 1830 slowed down Dumas's writing, and he became a strong supporter of the Marquis de Lafayette. His political activities were viewed unfavorably by the new king, his former boss, and he was forced to leave France for a time. A series of amusing travel books resulted from this period of exile. His fiction When Dumas returned to Paris, he began writing a new series of historical plays. By 1851 he had written alone, or in collaboration with others, more than twenty plays. He also began writing fiction at this time, first short stories and then novels. In collaboration with Auguste Maquet, he wrote The Three Musketeers in 1844 and The Count of Monte Cristo in 1846. Dumas worked with many collaborators who helped him with the outlines of his romances. The scale of his "fiction factory" has often been exaggerated; however, at least a thousand works were published under his name. Dumas's works were received with enthusiasm by his loyal readers which earned him a lot of money. He could never earn enough to keep up with his spending habits, though. Among his problems was his estate of Monte- Cristo in France, which attracted many moochers and female admirers who Dumas ended up supporting. Later life Dumas, who had never changed his political opinions, was pleased by the Revolution of 1848 and even ran as a candidate for the French government. In 1850, the Theâtre-Historique, which he had founded to present his plays, failed. After Napoleon III (1808–1873) took power in 1852, Dumas went to Brussels, Belgium, where his secretary managed to straighten out his affairs to a degree. Here he was able to dedicate all his time to writing. In 1853, Dumas returned to Paris and began the daily paper Le Mousquetaire, which was devoted to art and literature. The paper survived until 1857, and Dumas then published the weekly paper Monte-Cristo. This in turn folded after three years. In 1860, he was named keeper of museums in Naples, Italy. After remaining there for four years, he returned to Paris, where he found himself deep in debt and regularly chased by debt collectors. He also had many women friends who expected—and received—expensive gifts from him. Working hard to pay his debts, Dumas produced a number of works of lower quality, among them Madame de Chamblay (1863) and Les Mohicans de Paris (1864), which were not very successful. His last years were spent unhappy and he died penniless on December 5, 1870. After reading the biography, answer these text-dependent questions: Please follow the 4Cs. +30 1. Cite information from the text that supports this statement: Alexandre Dumas came from a prominent (important) family. 2. Cite information from the text that supports this statement: Alexandre Dumas suffered loss as a child. 3. Cite information from the text that supports this statement: Alexandre Dumas discovered his love for writing early in life. 4. Cite information from the text that supports this statement: Alexandre Dumas had success due to collaboration (working with others). 5. Cite information from the text that supports this statement: Alexandre Dumas did not manage his money very well. 6. Cite information from the text that supports this statement: Alexandre Dumas’s life ended unhappily. 2 Name: __________________________________ Period: _____ Score:_____/72 The Count of Monte Cristo Theme Analysis Theme of Revenge Revenge is everywhere in The Count of Monte Cristo. No matter what the situation, no matter who is speaking, it lurks in the corners, propelling the story forward. We wait and wonder when we're going to see the Count get his retribution, and how he's going to get it. That tension, playing out in our minds and in the words and thoughts of the characters, is essential. At book's end, we have to ask ourselves, as Edmond asks himself, if we're satisfied with the way things turn out. Was the revenge worthwhile? Was it really justified? Was it all Edmond hoped it would be? 1. Explain whether or not Edmond is justified in seeking his revenge. +5 2. Explain whether or not he is really successful when he finds it. Are his years of planning well spent? +5 Defend or refute the following statements: 3. Edmond's revenge is only successful when he realizes he must forgive. Only then does he rise above the level of the men who wronged him in the first place. Explain what you believe to be the most accurate statement AND why. +6 3 4. Though Edmond manages to escape from prison after fourteen years, he may as well have remained there for an extra ten years. His thirst for revenge is just as confining – mentally and morally speaking – as his jail cell ever was. Revenge keeps him from truly living his life. Explain whether you agree with this statement AND why. +6 Theme of Perseverance Conventional wisdom says good things come to those who wait. At book's end, the Count of Monte Cristo seems to agree; in fact, he couldn't make his thoughts any clearer: Wait and hope, he tells Jacopo, wait and hope. Edmond's life is so full of hardship; his prospects are so low, that only 100% perseverance and patience will help him feel justice is served. 5. Edmond spends years planning his revenge, whereas Danglars, Fernand, and Villefort spent a considerably shorter time putting Edmond away. Can we assume that Edmond is fueled by hatred for the men who imprisoned him? If we do, can we really respect him? Is it better to casually ruin someone's life or to plan their fall meticulously? Explain your thinking. +5 6. Edmond's ability to see his plan through might be called a triumph of the human spirit, but it's a triumph for humanity's dark side. Explain whether or not you agree with this statement AND why. +6 7. At its core, Edmond's plan for vengeance can be summed up as obsession. Explain whether or not you agree with this statement AND why. +6 4 Theme of Justice and Judgment It's no coincidence that one of the main characters in The Count of Monte Cristo is a prosecutor. Dumas wants to see you thinking long and hard about justice and judgment, whether it be human or divine, swift or lingering, inside court or out in the world. Villefort may be a lawyer, but he doesn't have a monopoly on justice. Far from it. Time and time again, we see that justice is a slippery thing; even the most righteous characters find themselves wondering if they're on the right side of the line between moral and immoral, good and evil. 8. Wronged by the justice system, Edmond decides to take matters into his own hands. He calls himself an avenger and a servant of God, but couldn't you just as easily call someone like that a dangerous vigilante? Explain whether or not you agree with this statement AND why. +6 9. How do the Count's associations with men well outside the bounds of traditional law – for instance, bandits and smugglers – reflect upon him? How do they change the way we look at these so-called criminals? Explain your thinking. +5 Defend or refute the following statements: 10. Given the tumultuous times and his equally tumultuous past, Edmond's quest for personal justice is understandable; only by taking matters into his own hands can he settle himself and his scores. Explain whether or not you agree with this statement AND why. +6 5 Theme of Hatred As a wise man once said, "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." OK, that was Yoda, and Yoda's not technically a man, but you get the point. Hatred is powerful stuff, and powerful stuff is hard to control. It may lead the hater into some uncomfortable positions, and, more often than not, it has unintended consequences. Many of the characters in The Count of Monte Cristo, the Count included, wonder if their misfortunes spring from some kind of divine hatred, but more often than not, it's a human doing the hating. 11. As far as Dumas is concerned, is there any justification for hate? If so, what is it? Explain your thinking.
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