The Metamorphosises of Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo :: Monte Cristo

The Metamorphosises of Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      In Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo the main character, Edmond Dantes, takes on various identities. Some people have even argued that his continuing metamorphosises verge on Multiple Personality Disorder. Those people are wrong. Though he does exhibit similiar symptoms, Dantes differs from MPD sufferers in that he is fully conscious of the new identities he takes on. In fact, he does changes intentionally. His purpose in taking on new identities is to seek vengeance on his enemies while maintaining the innocence of Edmond Dantes.    Edmond Dantes a successful, happy, young sailor was wrongfully imprisoned on September 15, 1815. He was sent there by four men, each of whom had a different reason to be hungry for his downfall. Caderousse was guilty because of his drunken stupidity, Fernand because of his lustful envy, Danglars because of his treacherous greed, and finally Villefort because of the terrible lengths he would go to in order to protect his name. When Dantes entered prison he was a nineteen-year-old boy with a kind and pure soul. After learning about the conspiracy to ruin his life, however, he became obsessed with gettting vengeance. Upon his escape from the Chateau d'If, he set out on a journey to reward those who had been good to him and to set right the wrongs that had been done to him.    Dantes was initially successful at his attempt. The first person from his past whom he encountered was Monsiuer Caderousse. He went to Caderousse's inn dressed as Abbe Faria and was told what had become of the three men most responsible for his imprisonment. Caderousse had no idea that the man he was talking to was Edmond Dantes. There was one person, however, that recognized him immediately. Mercedes, his former fiance, had never forgotten Dantes or the young love that they once shared. One of the reasons that Mercedes had loved him so much was the great admiration she had for him. She considered Dantes a sweet, honest, fair, and forgiving man. Dantes wore disguises because he did not want her to know that he had turned into a vengeful, angry, and uncaring person.    Eventually, however, he gave up this aspiration because he had failed to fool her. No one else guessed Dantes' true identity.