The Count of Monte Cristo

The story

On the day of his engagement, the young sailor Edmond Dantès is arrested on a false accusation written by jealous rivals. He disappears into the island fortress of the Château d'If for fourteen years.

A fellow prisoner, the Abbé Faria, educates him and tells him of a hidden treasure. Dantès escapes, finds the treasure and returns to Paris as the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo — with a plan for every man who betrayed him.

Themes: betrayal, justice and revenge, patience, wealth and power.

Why it's a good book for language learners

Monte Cristo is long, but it is built from gripping episodes, and the first part (arrest, prison, escape) works as a complete story on its own. Dumas uses a great deal of dialogue, so you also practise conversation. In French it is a classic step for upper-intermediate learners.

What you'll practise

• Legal and prison vocabulary
• Formal speech and social manners
• Reported speech and letters
• Vocabulary of emotion: rage, hope, despair

Did you know?

Dumas based the plot partly on a real case from the police archives of Paris about a shoemaker wrongly imprisoned.

The PageWalker adventure

In the adventure you are Dantès, and each choice brings you closer to escape — or keeps you in the Château d'If. The first page is free to play in your browser, and the adventure is available in 13 languages with click-to-translate.

The Count of Monte Cristo in other languages

• EnglishThe Count of Monte Cristo
• العربيةالكونت دي مونت كريستو
• DeutschDer Graf von Monte Christo
• EspañolEl Conde de Montecristo
• FrançaisLe Comte de Monte-Cristo
• हिन्दीद काउंट ऑफ मोंटे क्रिस्टो
• ItalianoIl conte di Montecristo
• 日本語モンテ・クリスト伯
• 한국어몬테크리스토 백작
• PortuguêsO Conde de Monte Cristo
• РусскийГраф Монте-Кристо
• TürkçeMonte Kristo Kontu
• 简体中文基督山伯爵