Determined to gain complete vengeance, the Count continues to utilize the frailty of his enemies by focusing on Fernand’s weaknesses of greed and jealousy to lead the wretched man to his own destruction. The rancor the Count feels towards Fernand is immense due to the series of atrocities Fernand commits. Before being sent to prison, the Count is engaged to the breathtaking Mercedes, the love of his life. Despite Fernand’s family relation with Mercedes, he is envious of this flourishing relationship. When the Count questions Caderousse, “How did their jealousy manifest itself?” he is informed that “they denounced him as a Bonapartist agent” (104). Fernand’s jealousy is the direct cause of this action; and although the Count is at first oblivious…show more content… This justifies the Count’s vengeance furthermore because Haydee is responsible for her own actions, and therefore she is partly culpable for Fernand’s downfall. The Count also passionately explains to Mercedes how Fernand’s destruction is self-impelled, “What has happened...is not a misfortune: it’s a punishment. I haven’t struck him down: Providence has punished him” (375). Once again, the Count states that it is God’s decision to punish the Fernand due to his own atrocious decisions. It is argued that the Count takes his revenge to an extent with involving Fernand’s son, Albert. However, Albert’s association is essential to the Count’s plot because it is initially necessary for the Count to gain the trust of Fernand’s entire family in order to receive the revenge he desires. Fernand’s feelings of pure jealousy and endless gluttony leads God to become weary of Fernand, who ultimately develops into a villain. In shaping a path for Fernand’s self-destruction, the Count is keeping his promise to punish the wicked, while continuing to let his enemies’ weaknesses be their own…show more content… Although Villefort does not write the Count’s letter of denunciation, Villefort’s selfish decisions are the final push to the Count’s imprisonment. Villefort initially plans on releasing the Count as an innocent man, but soon realizes that the sailor is carrying a letter directly from Napoleon. To protect his reputation as a royalist, and raise his status with the king, Villefort destroys the letter and goes on to fool the Count, “That was the only evidence against you and, as you see, I’ve destroyed it” (57). In this instance, Villefort manipulates the Count’s innocence in order to save his own reputation. After ensuring the imprisonment of the Count, Villefort uses his power to assure that the innocent man stays locked up. After plotting his vengeance, the Count begins to punish his enemy by gaining Villefort’s crucial trust. This trust is immediately earned when the Count performs the heroic act of saving Villefort’s wife, Madame de Villefort, and his son, Edouard, from an “accidental” carriage casualty. This incident also presents the Count with the opportunity to manipulate Madame Villefort into asking for poison from the Count. After the Count succeeds in giving Madame Villefort the poison, she views him as an “eternal friend” (214). The Count is aware that Madame Villefort will use the poison to kill her own
