The Count of Monte Cristo · Chapter
The Vendetta explained
Bertuccio recounts his history to Monte Cristo, beginning with the murder of his brother, a Bonapartist soldier, during the royalist massacres in Nîmes in 1815.
What happens
Bertuccio recounts his history to Monte Cristo, beginning with the murder of his brother, a Bonapartist soldier, during the royalist massacres in Nîmes in 1815. He describes his failed appeal for justice to the king's attorney, Villefort, who dismisses his plea. Bertuccio then swears a vendetta against Villefort and begins to stalk him, eventually discovering his secret visits to a house in Auteuil where he meets a young, pregnant woman.
Themes in this chapter
Revenge and Justice
Bertuccio's vendetta against Villefort is a central focus, contrasting personal vengeance with the failure of official justice.
Betrayal and Deception
Villefort's secret meetings and his hypocritical dismissal of Bertuccio's plea reveal layers of deception.
Fate and Providence
Bertuccio's relentless pursuit of Villefort and the coincidental meeting with Monte Cristo suggest a providential design.
Characters to notice
- Bertuccio
Narrates his personal history, including his brother's murder and his vow of vendetta against Villefort.
- Edmond Dantès
As the Count of Monte Cristo, he listens to Bertuccio's story and prompts him with questions.
- Gérard de Villefort
The king's attorney who refused justice to Bertuccio and is now the target of his vendetta.
- Old Dantès
Mentioned as Bertuccio's brother, a lieutenant in the Corsican battalion, killed in Nîmes.
Key passages
“I thought the Abbé Busoni had told your excellency.”
Bertuccio assumed that the Abbé Busoni had already informed the count about his past.
Bertuccio references the Abbé Busoni, one of Monte Cristo's disguises, indicating prior communication.
“Every revolution has its catastrophes... your brother has been the victim of this.”
Villefort dismisses the murder as an inevitable consequence of political upheaval.
Villefort's cold justification reflects the royalist perspective and his own complicity.
“Well, since you know the Corsicans so well, you know that they always keep their word.”
Bertuccio warns Villefort that he will fulfill his vow of vengeance.
This declaration establishes the vendetta as a central plot driver.