Count Of Monte Cristo Maximilien Morrel Character Traits

Character Analysis: Maximilien Morrel

In the book The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, Dumas uses Maximilien Morrel as a comparable character; a foolish foil. In the beginning, Maximilien is painted as a hero who is as handsome as he is noble, but regrettably he meets the end of his character arc as a lovesick fool who cannot do anything without his lover. Out of all of the characters, Maximilien pulled the short straw in character arc and consequently, by the end of the book, is depicted as a milksop. Conversely, he is far from a milksop; Maximilien Morrel is a dependable hero.

Although Maximilien Morrel is pictured earlier in the book, he is properly introduced when Albert de Morcerf gets friends together to have lunch and to meet

Skilled marksman Chateau-Renaud had wanted to test his skills on the Arabs in Oran, but arrived in time to see his friends retreating. He was forced to follow on horseback when his horse died, leaving Chateau-Renaud to traveling by foot. A group of six Arabs caught up and came galloping on horseback straight for him. Renaud managed to shoot four of the Arabs but ran out of ammo and was in grave danger. One ran by and caught him by his hair, and was about to kill him when “... [Maximilien] came charging down on [the two Arabs], shot the one holding [Chateau-Renaud] by the hair and split the other one’s head with his saber” (164). As a cookie cutter hero, Maximilien is also described to be “...graceful in every movement because he was strong” (163). This shows that he has the discipline of an ox and keeps his body in excellent

As soon as Dumas introduces Valentine, Maximilien’s secret girlfriend, Maximilien quickly deteriorates into a lovesick, helpless, and impatient fool. “With Valentine, count, my happiness was infinite, unheard-of; a happiness too great, too complete, too divine for this world; and now that she’s gone, there’s nothing left for me but heartbreak and despair” (450). Again, Alexandre Dumas ends Maximilien’s character arc by metaphorically untying his knot; everything becomes unravelled. He becomes an annoying character to the reader as Dumas pushes him as a character foil. Multiple times he threatens suicide if Valentine cannot be with him forever. Consequently, many readers forget his heroic actions from earlier in the book and assume Maximilien can be chalked up to his recent actions as a hopeless romantic. This is an absurdity as this honorable gentleman has shown readers that he is not someone who can be trifled with. Maximilien is a man who runs from