#parricide is considered a crime against nature & yet what number of those who have committed it did so for a very good reason | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

saintkevorkian · 3 years ago

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[Villefort] “...my pride is to see the accused pale, agitated, and as though beaten out of all composure by the fire of my eloquence.” ...

“Bravo!” cried one of the guests; “that is what I call talking to some purpose.”...

“Oh, as for parricides, and such dreadful people as that,” interposed Renée, “it matters very little what is done to them; but as regards poor unfortunate creatures whose only crime consists in having mixed themselves up in political intrigues——”

“Why, that is the very worst offence they could possibly commit; for, don’t you see, Renée, the king is the father of his people, and he who shall plot or contrive aught against the life and safety of the parent of thirty-two millions of souls, is a parricide upon a fearfully great scale?”

“I don’t know anything about that,” replied Renée; “but, M. de Villefort, you have promised me—have you not?—always to show mercy to those I plead for.”

“Make yourself quite easy on that point,” answered Villefort, with one of his sweetest smiles; “you and I will always consult upon our verdicts.”

The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas [1844–46]

#this is why people should never make emotional arguments lol. he made a questionable extrapolation from what she gave him as a certitude #(questionable in several domains but primarily logics; there's some material difference between conspiring against & effecting a murder)#(which difference is normally overlooked bc there's some expedient in pre-empting the toppling of the state.. blah blah. but he's making the #comparison which puts the two in same category when magnitude of the latter was already accounted for in its precipitous handling)#parricide is considered a crime against nature & yet what number of those who have committed it did so for a very good reason #namely an unconscionable abuse of power (also lmao even in such cases how many children will find themselves unable to strike at the parent)#the count of monte cristo #in loco parentis

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