#renée de villefort

[forsuperbang]

I hate it when I don't have the characters' exact date of birth, I can't write fanfiction if I don't know precisely what age they are at any given moment (it all depends if they're from early in the year or late)

[pedanther]

Dumas gives several different answers to the question of what Madame Danglars’ maiden name was. In Chapter 27, Caderousse tells Abbé Busoni that her father was “Monsieur Servieux, the present king’s chamberlain”, but in Chapter 46, Danglars tells the Count of Monte Cristo that she was “Mademoiselle de Servières”; the lady herself gets the casting vote in Chapter 54, signing a letter “Baroness Danglars, née Hermine de Servieux”.

It doesn’t end there, however: In Chapter 67, Villefort implies that she was a guest at the celebration of his betrothal to his first wife, Renée de Saint-Méran. The descriptions of that event in Chapter 6 and Chapter 9 do not mention anybody named Servieux or Servières… but there is a Count de Salvieux, who is said to be the chamberlain of the King’s brother, the Count of Artois – that is to say, of the person who, by the time of Caderousse’s conversation with Abbé Busoni, had himself become the King. And the Count de Salvieux’s daughter is also there, as a friend of the bride-to-be.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea that young, pretty Mlle. de Salvieux, who shows such a flattering interest in Villefort’s professional skill, is meant to be the same person as the future Madame Danglars. It adds some interesting depths to her backstory, and answers the otherwise unanswered question of how she and Villefort first met, providing a beginning to a story that otherwise only has a middle and an end.

And, knowing how it ends, how poetic that the first time we see her should be when she’s imploring Villefort for an opportunity to watch him at work at the assizes…

[thebusylilbee]

"- Oh ! pour les parricides, dit Renée, oh ! peu m'importe, il n'y a pas de supplice assez grand pour de pareils hommes : mais pour les malheureux accusés politiques !... - Mais c'est pire encore, Renée, car le roi est le père de la nation, et vouloir renverser ou tuer le roi, c'est vouloir tuer le père de trente-deux millions d'hommes."

ugh. Villefort est répugnant dès ses premières lignes 🤮

[monte-cristo-incorrect-quotes]

Noirtier de Villefort & Renée ❤

Noirtier de Villefort: 7/10 would sass you and fight you over politics but also kinda respect you

5/10 would date

Renée: 10/10 would love the heck out of you but wouldn’t be afraid of calling you out over problematic shit you do, which is good

9/10 would date

[saintkevorkian]

[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]

[acquagalaxies]

TCoMC characters as disturbed birds 2nd Edition

Abbé Faria

The count of Monte Cristo

Lucien Debray

Noirtier de Villefort - Badass Granpa ™

Bertuccio (to Benedetto/Andrea Cavalcanti)

Louise d’Armilly

Franz d’Epinay

Franz d’Epinay (again) to Monte-Cristo

Baron Danglars (to Eugénie) ft. a very caring father

Luigi Vampa

Héloïse de Villefort

Hermine Danglars

Countess G

Renée de la Saint-Méran (@Gérard de Villefort)

Albért de Morcerf

Mercédès Herrera

Fernand Mondego

A tribute to monte-cristo-incorrect-quotes’  post I hope you’ll like it ;)

@monte-cristo-incorrect-quotes

[johcnna-blog]

CURRENT MUSE LIST

johcnna

 Johanna Barker [Sweeney Todd]-High activity

squaalor

Jerome Squalor [A Series of Unfortunate Events]-Moderate/Low Activity

lcvelygirl

Renée de Villefort [The Count of Monte Cristo]-High/Moderate Activity

rcvenhcired

Bess [The Highwayman]-High/Moderate Activity

[valvixv-blog]

Reporte de lectura: EL CONDE DE MONTECRISTO

El Conde de Montecristo habla de un hombre que no posee nada y que a través de toda clase de sufrimientos, peligros y engaños, logra la riqueza y el poder más absoluto. Es también una novela con costumbres de toda una época. A lo largo de los distintos capítulos, el autor crea un completo panorama de la vida cotidiana de esos años y nos transporta a toda problemática posible, naufragios, fugas, asesinatos, envenenamientos, traiciones y hasta robos de personalidad, así como la gran mención de drogas.

La idea principal de El Conde de Montecristo es que el mal debe ser castigado y la bondad recompensada. Edmundo Dantés se autoproclama herramienta de la voluntad divina y, salvo contadas ocasiones, no tiene dudas acerca de su situación. Sin embargo, acaba siendo tentado ante su propio deseo de venganza.

El conde de Montecristo; aristócrata excéntrico, deslumbra y seduce con su fabulosa riqueza a la alta sociedad Parisina, elemento que usa para vengarse de quienes el mismo día de sus bodas en Marsella con Mercedes la catalana, siendo aún el joven Edmundo Dantés, lo acusaron injustamente de pertenecer a la facción bonapartista y durante ocho largos años, arrastra sus cadenas por una celda del castillo de If, debido al odio de un pretendiente despreciado

El azar le une a otro prisionero del castillo, el abate Faria. La solidaridad por la condición que ambos padecían y ante la certeza del propio Faria de su avanzada edad y su débil salud, hacen que este le confiese la existencia de un fabuloso tesoro escondido entre las grutas de la isla de Montecristo. Paradójamente, la muerte de abate, a quien el propio Edmundo llamara su padre espiritual, es lo que le permite huir del castillo, llegar a la isla de Montecristo y constatar que el tesoro existía. Con unas pocas piedras preciosas paga a unos contrabandistas que le ayudaron en la fuga, y que `posteriormente lo que lo emplearon por un tiempo, (Edmundo era un experimentado marinero), se despide de ellos diciendo que ha heredado una fortuna, compra un yate y regresa a Montecristo para llevarse el tesoro encontrado. Es a partir de este momento que Edmundo desata el plan de sombría venganza contra sus enemigos, desafiando las leyes divinas y humanas que pudieran impedirselo.

Dantés asume una identidad inventada, se paga un título de aristócrata y resurge del pasado con el nombre de conde de Montecristo. Después de varios años preparándose física y mentalmente para ejecutar su plan de venganza reaparece en Roma. Durante el carnaval, dos jóvenes franceses caen prisioneros de los bandidos romanos, Franz d'Epinay y Alberto de Morcerf. El secuestro fue una farsa urdida por el Conde para aparecer como salvador de ambos jóvenes. Convertido en héroe y bajo la promesa de eterna gratitud por parte de las familias de estos, obtiene la posibilidad de llegar a París invitado por las más ilustres familias de la alta sociedad parisina, sin levantar ninguna sospecha. El conde con su personalidad enigmática y su delirante riqueza seduce y pone a sus pies a la sociedad parisina, se gana su amistad y confianza, y maquina la destrucción de cada uno de sus enemigos.

El despreciable Danglars, devenido un ilustre banquero, es solicitado por el Conde para que le dé un “crédito ilimitado” de seis millones de francos, y manipula la bolsa para destruir su fortuna, cobrando los seis millones en el momento en que Danglars está al borde de la bancarrota, forzándole a huir de Francia.

Montecristo tiene una esclava griega, Haydée, cuya familia y hogar en Janina fueron destruidos por Fernando, quien traiciona a Alí el padre de Haydée entregándolo a sus enemigos y causándole la muerte. Junto a su madre Haydée fue vendida a un comprador de esclavos. Tiempo después, Montecristo compra Haydée, salvandola de la esclavitud y le devuelve su condición de princesa. El agradecimiento eterno, la admiración y el amor en secreto por El conde, son los sentimientos que definen la relación de Haydée con Edmundo Dantes.

El conde conoce perfectamente la historia de traición del oficial francés Fernanado Mondego, quien se hizo pasar como héroe de la batalla de Janina y que fue recibido en Francia como un gran soldado de la Patria, convertido posteriormente en Conde de Morcef por los servicios prestados a Francia. En su plan de venganza manipula a Danglars para que investigue el suceso, y lo haga público. El artículo es retirado de uno de lso pricipales periódicos de Francia, pero luego se republica en otro periódico de la ciudad.

Fernando es llevado a juicio para afrontar los cargos. Haydée testifica contra él, y Fernando queda deshonrado. Mercedes, que es la única que conoce la identidad del conde desde el primer momento que lo vio y escuchó su voz, confiesa la historia completa de su juventud a su hijo Alberto. Para salvar la honra del padre, reta a duelo a Montecristo tras culparle de la deshonra de su padre. Mercedes le suplica a Edmundo en nombre del amor que una vez tuvieron que no acudiera al duelo. Alberto y Mercedes abandonan a Fernando, que se suicida.

La familia de Villefort está dividida. Valentine, la hija que tuvo con su primera esposa Renée, va a heredar toda la fortuna de la familia, pero su segunda esposa, Heloise, pretende reclamar la fortuna para su hijo Eduardo. Montecristo conoce las intenciones de Heloise y, de forma aparentemente inocente, le proporciona una toxina capaz de curar a una persona con una gota, y de matarla con una sobredosis.

Heloise asesina a un sirviente de la casa, Barrois (sin querer), a los Saint-Mérans, suegros de Villefort, e intenta asesinar a Valentine. Mientras tanto, Montecristo atormenta a Villefort con su antigua aventura amorosa con la mujer de Danglars y con el hijo que tuvieron. Villefort pensaba que había nacido muerto, y lo enterró detrás de una casa de Auteuil, que es propiedad de Montecristo. Este hijo fue rescatado de su tumba y criado por el sirviente de Montecristo, Bertuccio. En su adultez, entra en París bajo el nombre de Andrea Cavalcanti, tan sólo revelándose a Villefort cuando es arrestado por el asesinato de Caderousse cuando quiso robar en la casa del conde en Auteuil.

Montecristo salva a Valentine y, a través de Noirtier, Villefort se entera de que Heloise es la asesina, se ve obligado a enfrentar a su esposa y decirle todo lo que sabe. Ella entra en pánico y se mata junto a su hijo Eduardo. Estos terribles sucesos, y la decisión de Montecristo de revelar su verdadera identidad a Villefort, le hacen perder el juicio irremediablemente.

Después de concluir su venganza, y en estado de arrepentimiento por el alcance imprevisto de sus acciones, que cobró hasta la vida de un niño inocente, el conde decide empezar de nuevo su vida lejos del odio que tanto tiempo le acompañó. Decidido a atender los reclamos e insinuaciones amorosas de Haydée, Edmundo quiere intentar una nueva vida, se va lejos de Francia dejando atrás el pasado que tanto le atormentó y que prácticamente lo colocó en la misma condición de todos aquellos que quisieron su desventura..

Esta obra también posee una emoción romántica reforzada por el poder descriptivo de Dumas y su capacidad imaginativa; por ejemplo, el engaño de que hace víctima a sus salvadores cuando encuentra el tesoro gracias a las indicaciones del abate Faria.

Siguiendo con las aventuras y desventuras, así como sus dichas y desdichas, se nos muestra a un personaje bastante humano, pasional e impulsivo pero testarudo en cuanto a su supervivencia.

A pesar de que luce como si Dumas solo se preocupaba de conectar entre sí las distintas escenas, una tras otra, sin importarle la verdad psicológica de los caracteres o ni la coherencia de la acción en un sentido de conjunto, sigue siendo una obra maravillosa, con muchos mensajes y bastante completa

Para comprender y sentir esta gran obra, se requiere una lectura más atenta y paciente de la que usualmente se emplea pero a su vez es una bastante placentera de disfrutar.

[forsuperbang]

So here's my chronology (headcanon) pertaining to the Villefort family (with Hermine as a bonus) :

October, 3rd, 1787 – birth of Gérard. The 3rd of October is also his name day, and in the republican calendar it is the day of Helichrysum stoechas (l'immortelle in french). It means that the last time we see him he's 50 years-old.

April, 14th, 1794 – birth of Renée de Saint-Méran. She's born just before the end of the Reign of Terror. In the republican calendar, it is the day of the pigeon, which is known for its affectionate nature. Funnily enough, it is also Maximilien's name day.

October, 18th, 1802 – birth of Hermine. October 18th is the name day of Lucien (her lover, *wink* and in the republican calendar it is the day of chili pepper, given that she is a woman of character. I also wanted her to be born the same month as Gérard, because they're bound by a (love) child.

February, 25th, 1813 – birth of Héloïse. I wanted her to be born the 25th, as an omen for the age she'll die (25 years-old). In the republican calendar it is the day of Rhamnus alaternus, whose fruits are red and turn to black.

September, 27th, 1817 (canon) – birth of Benedetto. His father would have been 29 years-old and his mother 14 years-old.

May, 20th, 1819 – birth of Valentine. I had a hard time picking up a day because of all the contradictions in the book, but the 20th of May is, in the republican calendar, the day of Medicago sativa (the lucerne) which is actually mentionned in the book. Her father is 31 years-old then, and her mother is 24 years-old.

February, 23rd, 1828 – death of Renée. Yes, her death is two days before Héloïse's birthday, by design.

March, 1st, 1829 – wedding of Gérard and Héloïse. Gérard did respect the one year of mourning before remarrying, but he probably courted Héloïse during that same year, which is why Mme de Saint-Méran resents him. Édouard would have been conceived very soon after the wedding. Gérard is 41 years-old, and Héloïse is 16 years-old.

January, 4th, 1830 – birth of Édouard. In the republican calendar, it is the day of the bunny, which supposedly was a bad omen for sailors. The number 4 also is close in pronounciation to death is East Asia. His father is 42 years-old then, and his mother is 16 years-old. He's eight when he dies.

[pedanther]

The Calendar of Monte Cristo: Chapter 74

c.1828: Death of Renée de Villefort. [R]

1837: Raoul de Château-Renaud visits Madame de Saint-Méran in Marseille on his way home from Algeria. [R]

July 1838, Thursday: The body of Monsieur de Saint-Méran arrives in Paris. Funeral of Monsieur and Madame de Saint-Méran. The signing of the marriage contract between Franz and Valentine is forestalled by M. Noirtier. [R]

The statement that Renée was interred in the family tomb ten years ago could mean that de Villefort acquired the tomb ten years ago and had her moved there from wherever she was originally laid to rest, but I feel like Dumas would have said so more explicitly if that had been the intention. And Madame de Saint-Méran said a few chapters ago that Renée hadn’t been dead long when de Villefort remarried, which has already been indicated to be about ten years ago.

So I’m officially concluding that the doorkeeper back in Chapter 43 who said she died 21 years ago had no idea what he was talking about.

Someone else who might not know what he’s talking about is Albert when he says that Madame de Saint-Méran was sixty-six years old. Either he’s wrong, or the narrator was rounding up most uncharitably when he said 23 years ago that Madame de Saint-Méran was fifty.

[pedanther]

The Calendar of Monte Cristo: Chapter 67

February 1815: Gérard de Villefort and Renée de Saint-Méran celebrate their betrothal.

20 September 1817: Birth of the son of Hermine de Nargonne and Gérard de Villefort in the house at Auteuil. The child is thought to be dead, and de Villefort buries it in the garden. Bertuccio stabs de Villefort and takes the child, thinking the box contains treasure; finding a living child, he leaves it at a foundling hospital. De Villefort passes off his injury as a duelling wound and spends three months at death’s door.

c.December 1817: De Villefort household returns to Marseille for six months to continue de Villefort’s convalescence.

c.April 1818: Assunta claims the child from the foundling hospital.

November 1818: De Villefort returns to Paris. He learns that M. de Nargonne has died and Hermine has married Danglars. He returns to the house at Auteuil and discovers that the child is no longer buried in the garden. He investigates and learns about the foundling hospital, but is unable to trace the woman who claimed the child.

1838, Sunday: Madame Danglars visits M. de Villefort and they discuss the past. He tells her for the first time what happened to the child. De Villefort vows to find the truth about the Count. [R]

The dates that de Villefort gives for That Night at Auteuil and for Benedetto being claimed from the foundling hospital line up with the dates Bertuccio gave, which is more than I was expecting at this point. His account of his own activities in the same time has some gaps: he mentions three months of convalescence in Versailles, a journey to Marseille that would have taken a few weeks, and a further six months of convalescence in Marseille, which adds up to somewhere around July, but when he returns to Paris it’s already November.

I’m also puzzled by his statement that when he returned to Paris he learned that M. de Nargonne had died and Madame de Nargonne had married Danglars, because we’ve had several indications that the former event had already happened and several indications that the latter event didn’t happen until some time later. I wouldn't have expected that Danglars had the social cachet to marry a Madame de Nargonne until after he made his reputation in Spain, which at this point was still several years in the future: Caderousse explicitly mentioned 1823. (Which is a pity, really, because if the Spanish Expedition had happened five years earlier in the world of the novel than it did in reality, that would explain more than one thing that’s puzzled me about the novel’s timeline.)

De Villefort mentions that his wife accompanied him on his convalescence, but not which wife it was. The balance of probability is that it’s Renée, his first wife, since he doesn’t mention any children and if my maths is right this should be before their daughter Valentine was born. Either way, since he presumably didn’t get engaged and married after being stabbed and nearly killed, that means he was carrying on with Madame de Nargonne behind his wife’s back.

De Villefort says to Madame Danglars that much has changed since “we all sat at a table” at his betrothal feast in Marseille, a choice of words which implies that she was also there. But she isn’t mentioned in that chapter… or is she? I’ve seen it suggested that she’s Renée’s friend, the “pretty young thing” who asks young de Villefort for a chance to witness an exciting trial, a possibility interesting enough that I’m going to give it its own post. If true, this throws a very different light on the question of where and when and how these two first met.

[pedanther]

The Calendar of Monte Cristo: Chapter 43

c.1817: Death of Renée de Villefort. [R]

18??: De Villefort appointed crown prosecutor in Nîmes.

18??: De Villefort appointed crown prosecutor in Versailles.

1829: Abbé Busoni hears Bertuccio’s confession in prison in Nîmes. [E]

1829: Abbé Busoni sends Bertuccio to the Count of Monte Cristo, who hires him as a steward. [E]

21 May 1838: The Count of Monte Cristo visits the house in Auteuil with Bertuccio. The Count persuades Bertuccio to tell him the story of Bertuccio’s vendetta against de Villefort. [E]

[pedanther]

The Calendar of Monte Cristo: Chapter 6

c.1765: Birth of the Marquise de Saint-Méran. [R]

2 December 1804: Napoleon Bonaparte crowned Emperor of the French. [H]

4 April 1814: Abdication of Napoleon. [E,H]

May 1814: Restoration of the Bourbon monarchy. Napoleon Bonaparte begins his exile on Elba. [H]

Day 2, February 1815: The betrothal feast of Gérard de Villefort and Renée de Saint-Méran. [R]

[pedanther]

The Calendar of Monte Cristo: Chapter 12

28 February 1815: Gérard de Villefort and Renée de Saint-Méran celebrate their betrothal. [E]

3 March 1815: Noirtier visits de Villefort. De Villefort departs Paris for Marseille. [E]

Yet another new date for the day of Edmond’s arrest! Although it’s not entirely new; de Villefort’s three-day journey also suggested that he set out on 28 February, only I was trying to avoid multiplying the possibilities before it became necessary.

I think I remember that the novel sticks pretty consistently to 28 February from this point on. We’ll see as we go whether I remember correctly.

[pedanther]

The Calendar of Monte Cristo: Chapter 13

c.1805: Edmond first meets M. Morrel. [R]

c.1811: Edmond enters M. Morrel’s employment. [R]

19 March 1815: Louis XVIII flees France. [H]

20 March 1815: Napoleon Bonaparte enters Paris. [H]

March 1815: Danglars, fearing Edmond’s release and return, leaves Marseille to seek employment in Madrid. [R]

April 1815: M. Morrel appeals to de Villefort for Edmond’s freedom. [R]

1815: Fernand called up for military service. [R]

1815: Caderousse called up for military service. At this time he is already married. [R]

18 June 1815: Napoleon defeated at Waterloo. [H]

22 June 1815: Napoleon abdicates. [H]

19 July 1815: Louis XVIII returns to Paris. [H]

28 July 1815: Death of Edmond’s father. [R]

1815: De Villefort appointed crown prosecutor in Toulouse. [R]

1815: Marriage of Gérard de Villefort and Renée de Saint-Méran. [R]

A change of gears, as we go from each day lasting several chapters to a single chapter passing swiftly over half a year.

[monte-cristo-incorrect-quotes]

Renée de Saint-Méran is a literal angel from Heaven and Villefort doesn't deserve her.