The Count of Monte Cristo book club questions
by Alexandre Dumas · a kit for five meetings · 15 questions · printable
Fifteen discussion questions for The Count of Monte Cristo, grouped by the novel's five volumes, with a reading plan, themes to talk about and a sheet you can print. Two good openers: how much responsibility does Caderousse bear for staying silent under pressure? And what makes Villefort's choice of ambition over mercy especially troubling?
The reading plan
Meeting 1
Volume 1, chapters 1 to 27
About 6 h 17 min to read
Meeting 2
Volume 2, chapters 28 to 47
About 7 h 1 min to read
Meeting 3
Volume 3, chapters 48 to 73
About 6 h 24 min to read
Meeting 4
Volume 4, chapters 74 to 95
About 5 h 18 min to read
Meeting 5
Volume 5, chapters 96 to 117
About 4 h 41 min to read
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Meeting 1: Volume 1
- How much responsibility does Caderousse bear for staying silent under pressure?
- What makes Villefort's choice of ambition over mercy especially troubling?
- What does Faria's refusal to kill suggest about the limits people should set when seeking freedom?
Meeting 2: Volume 2
- What does turning a plea for release into evidence against a prisoner suggest about official power?
- How fair is Monte Cristo's insistence that Bertuccio accompany him to a property that distresses him?
- What does the banker's changed welcome suggest about the relationship between wealth and respect?
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Meeting 3: Volume 3
- How should we understand Haydée's choice to stay when Monte Cristo offers her freedom?
- Does Noirtier's use of inheritance protect Valentine's freedom or impose another kind of family control?
- What does the paid agreement between two strangers suggest about the family ties Parisian society accepts?
Meeting 4: Volume 4
- What does Villefort's request for secrecy suggest about his priorities when his household faces suspected poisoning?
- How should Mercédès's plea for her son weigh against the count's desire for revenge?
- Is Albert's public withdrawal of his accusation a stronger act than pursuing the duel?
Meeting 5: Volume 5
- How does Eugénie's departure with Louise challenge the idea that a ruined engagement must be a disaster?
- Is Monte Cristo's request for a month's delay a fair response to Maximilian's despair?
- How should Villefort's family deaths change our judgment of Monte Cristo's revenge?
Themes to talk about
Tips for the host
- Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
- Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of The Count of Monte Cristo, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months freeMore book club kits: Wuthering Heights · The Odyssey · Hamlet · All kits
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