As John Ford, an American director, once said, “Vengeance proves to be its own executioner.” In other words, those seeking revenge often become so deeply involved that they end up doing more harm than good. In Alexandre Dumas' novel, The Count of Monte Cristo, Dantès is exploited by people he thought were his friends. He was accused of committing a crime he did not commit by his supposed friends, and was jailed for many years because of the accusation and because his prosecutor would benefit if he did. He realizes that the justice system will do nothing to help him and that he must take justice into his own hands. However, Dantès's vision of justice is filled with his hatred towards his enemies, and therefore justice for him is more like revenge. Even if Dantès successfully carries out his revenge, it is not without a high price. Through Dantès, his story and the mistakes he made, the lesson of the importance of forgiveness is conveyed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Because Dantès was exploited by people he thought were his friends, he tries to bring justice to them, but his definition of justice is closer to revenge. Danglars, envious of Dantès' position as captain of the ship, The Pharaoh, wrote a letter giving evidence and reasons to arrest Dantès. Fernand, envious of Mercédès' love for Dantès, gave the letter written by Danglars to the public prosecutor. Villefort, a greedy judge with evil intentions and ambitions, gave the order to imprison Dantès even though Dantès did nothing that could justify his imprisonment. These three people supposedly friends of Dantès took advantage of him, leading Dantès to seek revenge against them. Abbé Faria, Dantes' prisoner who helped him escape from prison, reveals the nefarious intentions of the three alleged friends behind Dantès's arrest, and then states: "I regret having helped you clarify your past and having you told what I did... Because I instilled in your heart a feeling that wasn't there before: revenge.' Abbot Faria realizes too late that, by helping Dantès to discover the reasons for his imprisonment, he has transformed Dantès from an innocent sailor into a being driven solely by revenge. The phrase 'instilled in your heart' conveys that Dantès's person has completely changed. However, Abbé Faria was not the only one to perceive that thirst for revenge Dantès had changed him. As Monte Cristo, one of Dantes' many aliases, states to Villefort: "I have always heard of Providence, and yet I have never seen it or anything resembling it, which makes me think it does not exist." I want to be Providence, because the greatest, most beautiful and most sublime thing I know in this world is to reward and punish.' Monte Cristo realizes and embraces the drive for revenge rooted within himself. The term "sublime" shows that the most important thing for him is to reward those who did not betray him and get his revenge against those who did. He reveals that if he had all the power in the world and could essentially do whatever he wanted, remuneration and getting his revenge would be the two most important things to him. He recognizes the lack of existence of a God, leading him to discern that the only way to get his revenge is to act in God's place himself. This further demonstrates how he considers it necessary to punish those who have harmed him. Although Dantès managed to get his revenge, it did not come without a price. Dantès could have bankrupted Danglars, brought Villefort to the brink of madness and pushed Fernand to suicide, but soin doing so he hurt many innocent lives along the way. As Dantès states to Danglars while confronting him about his misdeeds, "I am the man you betrayed and dishonored, the man whose fiancée you married." Prostituted, the man you trampled on your way to fortune, the man whose father you starved to death, the man you condemned to starve but who now forgives you because he himself needs to be forgiven: I am Edmond Dantès!' Dantès states that he himself needs to be forgiven, showing that while he was able to punish Danglars, he made decisions and actions along the way that he now regrets. By forgiving Danglars even after acknowledging all the wrongdoings committed by Danglars against him, he further shows that Dantès realizes his mistakes and is even trying to repent for them. As Monte Cristo states: "Having arrived at the height of his vengeance after his slow and tortuous ascent, he had gazed into the abyss of doubt." Monte Cristo acknowledges that he has finally achieved his revenge after much perseverance. However, by stating that he looked into the abyss of doubt, he shows that he had second thoughts about whether revenge was the right choice. It shows how he realizes that the lives he hurt in his quest, like that of little Edward, were worth more than his revenge, and how he regrets his pursuit of revenge. Furthermore, the use of the terms "apex" and "slow and meandering" demonstrates how Dantes was severely affected, drained, and mentally distressed by his quest for revenge, but was still able to realize that his actions were wrong even after taken into consideration how drained and mentally distressed he was shows how who Dantes is as a person has truly changed from someone driven by revenge to the realization of the terrible mistakes someone has caused, the result of losing a piece of himself after successfully achieving his revenge. Dumas uses Dantès's remorse in his revenge-driven actions as an example of the importance of forgiveness. By not forgiving and giving in to bitter and reckless emotions, Dantès hurt many lives, including himself. As Montecristo states, "He realized that he had gone beyond the limits of just revenge and that he could no longer say: 'God is for and with me.'" Montecristo states this immediately after witnessing the result of his actions: the death of the little Edward. This statement shows how, by not forgiving and instead giving in to revenge, he committed actions that he later regretted, revealing the importance of forgiveness. It shows how Dantès ultimately realized that choosing to act like God and punish those which he thought fit was a terrible idea. Furthermore, this statement shows how naive Dantes was in his quest for revenge, that he took over his life and his humanity that he thought God was supporting his acts of vengeance too if God is a symbol of purity and peace, and it took the physical sight of the result of his actions, the death of little Edward, for Dantes to finally realize that what he was doing was wrong, that God was not with him and that his innocent self had been corrupted long ago. Monte Cristo's statement shows how much Dumas emphasizes the importance of forgiveness to readers by revealing the potential self-corruption and degeneration one might cause and suffer if they do not forgive and allow thoughts such as revenge to reside in their minds. As Dantès states, "God knows that I go now without hatred or pride, but not without regret." This statement shows that Dantès recognizes his mistakes and regrets them. Being devoid of hatred and pride, it shows that Dantès is no longer driven by revenge because he has realized how terrible revenge is and what it is.