The Count of Monte Cristo

Edmond Dantes, our hero, lives in Marseilles,

And this, his story, I will say.

He is a fine sailor on the Pharaon ship

When he returns to port from a long trip.

Dantes went out of his way

To deliver a package that caused a delay.

It was to the Isle of Elba, the captain's dying wish,

And then later to Paris will Dantes finish.

Now in Marseilles he sees Mercedes,

His lovely fiancée, the fairest of ladies

But first visits his father who's nearly dead.

After being charged by Caderousse, he had naught but bread.

Now, Danglars is Dantes' enemy-

Powerful is all he wants to be.

Caderousse lives for nothing but money,

And Fernand is after our hero's honey.

Later, at Dantes's betrothal feast

The joy and laughter is deceased

For the police come in, and with the shake of a fist,

Accuse Dantes of being a Bonapartist.

He's taken to Villefort who's caught by surprise

The letter's for his father and has treason inside!

Villefort burns the letter and sends Dantes to jail

And the next morning that ship sets sail.

Fourteen years in the Chateau d'If

Before Dantes can finally leave.

His prison friend, Abbe Faria, was his way out.

With a map for treasure, Dantes's up and about.

Dantes, with the help of some smugglers

Finds the Monte Cristo treasure, a sum greater than all others.

He returns to Marseilles to plot revenge,

To plot the demise of his so-called friends.

Yet first thing on his list is to reward Morrel

Who tried to retrieve him from the dark prison cell.

He buys a new ship and pays off Morrel's debts;

For Morrel's daughter's dowry a great diamond he gets.

On Dantes goes, this time disguised as a priest

To visit Caderousse who's just finished his feast.

Caderousse tells the truth, with many holes,

And of a giant diamond he takes hold.

He sells it and kills the jeweler too

So now of this great fortune he has two.

He killed his wife, who wanted him to stop;

Bertrucio had seen this scene from on top.

Bertrucio confessed his prior crime,

Attempted murder of Villefort, father of Benedetto, Edouard, and Valentine.

Benedetto was illegitimate, later adopted by Bertrucio's sister,

But Benedetto was evil and later he killed her.

Benedetto and Caderousse met in jail,

That comes up later in this tale.

Bertrucio repeated the scene for Abbe Busoni,

Who's really Edmond Dantes, at this point a phony.

Busoni sends Bertrucio to Monte Cristo for work,

And as thanks for the job he'll never shirk.

As for Caderousse, he's sentenced to life of hard labor

Though soon he is saved bye Lord Wilmore's good favor.

Now, as Count of Monte Cristo, Dantes travels to Rome,

A city where horrible bandits roam.

A 'friend' is taken, Albert de Morcerf who [with him] has money of zero.

Albert is son of Fernand and Mercedes and now owes his life to our hero.

His way to repay is a visit to his Parisian home,

A place that Dantes has never known.

In Paris the Count is soon a favorite guest

Who's loved partially for his tales of the north, south, east and west.

He one by one makes all fall in his debt,

But that he does this is not known to them yet.

Soon Villefort, Danglars, as well as Fernand will need to repay

And it will come most dearly one day.

There are many marriages being made

And none of them will be saved.

While at the time characters are re-introduced,

Benedetto and Caderousse.

Benedetto is playing a part-

Andrea Cavalcanti: a prince at heart.

He pays Caderousse, who is poor,

But when Caderousse robs Monte Crisco, he will no more.

First he warns Dantes with a note

And then kills Caderousse below the throat.

Not far away from when Fernand is exposed

By a pretty girl in Grecian clothes.

Haydee is her name and she's Monte Cristo's slave,

Yet she stayed with him even when her freedom he gave.

When Fernand is exposed, his wife and child flee

In hope of a decent life in another part of the country.

This takes away all good in his life

So he kills himself- not with a knife.

Valentine Villefort is engaged,

But it's broken off by her grandfather's rage.

He killed her fiancé's father years ago

And how Franz could marry her he does not know.

All this is good for she loves Max Morrel,

And his love for her he will openly tell.

Her family is dying, killed by her stepmother

So that Valentine's fortune will go to her brother.

Valentine appears to be dead;

Maximilien wishes to split his head.

Yet Monte Cristo makes him promise to live

To find happiness, or the poison he'll give.

Dangler's daughter was to marry Albert,

Danglars called it off, but no one was hurt.

Eugenie is now engaged to Cavalcanti,

But that helps her little, because now he's wanted.

It also helps none because her mother is his,

That came up in court and caused quite a fizz.

Villefort is ruined and his family dead,

All that finally got to his head.

Monte Cristo is doing well,

Three down is really swell!

All that's left in his master plan,

Is to finish off Danglars with the swish of his hand.

Slowly the bankruptcy sets in,

And Monte Cristo is sure to win.

Not long after, wandering the streets of Rome,

Danglars's balance is thrown.

He winds up hidden in the Catacombs,

The same bandit that picked up Albert 's home.

Luigi Vampa is his name,

Making people pay is a part of his game.

Monte Cristo visits, causing Danglars to repent

Because Dantes claims to be heaven-sent.

The story's almost over, I swear it's winding down

As Maximilien is invited to Dantes's current town.

There Max wants to die

Until he opens his eye

And Valentine, whom he thought was dead,

Was standing close to his bed.

With his mission complete after so many years,

Our hero can sleep free of all fears.

So off sails Dantes into the sun

With Haydee, his new loved one.