THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (CHAPS 109-110) THE ASSIZES and THE INDICTMENT

1001 Adventure and Mystery Stories For The Road

Jon Hagadorn

Arts, Fiction

4.7 • 520 Ratings

🗓️ 4 January 2026

⏱️ 36 minutes

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Summary

CHAP 109 THE ASSIZES Chateau-Renaud, Debray, and Beauchamp are in court to see the beginning of the famous Benedetto Affair. They discuss the rumor that the murderer in the house of Villefort is young Edouard, who has become increasingly jealous of his stepsister and her grandparents. But others in the group dismiss this as nonsense and wait for the excitement of the case to begin, with Villefort drawing up evidence against the accused "Prince," Cavalcanti.

CHAP110 THE INDICTMENT

Villefort is called as the crown prosecutor before the court, and the judges similarly call Andrea to testify. He admits that he lived a life of petty crime before causing the murder of Caderousse, and when the court asks him for his identity, he pauses and says he does not really know his "actual" name, for he was abandoned as a very young infant by his father. When the court asks who this father might be, Andrea/Benedetto declares that it is the crown prosecutor himself, Villefort.
Villefort understands instantly that, from this point on, there is nothing he can do to protect his good name. Like Fernand and Danglars, he too will suffer in shame, and will need to determine some way to slide nobly off the public stage of French civic life. The crimes Villefort committed so many years ago have finally come back to light, causing the criminal to be punished.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back, everyone to one thousand one classic short stories and tales.
0:17.5	This is your host, John Haggardorn.
0:19.8	Today, two chapters from the Count of Monte Cristo
0:22.3	by Alexander Dumas, beginning with Chapter 109, The Acces.
0:30.2	The Benedetto Affair, as it was called at the Palais, and by people in general, had produced
0:36.0	a tremendous sensation,
0:42.6	frequenting the Café de Paris, the Boulevard de Gaude, and the Bois de Boulogne,
0:48.1	during his brief career of splendor, the false Cavalcanti had formed a host of acquaintances.
0:55.8	The papers had related his various adventures, both as the man of fashion and the galley slave, And as everyone who had been personally acquainted with Prince Andrea Cavalcante experienced a lively curiosity in
1:00.7	its fate, they all determined to spare no trouble in endeavoring to witness the trial of
1:05.5	Mr. Benedetto for the murder of his comrade, in chains. In the eyes of many, Benedetto appeared, if not a victim,
1:13.6	too, at least an instance of, the fallibility of the law. M. Cavalcante, his father, had been seen in
1:21.4	Paris, and it was expected that he would reappear to claim the illustrious outcast. Many, also, who were not aware of the
1:29.3	circumstances, attending his withdrawal from Paris, were struck with the worthy appearance.
1:34.8	The gentlemanly bearing, and the knowledge of the world displayed by the old patrician,
1:39.5	who certainly played the nobleman very well, so long as he said nothing, and made no
1:45.2	arithmetical calculations.
1:48.7	As for the accused himself, many remembered him as being so amiable, so handsome, and so
1:54.8	liberal, that they chose to think him the victim of some conspiracy, since in this world
2:00.0	large fortunes frequently excite the malevolence and jealousy of some conspiracy, since in this world large fortunes frequently excite the
2:03.1	malevolence and jealousy of some unknown enemy.
2:07.0	Everyone, therefore, ran to the court, some to witness the sight, others to comment upon it.
	...

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