.Why didn’t Dumas make an Edmond and Mercedes ending together?
Alexandre Dumas read Homer (Dumas A., Mes Mémoires, Paris, Bouquins, 2003, p. 590)) and The Odyssey influenced the book The Count of Monte Cristo. In Book IV of The Odyssey, Telemachus visits Menelaus who won Helen back after his elopement with Paris. Helen was sorry for what she did, but still Menelaus needed to use drugs to forget his painful memories like Helen’s union with Paris. This influenced Alexandre Dumas. Edmond would never be happy with Mercedes and would never forget her marriage to Fernand. This would always make him have painful memories. Their marriage would be deeply unhappy.
Haydee does not bring the count the painful memories that Mercedes does. More realistic for him to be happy with Haydée.
The adaptations of 1934 with Robert Donat, 1998 with Gerard Depardieu and 2002 with Jim Caviezel make the mistake of transforming the Edmond and Mercedes union into a happy union. Their union should be unhappy and Edmond would always need Hashish to try to erase the memories that Mercedes was married for 20 years to the man who ruined his life.
Not only him, but Mercedes too. Sure she married Fernand due to resignation at first, but it was 18 years married. She has a son whom she loves, she lives a life that may not be super happy but it’s still her life.
There’s a couple little moments when Dantes meets Mercedes that feel to me like Mercedes is more worried about Dantes’ vengeance than wants to get back to him. Like, she literally has to beg him for her son’s life, I don’t think you do that to someone you see as your former lover now returned, you do that to a spirit of revenge.
Also, Dumas goes out of his way to show how Fernand really cares about Mercedes and Albert, Albert himself was raised quite well, and that’s gotta count for something. Fernand would rather kill himself rather than let his wife and son live in shame.