#i just think it's kinda interesting and a little funny to see people interpret satire characters in that way

[somelazyassartist]

Wait there are people unironically attracted to Kurt from Spree. Are you telling me there are also people unironically attracted to Patrick Bateman too

[monte-cristo-incorrect-quotes]

In your opinion, the main differences between Le Comte de Monte-Cristo and comte de La Fère? (my two favorite boys❤️)

oh well Monte-Cristo didn’t hang his teenage wife, for one thing.

I’m joking I love Athos <3 

But listen you asked for it, so beware of an unnecessarily long rant, feel free to skip!

The main differences are obviously their (multiple) names, their physical appearance, their history, and their age, but also the role that they play in the two story, not in terms of plot, but in terms of characterisation, which is where I’m going to go batshit crazy.

The Three Musketeers is a satirical book (with a little bit of tragedy sprinkled at the end, similarly to La Reine Margot) and you laugh at the characters and their shitbaggery or at the very least criticise it but essentially you enjoy yourself. 

They’re awful people and that’s what makes it funny, with Athos murdering (twice) his own wife, Aramis being a hypocritical sleazy bastard, Porthos being a himbo in the bad way and d’Artagnan being a selfish irritatingly reckless bitch -- you kinda go “they’re complex characters” but in a “I love them because they’re awful” way, not in a “I’m trying to justify why I love them and give them more depth than they actually have” (the second books are much more tragic and a lot less comedic than the first, so this thing I’m saying only really applies to TTM) -- this is my off-hand comment to anyone who’s ever tried to adapt the book (except for the 2019 Italian movie), just accept it: the Musketeers are fucking awful and that’s great. Play with that aspect. It’s there for a reason.

TL;DR basically Athos is a horrible fucking person, but you laugh at it because of how exaggerated the whole thing is, especially since he has like... no reason to be so awful. 

On the other hand, The Count of Monte-Cristo is, essentially, a tragedy with a hopeful/bittersweet ending depending on the point of view; it does have its insanely funny moments (Beauchamp <3) but really it all boils down to a man suffering horribly and deciding it’s time to all go Batman, and that’s the whole point. 

Monte-Cristo isn’t any better than Athos, but because of his history and his motivations and the things that happened to him, you tend to justify or at least explain his actions. Monte-Cristo is an incredibly complex character, much more than Athos in my opinion (and again I adore Athos), and while reading the book you’re kinda... not supposed to enjoy yourself in a funny way. Especially because you feel for the characters he hurts just as much as you feel for him (Albert, Mercédès, Édouard etc), unlike in TTM where (most of) the background characters are just there to serve the story and to play as stereotypes (Buckingham, the King and others), so if something happens to them you kinda just... eh  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (again with exceptions, this my personal interpretation).

TL;DR the Count is a horrible fucking person and that’s what makes him so incredibly interesting and complex. There is no exaggeration or satire or comedic goal in who he is, even his performative exoticism and grandeur all serve a very specific purpose within the plot and the characterisation. 

Super TL;DR TCoMC gives a certain level of depth and personality to even the least important characters (think of the gardener that the Count corrupted or even bloody Château-Renaud), because you see them as what they are -- human and relatable and understandable. TTM takes certain flaws and characteristics and amplifies them to the point you can’t even really justify or explain the characters’ choices anymore.

Politics also play a very important role in TTM, it moves and motivates not just the 4 main characters but almost the entirety of the others as well (with the exception of Raoul, de Guiche, Mordaunt and La Vallière and a couple of others), whereas in TCoMC politics only give the initial push to the plot (the Denunciation Scheme and Villefort) and then motivates like... two of the characters that I can think of? Villefort and his dad.

Rant over! Jesus. This is so unnecessarily long but boy did I have fun with it.