Influencing Alexandre Dumas

Influencing Alexandre Dumas

The works of Shakespeare have a great influence on other cultured works around the world. Other writers have written their own variations on Shakespeare’s themes of his plays, and adapted his style into their storylines. One of these writers consist of Alexandre Dumas, having written the famous classics The Count of Monte Cristo , The Three Musketeers, and The Man in the Iron Mask to name a few. He was fascinated by the plays of Shakespeare which displayed a plethora of adventure, love, mystery and human behaviors in his characters. Dumas adapted his writing to have similar suspense and drama as in Shakespearean plays.

An example of a Shakespearean theme adapted by Dumas can be shown through Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo. Though the two have seemingly different plots, there is a situation within Dumas’ novel that greatly resembles similarity to one of Shakespeare’s most beloved tragedies. A friend of the Count, Maximilien is in love with Valentine, the public prosecutor’s daughter. They keep their affair a secret from the family because they feel that Valentine’s father would not accept him. Similarly, Romeo and Juliet keep their marriage a secret because of their feuding families . Both pieces of literature show forbidden love, and the fear of family disapproval. Valentine is engaged to a suitor her father had chosen for her, while Juliet also becomes engaged to the suitor of her father’s choice. Neither of these women agrees to these arrangements. In order to unite themselves with their lovers, the two women take a potion that make them fall into a deep sleep and appear to be dead. The women’s lovers did not know that their beloved would take the...

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...ed many writers, and will continue his magnificent literary legacy as time goes on.

Works Cited

Merriman, C. D. "Alexandre Dumas pere." 2000-2010. The Literature Network. .

Shakespeare, William. "Richard III." Limited, Henneford Publications. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. U.S.: Cambridge University Press, 1988. 868-899.

—. Romeo and Juliet. New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore: Washington Square Press, 1992.

Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark." Limited, Hennerwood Publications. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. United States: Cambridge University Press, 1988. 525-611.

Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark." Limited, Henneford Publications. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Cambridge University Press, 1988. 525-611.