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Motifs
Definition of Pathos
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Chapter 7 – The Interrogation
Explanation and Analysis—Society Schmoozing:
In Chapter 7, as Villefort meets with Dantès, he sees a striking similarity between himself and the young accused captain. His thoughts immediately turn to how he can best pitch this similarity to his friends in elegant, aristocratic conversation, however, and craft the story with a particular appeal to emotion (pathos):
This philosophical analogy, he thought, would cause a great stir when he returned to M. de Saint-Méran’s salon; and, while Dantès waited for his next question, he was already mentally ordering the antitheses around which orators construct those sentences designed to elicit applause, but which sometimes produce the illusion of true eloquence.
As the reader gains an appreciation for the depth of Villefort's corruption, depravity, and even outright cruelty, they see in real time how Villefort—rather than sympathize with Dantès and take up his cause—plans to use the similarities between the two men as fuel for socializing at the salon. Alluding to the tools of classical rhetoric and the ways to win over a crowd, Villefort plans how best to make an appeal to the audience's emotion with Dantès's "sob story" and hopefully to "elicit applause" from his peers. This sequence is simultaneously an indictment of Villefort's character and an illustration of Dumas's awareness of the possible moral bankruptcy in elite French social circles. By thus vilifying Villefort, Dumas also sets the stage to make Dantès's eventual quest for revenge feel all the more sweet.
