An ancient theme and major characteristic of mankind is "Revenge." As long as man has inhabited the earth, retribution has played the role of a recurring vice for all. As a chief part of society, as well as a dominating motif in literature, people consistently seek revenge. Sustained from the beginning to the middle, and from the middle to the end of the novel, a major theme in Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo is "Revenge" because the protagonist, Dantes, seeks justice for a crime he did not commit.
The novel begins when Dantes faces charges that threaten him with severe consequences. As a result of his accomplishments at work, his future as captain on the seas, and his special relationship with Mercedes, Danglars and Ferdnand decide to make sure that Dantes cannot achieve the success that he will surely obtain. They introduce news to the public regarding Dantes's duty to deliver a letter from Napoleon, an enemy of the state, to Nortier. These reports result in Dantes's arrest, as the law disapproves of associating with Napoleon. Accordingly, the public prosecutor, Villefort, sentences Dantes to fourteen years in jail because Villefort cannot allow society to know that his father, Nortier, had contact with Napoleon. Therefore, although Dantes technically did not commit the crime, Villefort allows events to continue on as though Dantes did commit a crime in order to protect Villefort's own father. Fourteen years later, when Dantes is released from prison, he travels to see Villefort to seek revenge. He builds a relationship with Madame Villefort, Villefort's second wife, by intentionally saving her life. Eventually, Dantes convinces her to poison Villefort's first wife's family, explaining to her that by doing so, she will be able to claim her husband's money when he dies. In actuality, however, Dantes is only constructing a plan of revenge against Villefort. Later, after Dantes achieves his goal and witnesses the deaths of the Villefort clan, including the suicide of Madame Villefort, he reveals himself to Villefort to further his satisfaction regarding his triumphant revenge.
