The Count of Monte Cristo  ( French: Le Comte de Monte Cristo  )  is an adventure novel by French author Alexandre Dumas. Completed in 1844, it is one of the author's most popular works, along with The Three Musketeers.  Like many of his novels, it is expanded from plot outlines suggested by his co-author Auguste Maquet.      The story takes place in France, Italy, islands in the Mediterranean, and in the Levant during the historical events of 1815-1838. It begins from just before the Hundred Days period, when Napoleon returned to power after his exile    , and goes through to the time of Louis Philippe of France. The historical setting is a fundamental element    of the book. It is an adventure story primarily concerned with themes of hope, justice, revenge    , mercy and forgiveness, and is told in the style of an adventure story. It focuses on a man who is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes from prison, gains a fortune and sets about getting revenge on those responsible for his imprisonment.  However, his plans have terrible consequences for the innocent as well as the guilty.      Dumas got the idea for The Count of Monte Cristo from a true story, which he found in a memoir   written by a man named Jacques Peuchet.  Peuchet related the story of a shoemaker named Pierre Picaud, who was living in Paris in 1807. Picaud was engaged to a rich woman, but four envious friends falsely accused him of being a spy for England. He was imprisoned for seven years. During his imprisonment a fellow prisoner told him a treasure hidden in Milan. When Picaud was released in 1814, he took possession of the treasure, returned under another name to Paris and spent ten years plotting his successful revenge.      The book is considered a literary classic today.  According to Luc Sante,  " The Count of Monte Cristo has become a fixture of western civilization's literature, as inescapable and immediately identifiable as Mickey Mouse, Noah's flood, and the story of Little Red Riding Hood. " What can we know about the hero of The Count of Monte Cristo?
He is a man of strong will seeking justice. He was exiled when Napoleon came to power. He carries out his revenge to regain his fortune. His revenge benefits the innocent as well as the guilty.