These chapters further reveal the dark and murky depths of Milady’s vile nature. For example, other people might have committed some of her immoral acts for the sake of money, but we hear from de Winter that Milady is already wealthy. Milady’s desire for de Winter’s money is simply another aspect of her enormous greed and lust for power. De Winter finally concludes that her only reason for doing evil is for the sheer pleasure she receives when she is doing it. She can be compared to Shakespeare’s Iago (in Othello); both Iago and Milady enjoy evil for the sake of evil.
Nonetheless, we should note that in spite of Milady’s evil nature, she is treated politely and accommodatingly as a lady should be, rather than being thrown into a dungeon, where she belongs. This politeness is part of the nineteenth century’s code of gentlemanly respect for womanhood—even though in this case, Milady’s “womanhood” is indelibly corrupt and evil.
In Chapter 51, Athos is rather forward with the cardinal; he suggests that the letter he is reading is from his mistress, and he takes an even more dangerous chance when he says that the letter is not from either of two ladies who have been the cardinal’s mistresses. The letter, of course, must be concealed at all costs because it contains the location of the secret whereabouts of Madame Bonacieux and the cardinal wants this information badly.
