Madame Thérèse Defarge is a fictional character in the book A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With well over 200 million copies sold, it ranks among the most famous works in the history of fictional literature....

by Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...

. She is a tricoteuse

Tricoteuse

Tricoteuse literally translates from the French as a knitter or knitting device. The term is most often used in its historical sense as a name for the women who frequented the public executions in Paris during the French Revolution.-Origins:...

, a tireless worker for the French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

 and the wife of Ernest Defarge

Ernest Defarge

Ernest Defarge is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' novel, A Tale of Two Cities.-Overview:Defarge is the owner of a wine shop in the slum of Saint Antoine in Paris. He and his wife Madame Therese Defarge are passionate advocates for revolution and regularly dispense and gather information...

.

She is arguably the main villain

Villain

A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...

 of the book, and ruthlessly seeks revenge against the Evrèmondes, including Charles Darnay

Charles Darnay

Charles Darnay, or Charles St. Evrémonde, is a fictional character in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.-Overview:A French aristocrat by birth, Darnay chooses to live in England because he cannot bear to be associated with the cruel injustices of the French social system...

, his wife Lucie Manette

Lucie Manette

Lucie Manette is a character in Charles Dickens' novel, A Tale of Two Cities.-Overview:She is the daughter of Dr. Alexander Manette. She is wise beyond her years; unfailingly kind and forgiving of people's faults. Her compassion for her father is what first attracts Charles Darnay to her. She...

 and their child for crimes a prior generation of the Evrèmonde family had committed. These crimes include the deaths of her sister, brother, and father.