The Mediterranean Sea is a large body of water in our world, but also the idea of escape to Rochester, accompanied by his aspiring mistress, Jane Eyre. In Jane Eyre, the Mediterranean was mentioned by Rochester after the discovery of Bertha in the attic. While reasoning and arguing with Jane, Rochester refers the Mediterranean sea as a way to escape the crimes he has committed with the entrapment of Bertha and starting a new life with Jane as his mistress. The audience can understand the scene with a larger lens because it shows Rochester is trying to escape with Jane by his side, but also isolate her to another controlled property.
In the quote,
"You mean you must become a part of me. As to the new existence, it is all right: you shall yet be my wife: I am not married. You shall be Mrs. Rochester—both virtually and nominally. I shall keep only to you so long as you and I live. You shall go to a place I have in the south of France: a whitewashed villa on the shores of the Mediterranean. There you shall live a happy, and guarded, and most innocent life. Never fear that I wish to lure you into error—to make you my mistress. (Pg. 272).
This connection to the Mediterranean Sea and the villa in France also brings back the idea of control and power, which is a common theme within the story of Jane Eyre. This another testament to that theme because Rochester is leveraging his power and estate take Jane away to. He is still under the patriarchal mindset that he can take Jane to another isolated and controlled state of his as his. Almost as a savior, in a way, despite it really him tryin to convince Jane that they can still have the life they planned, before the discovery of Bertha.
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