Revenge is often seen as a person’s way to “get even” after he or she has suffered, in attempt to harm the wrongdoer in retaliation. The only purpose of revenge is to gain satisfaction in seeing the wrongdoer suffer. Through ethical, religious and legal perspectives, revenge is not ever justified. The act upon taking revenge is unethical. For instance in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the feud between the Montagues and Capulets caused pain and suffering towards the innocent characters such as Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio and Tybalt.
Unlike many of the "evil villains" in literature, Iago and Claudius are far more complex than may be seen at first. Through simple comparative analysis, one can see many similarities between the antagonist Iago of Othello and Claudius of Hamlet. Iago and Claudius, although driven by different ambitions, are both evil villains in the sense that they have a specific, designated target in mind and will stop at nothing until their target is annihilated. Both of these characters commit murder directly and indirectly. Iago is often classified as the embodiment of pure evil to the farthest extent capable of being reached by human.
Hamlet and Fortinbras Comparative Essay “While seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself” (Doug Horton). Perhaps the characters from William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet should have listened to this advice. Hamlet and Fortinbras are two characters whose main goal is revenge. The two characters can relate to one another because revenge in itself is a similar act, however they have different reasons for their revenge, go about doing it differently, and ultimately their actions each have a different effect on others in the play. Revenge must begin with a motive.
One important theme of the play “The Crucible”, written by Arthur Miller, is revenge, as is shown in the jealousy and hatred that turn people in the Puritanical township of Salem against each other, resulting in the deaths of many innocent lives. For such an idea to be made effective to the audience, the playwright chiefly relies on the characterizations of Abigail Williams, the Putnams as well as Reverend Paris, who manipulate the prevalent superstition as well as people’s ignorance to successfully carry out her malicious revenge. Abigail Williams, a strong-minded young woman, is committed to her personal vendetta as she has a strong physical desire for John Procter. She is a vindictive and ruthless character, and will not hesitate to put anyone to death if they stand in her way of revenge. This vindictive hatred from Abigail soon prompts a witch hunt involving many innocent people: “Twelve have already hanged for the same crime.” While many panics, John Procter knows this from the start ; “this is a whore’s vengeance”.
Moral Ambiguity Morality, a person’s standards of behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do, is a foundation to one’s character. Passed down through different time eras, morals have adapted while ultimately containing the same basic function of judgment between right from wrong. Euripides’ Medea and Shakespeare’s The Tempest come from explicitly different time periods, yet a common theme of a dearth of morality is expressed in both stories. Medea ravaged by a desire of revenge on her ex-husband and Prospero who, “by foul play, as thou say’st, were we heav’d thence” (76), desired to seek revenge on those who ousted him from power nearly twelve years ago. Prospero using a tempest to shipwreck is previous offenders and plotting to sabotage them, and Medea plotting to kill Jason’s new female interest and her kids to avenge her husband’s mistreatment, are both using unjust acts to retaliate their offenders.
She possesses such heroic characteristics and a tragic flaw that defines her as a heroine. Some may argue that she is an antagonist because she murders her own children. However, it is simply a manly valor that she possesses which brings out the courage of a hero in her. This is also one example of the ground-breaking approaches Euripides takes in his writing. He alters Aristotle’s model for tragic hero and add his own component to Medea.
The irony enhances the brutality of the murder as the reader knows throughout Montresor is planning some revenge while Fortunato believes he is going to sample his friends wine. Secondly Poe weaves verbal irony, a statement in which the meaning that a speaker employs is sharply different from the meaning that is ostensibly expressed, throughout to add humor to the story. The story is filled with verbal irony as Montresor is planning on killing Fortunato so almost every word he speaks is ironic as he convinces Forunato continue into his catacombs to his eventual death. This is seen when Montresor tricks Fortunato into testing his Amontillado by telling him he is bringing it to Luchesi to which Fortunanto replies “Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry” and Montresor replies “[a]nd yet some fools will have it that
Having realized the loss of his Queen, Macbeth fantasizes his own demise; his conscience wants justice for the sins he has committed, showing his guilt and remorse for what he’s done. Macbeth finally begins to understand the moral rights and wrongs in his
What I mean by this is that when someone takes what we call revenge they do it to get payback for another person’s fall. Revenge is considered to be many things: wild justice, an act of honor, or an act of passion. It is vengeance that derives from emotion or passion and not from thinking things through. Vengeance and revenge are commonly used interchangeably. What the Elizabethan’s called revenge is more of like what we like to call retribution.
This is closely related to the theme crime, as the play exemplifies Macbeth ambition for power, through lies and murders. Finally, Shakespeare uses justice to show that every action has a consequence, by the use of Macbeth, as he is faced with many serious choices, and with his decisions, Macbeth dealt with severe consequences. Hence, it can said as a whole that through the use of vivid themes and characterisations, it is Lady Macbeth who took the ultimate burden. Death in Macbeth is used to portray that Lady Macbeth took the toll of crime by conveying constant deaths in the play to emphasis each characters characteristics in the play. The use of death in Macbeth can be seen throughout the entire play.