...that of revenge. Revenge is one of the defining traits of humanity. The drive to exact vengeance on one's enemy is the driving force behind many pivotal events in human history. The object of every war is to get revenge on the other side. Revenge is also a common motive for robbery and murder. There is no denying that revenge is a force for terrible deeds in this world, but at the same time it is a basic human desire. Stories of retribution are some of the oldest humans have ever told and also some of the most treasured. In the Christian Bible, one of the most revered texts in human history, vengeance is a key element to many stories. When Adam and Eve eat the fruit in the Garden of Eden, God takes his retribution on them by banishing them from the garden for all time. Cain takes revenge on Abel for outdoing him in his sacrifices to God. The list goes on, the point being that people have been taking revenge upon one another since the dawn of man. Even though the desire to obtain revenge often leads people to perform criminal, or at least unkind, acts, it is necessary for human society to function. Revenge acts as a very effective deterrent against undeserved violence. When man first learned to use tools and communicate, there was no police force or other entity capable of enforcing rules of any kind. If not for the threat of later revenge, there would not have been any reason for early humans to refrain from killing and stealing from each other. Revenge is the most...
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...Hamlet’s Revenge It does not matter how old a person is or if that person likes literature or not, it is very probable that he or she has heard these words pronounced by Hamlet: "To be or not to be; that is the question..." (Act III, Scene I). This quote is not only one of the most popular quotes in history of literature, but also one that describes Hamlet’s dramatic situation after his father’s death, when he contemplates suicide as an option. This dramatic story is considered one of the greatest in history and, for many people, the best book written by Shakespeare. The influence of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in many modern narratives can be easily identified. Scott Leslie’s presentation is a good example of how Hamlet’s tragedy has influenced modern authors to write similar stories like “The Lion King”. In fact, Scott literally said, “The Lion King is the light version of Hamlet”. The story of Hamlet is based on revenge and Hamlet’s internal conflicts. Revenge is a concept that is not well considered today due to the strong moral values the society seems to have. However, anyone with my same perception of both modern justice and honor will claim that Hamlet’s revenge is justified. The first point to be discussed in order to demonstrate that Hamlet’s revenge is justified is the concept of justice. Many people will state that revenge has nothing to do with justice and it is nothing else than a primitive behavior. However, what is justice? According to Oxford’s dictionary, “justice...
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...Kristy Valdes English 2111 April 14, 2015 The Revenge in Hamlet The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often just called Hamlet, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1602. Hamlet is Shakespeare’s longest play and delivers one of the most famous lines in history, “to be or not to be.” The story is set in the Kingdom of Denmark and tells of the revenge Prince Hamlet has on his uncle Claudius. Claudius murdered his own brother, Hamlet's father and took over the throne. Claudius also marries Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. Revenge, being the driving force in the play is also one reason why it is a tragedy. This tragedy has many themes, including: murder, corruption, deceit and insanity. But revenge is the driving force of the play. The need to exact vengeance on one's enemy is the driving force behind many pivotal events in human history. The object of every war is to get revenge on the other side and become the successful leader. Revenge is also a common motive for robbery and murder. There is no denying that revenge is one of the main reasons for terrible deeds in this world, but at the same time it is a basic human desire that everyone has. In the beginning of the play, the ghost of Hamlet’s dead father appears to Horatio, Marcellus and Barnardo. The three beg the ghost to speak, but he refuses. Horatio tells Hamlet about the encounter once the ghost has gone. The ghost finally appears again and leaves with Hamlet to speak in private...
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...that we go through compacting different ideologies into our mindsets. William Shakespeare, through his plays presents these ideologies, attitudes and values, both relevant and present in the Elizabethan context as well as in a modern context. Through a reading and analysis of Shakespearean plays we can see the ideology of how through the marginalization of society, there is a cultivation of the cycle of hatred, leading to revenge, preventable if we are able to open up and be merciful and forgive instead of succumbing to hatred and revenge. These feelings of mercy, hate, forgiveness, and revenge are built into the core of our human nature, and hence it has been present in the people of society during Shakespearean times as well as being easily relatable and understandable to our modern day society, due to it being in the fabric of our human experience and nature since the start of the human civilization. Modern day society struggles with the woes of marginalization on a daily basis, as well as in past important events that has changed the course of history and society. From daily issues such as the people who detests all immigrants who enter their country, as a result of racial differences, the now subsiding inequality of men and women, and the infamous anti-Semitic Nazi holocaust, where an estimate of 6 million Jews where killed by Adolf Hitler’s rule. As we can see this is closely related to Shakespeare’s famous play, The Merchant of Venice, which was written around 1597 and...
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...Transylvania to the great city of London that is growing and becoming more modern and industrialized. He now lives in his castle that is hidden away in the forest and has many mysterious rooms. Dracula has lured Jonathan Harker into coming to his castle with the intentions of finding a home in London. He speaks with Harker about London and its beauty saying that he wants to learn to be of the land and that he wants to seem as if he blends in with the people. Dracula’s hunger for London is based upon the past and his families history. It has to do with the drive for power and his hunger to rule and to redeem his family name. In Transylvania he already has control of the people they fear him and are aware of his powers but in the new emerging city of London it would be a new challenge to claim his throne. Dracula speaks about London as if it were a place of prized possession. He talks about its beauty and the wanders of it. Dracula has studied London and its history. He has taken time to read about London and to learn the language of the people. He wants to make sure that when he arrives in London he can blend into the crowd and they cannot tell that he is from another land. Dracula tells Harker, “I am content if I am like the rest, so that no man stops if he see me, or pause in his speaking if he hear my words, to say, ‘Ha, ha! a stranger!’” (26). Dracula wants to make sure that when he arrives to London he can blend into the big crowds of people and not stand out from the rest...
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...Charles C Professor Nancy Blair Mythology-HUM 1015 28 July 2014 Compare the Values in The Iliad With the Values That People Hold Today: To What Extent Are Dignity, Pride, Honor, Glory, Fame, and Revenge Still Important? How does People Achieve Them Today? Throughout history we are shown war and the many countries and times it has taken place. War of course is filled with violence and we tend to see it as it is. Homer’s The Iliad we are given a look at the human dimension of war. The story has us reflect on the actual nature of war itself. With the use of force our understanding of virtues is formed, such as honor, dignity, and pride. Unfortunately, with these virtues vices are often developed, such as fame, glory, and revenge. In history these virtues were very important, however due to most seeking them the vices were a huge downfall for most. Some would go to great measures to uphold their honor, but excess of pride and dignity could cause one to seek out glory and fame. In the Iliad Achilles decision to not fight Agamemnon and withdrawal from the battle. He is close with the gods and has superhuman strength. As a modern reader however I would consider him to be less than heroic. His deep-seated flaws in character impede this great warrior. Even though he proves to be the mightiest man in the Achaean army these flaws hinder him from acting with nobility and integrity. As in modern times a person can allow their character to be affected by something like pride. Pride...
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...Revenge and Harmony There is a huge debate over the many different kinds of ethical issues all over the world. Some of us learn how to agree to disagree. Others take matters into their own hands and try to change the world’s view on the certain ethical issue. Whatever it may be, ethics are the moral principles we abide by that determine our behavior. It shapes who we are as a person. Ethics comes from within us. We decide what our ethics are because we have the power to be whoever we want to be. Having the ability to make decisions for us is a powerful responsibility; so some know how to handle it while others don’t. That decision marks the point where people resort to revenge or to harmony. Which one is ethical? There’s no simple answer to this question, but deciphering it as much as possible allows us to relieve an answer that best describes who we are. I think that majority of people in the world would agree that revenge isn’t the way to go. There are many other possibilities into solving problems because that’s how we’ve been raised and taught our entire lives. “…Simply bombing other countries after the fact will not protect lives…the deaths of civilians just as innocent as those killed in New York City. And survivors bent on revenge… Instead of continuing the cycle of violence, we need to re-evaluate policies that lead to such anger and resentment.” Simply put, the author of this article, Stephen Zunes, retaliates against violence. He states all throughout that our...
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...The Many Discoveries of Beowulf Although this poem isn’t of love or lust, it is filled with epic fights that lead to a great amount of bloodshed and celebrations for the hero. Beowulf’s writer created a great deal of complications when writing this poem. He used many themes and symbols the portray his tragic poem. The characters are very unclear but each have their reasoning for being in the poem, one being revenge on something or someone. Kathryn Hume stated, “ If a good man and the abstraction “ troublemaking” are given heroic shapes and matched in contest, we expect the good man to win, for troublemaking is not a sin likely to overcome him” (10). “ The early history of every nation is full of legend and myth. In literature, people try to record and describe the early history and to honor their heros in poems, epics, and folklores” (Wang 52). Beowulf is the main character throughout the poem, however the author tells us nothing about Beowulf’s past life other than his father was a great warrior as well as Beowulf himself. However, a young age Beowulf was considered cowardly. “ Were the poem centered on Beowulf himself, we would expect to learn something about him as a person” (Hume 2). The little we do know about Beowulf is still a great amount on his courage. He fights three battles and with each one he portrays a little bit of heroism. “Though he was little-known when coming to the Danes, he is full of courage and energy. Though he decreases in his strength in his old...
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...hopes to work his way up from being poor to being one of the King Louis XIII’s Musketeers. Throughout the story, the reader learns about the formation of enemies and alliances between the major characters. The Musketeers teach the reader that revenge leads towards harm to either you or others; this is proven through the actions of D’Artagnan, Milady, and the Cardinal. Throughout the plot of The Three Musketeers, D’Artagnan has many attempts to take revenge on those who insult him. In the opening chapter of The Three Musketeers, a character known as the Man from Meung insults D’Artagnan and steals his important letter. When D’Artagnan overhears his leader, M. de Trévile, talking about this man he cried out "Oh, sir, if you know who this man is ,... tell me who he is, and whence he is. I will then release you from all your promises--even that of procuring my into the Musketeers; for before everything, I wish to avenge myself." (Dumas 33). This shows the reader that D’Artagnan is willing to do anything to show this man that nobody can mess with him and get away with it....
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...head: CORRECTIONAL THEORY PAPER ON RETRIBUTION WITH HISTORY Discussion of Retribution with History and its Practice Abstract Retribution is one of the most important theories in our criminal justice system today. In this essay we will look at the key elements, the history, the future and the modern application of Retribution in our society. Discussion of Retribution in Corrections Introduction The first theory that will be discussed is Retribution. Retribution is a form of punishment that is sometimes mistaken as revenge but is actually a legitimate punishment philosophy because it has three key elements that are; formal penal sanction, equity, and just deserts (Alarid, Pg.24). Retribution is the punishment given to an offender for a crime that is morally right and is fully deserved. The reason retribution really defers from revenge is the three elements above. The formal penal sanction of it is when a law has been broken and action is taken for the good of the public. The next element is equity; this is to make sure that people that commit the same crime get similar punishment and are treated the same. The final element of retribution is just deserts; this is to make sure that the punishment is proportional to the seriousness of the offense and the culpability of the offender. This is what retribution is and now we can look at the history of it. The history of Retribution can reach back a long way in our history. If you look at these words from the Old Testament...
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...Going To War Com/156 Going To War In today’s world there are many wars and rumors of wars. No matter where we turn we are hearing about one conflict or another. Often it make one wonder has there ever been peace in the world. Looking back on history our world has constantly moved from one war to the next. Trying to understand why it is that mankind feels the need to fight one another is not simple to answer. Many reasons have been given as to why war are started everything from religion, expansionism, ethnic cleansing and even in the name of peace itself. No matter what the reason is that people claim to be fighting for when you get down to the basic of it all. In the end people go to war for power and control, even when the purpose or perception to do so suggests otherwise. To better understand the reason wars are started we need first talk about why people go to war. Matthew O. Jackson and Massimo Morelli wrote (when researching for the book “The Handbook on the Political Economy of War.”) a list of the reason why people go to war. They included the following: religion, revenge, ethnic cleansing and other ideological mass killings, asymmetric information, bargaining failures, first strike advantages and preemptive war. (2009, The Reasons for Wars – an Updated Survey). As complete as this list was I found that often the reason for war was not simply one of the above topics. Often those declaring the wars would use multiple reasons as for the need. This often...
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...wake. Throughout the ages vengeance has played an important role in history and literature. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller the theme vengeance is portrayed as neighbor turns on neighbor. First, as the theme vengeance reoccurs throughout the play The Crucible many people end up turning on each other to exact their revenge. For example, Hale is in the home of the Proctors when he brings up how Rebecca Nurse’s and others names got brought up in court. Then Francis Nurse the husband of Rebecca Nurse enters the house following Giles Corey to inform them about his wife’s arrest, Francis exclaimed, “For the marvelous and supernatural murder of Good Putnam’s babies”(Miller 1175)....
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...Revenge can be a healthy way to punish those who have wronged. However, some people can take revenge to the extremes. Ray Bradbury’s “Utterly Perfect Murder” describes Doug, a man in the midsts of an alleged mid-life crisis, who returns to his hometown to seek revenge on his childhood bully. “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe depicts a psychotic narrator, Montresor who avenges insults by burying a former friend in the catacombs. While Doug and Montresor have similar motives, their methods and mental states differ. Doug and Montresor murder their assumed friends to seek revenge. Doug kills his childhood companion, Ralph for bullying him in the past. As he recollects childhood memories, he recalls Ralph’s abuse; “[Doug] was covered...
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...Around the World we have always had a history of hate crimes based on national origin. In Germany it was the Holocaust and the hate towards Jewish people, here in America we’ve had a history of hate against African American people now it seems that hate towards other races such as Latinos and Middle Eastern races are becoming more apparent. It's also obvious that, while Americans are always in a hurry to close our most unpleasant chapters, unfortunately, anti-Semitism is alive and well in a lot of parts of our society, whether we like it or not. The fight for women’s rights in America started before the 1920s but big changes weren’t made until the 1960’s and 1970’s. The women's movement emerged as a political force later than the black civil rights movement, but today it is equally well entrenched. Sexism is widely seen as racism's counterpart. It’s only natural to include gender prejudice under the hate crime umbrella, especially in light of the extent to which women as a group are victimized by men. Crimes against women would seem to be the most obvious candidate for recognition as hate crime. However, the intent of the person committing the crime would need to be known before it could be determined if a man commits a sexual crime against a woman. In 1994, women reported approximately 500,000 rapes and sexual assaults, almost 500,000 robberies and 3.8 million assaults. The perpetrator was male in the vast majority of these offenses it is undetermined if any of these were considered...
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...Tenner starts the book off in a interesting direction with foreshadowing terms rearranging effect , repeating effect, complicating effect, regenerating effect, recongesting effects, Revenge effect and reverse revenge effect which lye as a base. The base of these terms and meaning made me think about different fields of science and how they terms have shaped the field. Tenner illustrates a history of these principles thru Mary Shelley the writer of Frankenstein because she pointed out “dilemmas of all science-based technology.”(Tenner 15) Shelley wrote about technology that was not developed at the time, but science and technology were a new combination for the time. Being able to analyze DNA and understand a portion of what we are looking...
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