A Characterization of Revenge in Literature - 1524 Words

Revenge is a centerpiece of most conflicts within literature. In The Oresteia, All the King’s Men, and The Aeneid, there are three modes through which revenge can be exacted: premeditated dishonorable revenge, premeditated honorable revenge, and unplanned agitated revenge. These sometimes violent acts of emotion can reveal the purpose of a character as well as the role the character plays in either developing or resolving the many conflicts present within his story. Characters who exact revenge upon others purposefully and dishonorably are typically antagonists who create new conflicts through their actions. In Agamemnon, when Clytemnestra â€Å"coil[s] [Agamemnon] round and round in†¦ the robes of doom, and then†¦ strike[s] him†¦ twice,† she successfully takes revenge upon her husband for slaughtering their daughter, Iphigenia, to Artemis in order to sail towards Troy (Agamemnon 1403-1405). However, Agamemnon is still considered innocent as â€Å"he acts as he does because Zeus has taken away his wits† by ordering Agamemnon to vanquish the Trojans; Agamemnon kills his daughter simply to follow Zeus’s orders (Lloyd-Jones 197). Thus, when Clytemnestra kills this innocent man, she is performing a dishonorable act of murder, creating a conflict between the queen and two of her children, Orestes and Electra. Another character who takes revenge in a premeditated dishonorable fashion in Tiny Duffy, the Lieutenant Go vernor of Louisiana in All the King’s Men, who told Adam about Willie Talos’sShow MoreRelatedNatural Consequences In William Blakes A Poison Tree1019 Words   |  5 Pageswas Montresors well deserved revenge. Poe and Blake use characterization to demonstrate natural consequence in response to despicable action. For the first example of natural consequence I used short story â€Å"Cask of Amontillado† the author Edgar Allen Poe uses Fortunato’s suspected savagery to show that he was punished because of his actions, â€Å"The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne the best I could† (Poe 5). The author provides characterization when he writes â€Å"injuries of Fortunato†Read MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado And The Masque Of The Red Death Analysis1403 Words   |  6 PagesEdgar Allen Poe was a famous American short story writer, who expressed literature through mystery and horror. Poe elaborated his writing, to be able to tell stories, within imagination, and suspense towards his readers. Moreover, the majority of Poe’s life relates to his storytelling through, mystery and suspense, considering his sudden death at the age of 40. Edgar Allen Poe created a unique voice in his stories, The Cask of Amontillado and The Masque of the Red Death, through common theme, dictionRead MoreHamlet, Prince of Denmark825 Words   |  4 Pagestragic hero faces his doom, once and for all, taking away the lives of many innocents even. Fifthly, Greek tragedy is an organic whole—called by Aristotle, focussing on well-knit plot. On the other hand, Shakespearean tragedy radiates with strong characterization—round, of course—â€Å"Character is Destiny†. Sixthly, Pity and Fear for Catharsis are perhaps common in both the tradition of tragedies. And, lastly, the role of chorus (highlighting the past and intimating the future—pivotal to the plot), beingRead More Scarlet Letter Essay1164 Words   |  5 PagesA common theme throughout literature is religion and how the author feels about his or her faith. 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Stock characters that were typically present in Gothic literature were the social outcast, the misfit, the guilt haunted wanderer, and the solitary eccentric. However, earlier Gothic literature was considered primitive and mechanical – trite andRead MoreDramatic Irony Used for Characterization in Othello by Shakespeare713 Words   |  3 Pagesspecifically puts his readers at the edge of their seats. Being full of jealousy and betrayal, the plot of Othello is guided by this playwright’s usage of dramatic irony. Through the use of dramatic i rony and characterization Shakespeare creates Iago, the most sinister character in all of literature. William Shakespeare, being born on April 23, 1563, was subject to an early renaissance education. With new ideals, such as humanism, spreading throughout Europe during this time it was inevitableRead MoreThe Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Poe1402 Words   |  6 Pagesthe following: characterization, irony and symbolism. Irony is when expressions are used although given contrary meaning from which they generally stand for while symbolism involve utilization of signs to put forward thoughts by giving them meaning. Poe uses Montresor and Fortunato as main characters in the story, Montresor is manipulative. He is vengeful and manipulates with divine indirectness (Graham 85. While Fortunato who is Montresor’s wealthy enemy whom he intends to revenge upon. In briefRead MoreTheme Of Love In Wuthering Heights786 Words   |  4 Pagesand revenge that he plans to deliver through actions in the novel to all who have wronged him, majority focusing his hatred and exerting his powe r toward Hareton. â€Å"I know what he suffers now, for instance, exactly; it is merely the beginning of what he shall suffer, though. And he’ll never be able to emerge from his bathos of coarseness and ignorance† (Bronte 216). The characterization of Heathcliff through the second half of Wuthering Heights, he becomes the villain true to gothic literature as his