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Engraving by Gustave Doré illustrating the Erinyes, chthonic deities of vengeance and supernatural personifications of the anger of the dead

Revenge (also known as vengeance or payback) is a harmful action against a person or group as a response to a real or perceived grievance. Although many aspects of revenge resemble the concept of justice, revenge connotes a more injurious and punitive focus as opposed to a harmonious and restorative one. Whereas justice generally implies actions undertaken and supported by a legitimate judicial system, by a system of ethics, or on behalf of an ethical majority, revenge generally implies actions undertaken by an individual or narrowly defined group outside the boundaries of judicial or ethical conduct. The goal of revenge usually consists of forcing the perceived wrongdoer to suffer the same or greater pain than that which was originally inflicted.

Function in society

In some societies, it is believed that the punishment in revenge should be more than the original injury, as a punitive measure. The Old Testament "an eye for an eye" (cf. Exodus 21:24) validates the concept of proportionate revenge, in which there would be a simple 'equality of suffering'. Detractors argue that revenge is a simple logical fallacy, of the same design as "two wrongs make a right."

Of the psychological, moral, and cultural foundation for revenge, philosopher Martha Nussbaum has written: "The primitive sense of the just—remarkably constant from several ancient cultures to modern institutions...—starts from the notion that a human life...is a vulnerable thing, a thing that can be invaded, wounded, violated by another's act in many ways. For this penetration, the only remedy that seems appropriate is a counter invasion, equally deliberate, equally grave. And to right the balance truly, the retribution must be exactly, strictly proportional to the original encroachment. It differs from the original act only in the sequence of time and in the fact that it is response rather than original act—a fact frequently obscured if there is a long sequence of acts and counteracts".^[1]

People who seek revenge tend to value "right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance." Desire for the sustenance of power motivates vengeful behavior as a means of impression management: "People who are more vengeful tend to be those who are motivated by power, by authority and by the desire for status. They don't want to lose face," says Social psychologist Ian McKee.^[2][3]

History of Revenge

Vendettas or "blood feuds" are cycles of provocation and retaliation, fuelled by a burning desire for revenge and carried out over long period of time by familial or tribal groups; they were an important part of many pre-industrial societies, especially in the Mediterranean region, and still persist in some areas. During the Middle Ages, most would not regard an insult or injury as settled until it was avenged, or, at the least, paid for — hence, the extensive Anglo-Saxon system of "wergild" (literally, "man-price") payments, which placed a certain monetary value upon certain acts of violence in an attempt to limit the spiral of revenge by codifying the responsibility of a malefactor. The story of Wimund the Bishop illustrates the typical implacability of the time: its hero, though blinded and imprisoned, would avenge himself against his enemies "if he had even but the eye of a sparrow".

In Japan's feudal past, the Samurai class upheld the honor of their family, clan, or their lord through the practice of revenge killings, or "katakiuchi" (敵討ち). These killings could also involve the relatives of an offender. Today, katakiuchi is most often pursued by peaceful means, but revenge remains an important part of Japanese culture.

The motto of Scotland, 'Nemo Me Impune Lacessit', is Latin for 'None shall provoke/injure me with impunity'. The origin of the motto reflects the feudal clan system of ancient Scotland, particularly the Highlands.

The goal of some legal systems is limited to "just" revenge — in the fashion of the contrapasso punishments awaiting those consigned to Dante's Inferno, some have attempted to turn the crime against the criminal, in clever and often gruesome ways.

Modern Western legal systems usually state as their goal the reform or re-education of a convicted criminal. Even in these systems, however, society is conceived of as the victim of a criminal's actions, and the notion of vengeance for such acts is an important part of the concept of justice — a criminal "pays his debt to society" evinced by countries such as the United States continuing the practice of capital punishment.

Interestingly, psychologists have found that the thwarted psychological expectation of revenge may lead to issues of victimhood.^{[citation needed]}

Proverbially

The first written appearance of the proverb "revenge is a dish best served cold" is often wrongly credited to the 18th century novel Les liaisons dangereuses; it does not, in fact, appear there in any form. It is also said to have been borrowed by late 19th century British writers from the Afghan Pashtuns.^[4] However, its earliest identified appearance in European literature is in the 1841 French novel Mathilde by Marie Joseph Eugène Sue: la vengeance se mange très-bien froide — there italicized as if quoting a proverbial saying — published in English translation in 1846 as revenge is very good eaten cold.^[5]

The popularly familiar wording can be attributed to The Godfather by Mario Puzo, a major bestseller in 1969, but the 1949 film Kind Hearts and Coronets had it as revenge is a dish which people of taste prefer to eat cold. The familiar wording more recently appears in the title sequence of the Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill: Vol 1, accredited as an "Old Klingon Proverb", referencing its use in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which so cites it.

The proverb suggests that revenge is more satisfying as a considered response enacted when unexpected, or long feared, inverting the more traditional revulsion toward 'cold-blooded' violence. In literature it is used, usually, to persuade another to forestall vengeance until wisdom can reassert itself.

See also

• Honour
• Lawsuit
• Crime of passion
• Retributive justice
• Nemesis (mythology)

References

From Wikiquote

Revenge or vengeance consists primarily of retaliation against a person or group in response to perceived wrongdoing. Although many aspects of revenge resemble or echo the concept of justice, revenge usually has a more injurious than harmonious goal. The vengeful wish consists of forcing the perceived wrongdoer to suffer the same pain that they inflicted in the first place, or of making sure that the wrongdoer can never inflict such an injury upon anyone else.

Revenge is the fire that consumes without compunction or mercy. No one is safe from one with vengeance in his heart. What can be done to a foe who cares nothing for himself, whose sole purpose in breathing is to create pain in your life? C.Allison

Sourced

• If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.
  • Hammurabi, Section 196 of the Code of Hammurabi (translated by Leonard William King, 1910).
  • Alternately translated as: If a man destroy the eye of another man, they shall destroy his eye.

• Beware: "In revenge and in love woman is more barbarous than man."
  • (Nietzsche), Beyond Good and Evil (1885–1886)

• Somebody once wrote, "Revenge is a dish that has to be eaten cold." Hot as you are, you're liable to end up with indigestion.
  • Ryan (Lee Van Cleef), Death Rides a Horse (Da uomo a uomo) (1968)

• The desire for revenge keeps one's wounds open.
  • Leonid S. Sukhorukov, All About Everything (2005)

• The way of revenge lies in simply forcing ones way into a place and being cut down. There is no shame in this. By thinking that you must complete the job you will run out of time. By considering things like how many men the enemy has, time piles up; in the end you will give up. No matter if the enemy has thousands of men, there is fulfillment in simply standing them off and being determined to cut them all down, starting from one end. You will finish the greater part of it.
  • Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure (1710–1716)

• The sixth precept of the natural law is, that in revenge and punishments we must have our eye not at the evil past, but the future good: that is, it is not lawful to inflict punishment for any other end, but that the offender may be corrected, or that others warned by his punishment may become better. But this is confirmed chiefly from hence, that each man is bound by the law of nature to forgive one another, provided he give caution for the future, as hath been showed in the foregoing article. Furthermore, because revenge, if the time past be only considered, is nothing else but a certain triumph and glory of mind, which points at no end (for it contemplates only what is past, but the end is a thing to come), but that which is directed to no end, is vain: that revenge therefore which regards not the future, proceeds from vain glory, and therefore without reason. But to hurt another without reason introduces a war, and is contrary to the fundamental law of nature. It is therefore a precept of the law of nature, that in revenge we look not backwards, but forward. Now the breach of this law is commonly called CRUELTY.
  • Thomas Hobbes, De Cive, ch.3, sec. 11

• "Crom, I have never prayed to you before, I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you, will remember if we were good men or bad, why we fought or how we died. No, all that matters, is that few stood against many. That's what's important. Valor pleases you, Crom, so grant me one request: grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, then to hell with you!"
  • Conan, Conan the Barbarian (1982).

• "There is an old Klingon proverb, "Revenge is a dish best served cold"...and it is very cold, in space..."
  • Khan, Star Trek II:The Wrath of Khan

• "Revenge is the prime ingredient in the fountain of youth."
  • Clockwerk, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

• "Revenge is like a poison. It can take you over, before you know it, it had turn you into something ugly."
  • Aunt Mary, Spider-man 3

• "If you wish for revenge, an equally hard blow will be dealt back to yourself."
  • Yūko Ichihara, xxxHOLIC

• "In certain, extreme situations, the law is inadequate. In order to shame its inadequacy, it is necessary to act outside the law. To pursue - natural justice. This is not vengeance. Revenge is not a valid motive, it's an emotional response. No, not vengeance. Punishment."
  • Frank Castle, The Punisher

• Do you who are a Christian desire to be revenged and vindicated, and the death of Jesus Christ has not yet been revenged, nor His innocence vindicated?
  • Augustine of Hippo, reported in Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), p. 520.

Unsourced

• Living well is the best revenge.
  • George Herbert

• Revenge is the fire that consumes without compunction or conscience. Nobody is safe from a man with revenge in his eyes and rage enshrouding his heart.
  • C. Allison

• Before you embark upon a journey of revenge, you should first dig two graves.
  • Confucius

• Revenge is a dish that tastes best when it is cold.
  • Mario Puzo, The Godfather

See also

Wikipedia has an article about:

revenge

Look up revenge in Wiktionary, the free dictionary

• Justice

From Wikisource