Francis Bacon: Of Revenge - Exploratory Analysis Essay

Revenge is the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands. The theme of revenge is used to drive the plot of the story and motivates such characters as Beowulf, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. But in all, it was Beowulf’s adventure to become an epic hero. In fact, where there is revenge there is vengeance.

Do you think revenge is always misguided, or is it justified in some cases? In some cases I feel that revenge can be justified, but is usually caused by misguided care from the past. Although there are many instances where revenge is misguided, it can also be justified in some cases. The right or wrong opinion is always blind sides someone else’s side of the story which can sometime make it impossible to tell if the actions of revenge were justified or if they were a result of being misguided.

The word revenge is heard all over the news today. The news shows how people are trying to get revenge such as terrorist groups or individuals harming each other. However, even though the use of the word is frequent, not everyone has a clear understanding of what revenge clearly means. Revenge is defined as someone taking action to harm someone who has done something wrong to that certain person. Bryce Nelson the author of Revenge: Sweet, Universal and Self-Destructive: [Home Edition] stated: “As the victim contemplates revenge, he hopes desperately to overcome his feelings of impotence and to regain his former sense of self-worth” (Nelson 1). This article demonstrated how revenge was human nature by showing an example of someone getting revenge. The examples are demonstrated in definitions, characteristics, stories, and real-life events.

However, Bacon also goes into depth about revenge in general but goes farther more by stating that revenge dwells in the past itself. I believe this correct because in numerous occasions in my life when the avenger refuses to forgive someone from this. And because of this refusal, the avenger becomes rather corruptive than pure and equal like justice should and always will be. Therefore, Bacon’s argument is not only correct but it is rather informative on the ideal and action of revenge truly reprimanding against the idea and ideal of taking

As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The old law of ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves everybody blind.” By this, King is implying that revenge does not solve any issues, but instead affects multiple people who are involved in a conflict. Revenge is defined as the act of harming someone for any aggression towards another. “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet,” written by William Shakespeare, gives an excellent example that the thirst for vengeance can ruin everyone who is connected. Some examples of the play are Romeo and Tybalt, whose actions caused them to meet an unfaithful end. Their actions, which were guided by hatred, not only affected them, but both of their families. Romeo and Tybalt’s actions show that revenge itself can lead to great losses,

Revenge is the act of doing something to hurt someone because that person did something that hurt them. People have been getting revenge on others for thousands of years. People usually get revenge to regain power because when someone wrongs them they feel like power has been taken from them. Sometimes people like to go outside of the law to get revenge. This is because they feel like the law is not enough to give the person who wronged them the right amount of punishment for what they have done. “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath, “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston, and “Cask of the Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe all show the things they or their characters would do to get revenge on the person that wronged them and the different ways they did it.

Revenge, it’s a cold word with a cold definition: The action or intent of harm to someone for the harm they have caused. In literature, it generally leads to either a character's death, or at the very least they’re physically or mentally harmed. It is a common theme in many stories, weather it’s the main subject of the theme, or just off to the side, it is often used to drive characters, cut loose ends, and sometimes, end a story.

This interaction alone sets in place the course of events which would lead to revenge being a method of downfall to prince Hamlet and Laertes for seeking and attaining revenge for their father’s deaths.

Everyone has experienced revenge at one point in their life. You can feel good about it, and then there is the other side of it, feeling horrible. Revenge has been happening for thousands of years. Revenge can happen all around the world, for many different reasons. A reason can be that people are jealous of others, or a person got something more than someone else.

As one considers the the topic of emotions anger might come to their thoughts, anger might be one of the the more common thought of emotion as it often takes control of one’s life. Fear might be another one of the the emotions that comes to mind. Even hatred may be a choice, because everyone has a hatred for something or someone. When considering all of the emotions revenge reigns over all of them. Revenge causes many things to occur, from death to injuries.

The single most destructive force in this world is revenge. An immense amount of wars, murders, division, and hatred is due to the evil that is revenge. There are many famous forms of literature that discuss revenge. One is “Of Revenge” by Sir Francis Bacon. In this essay Bacon explains the evil of revenge and why it shouldn’t be taken. Also, down-playing revenge, Robert Kennedy gave a speech called “A Eulogy for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” Immediately following the death of Dr. King, Kennedy pleads with the African American community and America to forgive this offense instead of taking revenge for King’s murder. The final piece of media that discusses revenge does it in a different manor. Edgar Allen Poe writes about revenge in a short story called “The Cask of Amontillado.” The plot of this story is that of a man named Montresor desperately seeks revenge upon a colleague and eventually murders him by trapping him in catacombs deep underground. No matter what the circumstances, revenge should never be taken because men become controlled and destroyed by revenge, and revenge creates division among people.

Revenge is like a weapon that can cause catastrophe to other and yourself. It is like playing with fire, you never know it’s dangerous until it burns you. In Francis Bacon’s Book, essays, states “A man that studeith revenge keeps his own wounds green”. The quote implies that, in order for us to move forward in life, we much put the past behind us and just proceed. This is like how Shakespeare symbolised revenge as a weapon of destruction of oneself in Act 1 of Titus Andronicus, by showing that vengeance causes great sorrow for those who seeks it.

     Revenge can be sweet, but in this case it is just down right grotesque! In Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” it talks about a gentlemen named Montressor and how he is angry at Fortunato for insulting him in the past. Montressor will not let this go unpunished, so he thinks up a clever scheme to get back at him. This plan is in a way, ingenious but most definitely insane and crazy.

“While seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself”, as is what happens to those who take revenge, buried in their own unforgiveness. Francis Bacon’s idea of revenge attempts to bypass this problem of unforgiveness, with the forgiveness of the perpetrator. But not all revenge can be simply forgiven, which is the case in Hamlet; Francis Bacon also knows about this problem, but describes it in his own words with “The most tolerable sort of revenge is for those wrongs which there is no law to remedy; but then let a man take heed the revenge be such as there is no law to punish”(Francis Bacon 15). Sir Francis Bacon’s idea of revenge relates to Hamlet in how revenge is handled, the repercussions of acting in revenge, and its ability to change a person's thought process.

Some argue that vengeance educates people on what they shouldn’t do. In the play “The Tempest” written by William Shakespeare, he talks about Prospero trying to get revenge on everyone who did him wrong by the end