Revenge is the need to make another suffer to regain pride or recover from embarrassment. Anybody can be the victim of revenge and anyone can be the person committing the act of revenge. It is shown throughout everyday life in school settings, work settings, and public settings. Kids can spread rumors about other kids as a form of revenge in school. Kids can also bully others to heal their pride and get revenge. Coworkers can sabotage their bosses or other coworkers to get revenge. People can steal or commit more serious acts to get revenge as well. Revenge can change a good person into a monster, it is in human nature. The need for revenge can lead to madness and can ruin a person's life.
In literature, revenge and the negative side effects of revenge are themes of various novels and plays. For example, Wuthering Heights focuses on Heathcliff, a young man wishing to get revenge on Hindley, who neglected him as a child. He treats Hareton with neglect and keeps him from life experiences and education when Hareton did nothing wrong. He then wishes to get revenge on the Linton family for Edgar stealing Catherine. He becomes obsessed with revenge and craves Catherine's attention. This ultimately drives Catherine away and leads to Heathcliff's illness and death. Another example is in Hamlet. Hamlet, the main character, becomes obsessed with the idea of avenging his father's murder by his uncle. He procrastinates often and pretends to be overtaken by madness. He neglects Ophelia who ends up alone. He also drives himself mad; kills Polonius by accident when he struck a curtain, thinking it was his uncle; and he ended up dying in a sword fight after causing the death of his mother and his supposed friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Revenge can affect others as well as the victim and the committer of revenge.
