Revenge, which is often sought to achieve a sense of justice, can ironically lead to negative consequences and perpetuate a cycle of harm. The act of seeking vengeance often results in more harm than good. The irony of revenge is the action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands; the desire to inflict retribution. It’s that seeking to avenge that is a wrong that can often lead to unintended and negative consequences, as the act of seeking revenge perpetuates a cycle of harm. This theme is exemplified in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," where the protagonist Montresor seeks revenge against his perceived enemy, Fortunato. Still, in doing so, he commits a heinous act of murder that ultimately …show more content…
Revenge is also often an act unconsidered and instant act. First of all, seeking revenge often perpetuates negative feelings and can create a cycle of retaliation, ultimately leading to unresolved emotions and a lack of real closure or satisfaction. Taking revenge pushes the original victim to act morally wrong, to do what has been done to him even though it was wrong. He might have done what he wanted to do, thinking that if the first person did it, doing it to him doesn’t count as a bad act but it does. When Montresor took revenge, he might have felt that he was the winner, that it’s not wrong because Fortunato did it to him first but actually the act will stay in his mind. “The slow horror of the story …show more content…
Negative emotions can be useful sometimes but in this case, they’re not. They push their host to commit impulsive harm. That’s all they are, impulsive thoughts. Acting on an impulsion from negative emotions never bring something positive, it only brings regret. Revenge is often an impulsion. “Fortunato's ironically meaningful words, ‘You are not of the brotherhood,’ imply, on the symbolic level of the tale, that Montresor lives too deeply in his plots and stratagems to have any warm affiliation with mankind” (James W. Gargano) “In her studies, she has found that anger often drives the vengeful feelings of people in individualistic cultures, while shame powers revenge in collectivist ones.” (Michael