Revenge: The Code Of Hammurabi

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Basic Concepts of Revenge
“The action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands.” According to http://www.oxforddictionaries.com, this is the definition of revenge. I agree with this definition, as I believe that revenge is the act of getting back at someone who did something that upset you. The earliest recorded concept of revenge dates back to about 1754 B.C, when the sixth king of Babylon wrote the Code of Hammurabi, which stated “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” People generally do things like this to avenge themselves and to make them feel like they got even with whoever wronged them. The concept of revenge is built into everyone and it is integrated into our culture and revenge seems …show more content…

For example, if Joe hit Jimmy in the face with a banana, it would not really matter whether Jimmy threw the banana back at Joe or just if he just laughed it off instead. On the other hand, revenge should be sought after of it is a more serious issue. If Joe stole Jimmy’s TV, it is wrong if Jimmy does nothing about the situation. This is because there must be consequences for Joe in this situation. In today’s world, Jimmy should not seek revenge by stealing something from Joe, but should instead get even by going to the police and reporting the situation. To recap, one cannot determine whether revenge is always justifiable or not because each situation is different, and some require action will others may …show more content…

However, it is apparent that Hamlets life is consumed by this obligation to seek revenge. Even though he is not crazy like he pretends to be, Hamlet is not his normal self. He even contemplates suicide. This is what can happen to people who seek revenge, especially if it involves something as serious as murder. Even if Hamlet gets even with Claudius and kills him, he will still have to live with the fact that he murdered a human being. Hamlet realizes this which causes him to think and rethink if his plan of revenge is the right thing to do. From this example, it can be determined that sometimes revenge can become a fixation on someone’s mind which can change their behavior and in extreme cases, their

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