Revenge: is it worth the effort?

                
Revenge is probably the most overrated thing on the planet. Many of us have a strong, personal sense of justice, and be it either eating the last ice cream sandwich or murdering your father, when wrong is done against you, you want to deal sweet retribution. Sadly, the reality is that while vengeance is sweet like a fat slice of cake, the taste goes away leaving you in a state on discontent and feeling slightly bloated. Revenge in media is seven-times-out-of-ten unsuccessful, as an estimate. Even when payback is issued, it is more interesting to see the avenging character coming out less-than victorious, leaving us readers with the question: “Was it truly worth it?”. Whether it was just to act they way they did, could have been pulled off better, or simply ridiculous, how acts of vengeance are portrayed depends highly with context. (So no, you can’t rely on the notion that “they deserved it” when you’re testifying for assault and battery on the person who took your ice cream sandwich). 

“O, from this time forth, / My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!”

Therefore, this idealistic and all too common theme can be taken many ways in written work, most notably in the Shakesperean tragedy Hamlet and less notably in the show Dan Vs., where revenge is taken more comically. Both examples present attempts at revenge, each being “resolved” in radically different ways. Both fail miserable. But in different ways too! (Maybe they were right to take revenge in a comedic way. There’s so many things that can go wrong it’s hilarious).

            Hamlet is more serious as well as required reading, so, naturally, I’d like to get that out of the way first. The idea is that the ghost of Hamlet’s father appears before him, telling Hamlet that his uncle, King Claudius, murdered Hamlet’s father. Hamlet then seeks revenge, but not immediately. He likes to take his time, be it due to uncertainty, a need to prove Claudius’s guilt, or small foils in his plan. But during the time where Hamlet was acting mad, and plotting, he accidentally kills Polonius, Ophelia kills herself out of grief for her father (Polonius), his two ex-friends, Rosencratz and Guildenstern are probably dead somewhere in England due to another overcome foil. By the time Hamlet actually kills Claudius, Laeretes (who swore revenge on Hamlet after killing his father(GOD that’s like meta-revenge here)) is slain, Hamlet’s mother Gertrude drinks the poison set for Hamlet. And then Hamlet dies due to being poisoned by Laeretes. In short, things got REALLY messy due to Hamlet’s thirst for vengeance against his father, as well as his hesitation, and it inadvertently caused the death of nearly every character. And then there’s the “Is it really worth it?” question. But even though Hamlet DID get his revenge against Claudius, it was a bit of an overkill. Not only did many of Hamlet’s closest friends and himself die, but because of Hamlet’s revenge I have to drudge through Elizabethan English and study it in class. So no, it really was not worth it at all.

Though if we studied something along the lines of this, I think it would be a lot easier

            Of course I have to tie in something that brings me less anxiety in my life, as to make this unit more bearable. And what better example than to present a show that is built entirely on revenge: petty, rage-fueled, and comedic revenge.

I mean, how can I NOT tie this in when there's an entire Shakespeare episode?

Thankfully, nobody ever dies in Dan Vs. But with every mundane thing Dan does have an unhealthy obsession with revenge, there are three more on the list. I am not kidding. He has a list. At the end of each episode, through some hijincks, the bane of Dan’s day is vanquished, temporarily avenged. And I say temporarily because there’s a whole ‘nother episode next on something else that pisses Dan off. It seems to be a never-ending cycle for this poor guy. He does get his revenge, but it's never satisfying. There will be always something else plaguing him, and we have to ask again if it's really worth all the trouble. And not if it's worth it to Dan, he's beyond help, but if revenge in itself is even worth carrying out. And that answer would be: It depends. There are times when vigilantism would be appropriate, but if you're like me and getting though school and spending the rest of your time on the internet and not in a state of clan warfare, then maybe if you're mad at someone you should cool down and think. It's a good life lesson to think about your actions, and if they're really worth it.

And with that I leave you goodnight