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Shakespeare and Revenge, a la Shmoop. We’re all taught to be kind, patient people…

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…but what happens when your archenemy shows up and starts… getting all up in your business?

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Well, if you happen to be in a Shakespeare play, you probably take this opportunity to

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launch a no-holds-barred quest for revenge.

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Maybe therapy would have been a healthier option, but vendettas are so much more fun.

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The thing with revenge is, it's kind of like a steamroller... it flattens everything in

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its way…

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…whether it’s your desired target, or those fluffy kittens who were just crossing

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the street.

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Thankfully, Shakespeare's bloodthirsty characters don't have access to heavy machinery, but

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most of them end up mowing down the innocent along with the guilty.

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Iago takes down his frenemy, Othello, but his wife doesn't really get to celebrate with

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him, since she's so busy… getting stabbed. Richard III basically develops a 5 year plan

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devoted to spreading misery and despair, and all without the services of a personal assistant.

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It's easy to boo these two model citizens, but what about those with righteous causes,

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like Hamlet, who starts stabbing blindly and tapestries, and Titus, who likes to… cook

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with young people?

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If your family member was hurt or killed, and the evildoer was still waltzing around

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scot-free…

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… would you be able to let it go?

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If you were in the Prince of Denmark's shoes… and stylishly matching hose… a little payback

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would be hard to resist, even without spectral encouragement.

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Justified or not, once revenge has been freed, it's hard to get back in the cage.

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It's having way too much fun chasing cars and leaving land mines in your neighbors’

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yards.

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Maybe that's why so many of Shakespeare's plays end in piles of bodies.

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Shakespeare always seems to side with karma.

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If you decide to go vigilante, the chances are good that you’ll get served in the end.

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Richard III bites it on the battlefield, and while Iago doesn’t croak, he’s definitely

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grounded for the whole summer.

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You’d think Hamlet and Titus would at least get credit for just cause, but Titus’ cooking

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goes sadly unappreciated…

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…and Hamlet dies with his enemies, all at once, like Shakespeare forgot he left the

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iron on or something.

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Most of these guys end up getting their way, but not until “the circle of revenge”

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is complete.

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The few characters that survive are lucky to be left standing when the curtain drops.

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No way to deny it, Shakespeare knew his way around a grudge.

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His characters don’t mind breaking a few eggs, as long as they get that really delicious

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revenge omelette with a side of crispy angst.

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Villains like Iago and Richard III leave no stone unturned and no handkerchief unburgled

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in their quest for mastery…

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…but in the end, they go down just like the good guys.

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