Hi 4U1!
Happy first Monday in March (though it's WAY too cold outside) and welcome to your first Hamlet blogging assignment. I'm very interested to see what you make of this . . . .
Hamlet, very generally considered, is a play about revenge; revenge dramas were immensely popular in the early 1600s and they continue to intrigue us to this day. In fact, a film titled The Last House on the Left is going to be released later this month, and its tag line sums up the revenge plot quite nicely: "If bad people hurt someone you love, how far would you go to hurt them back?" Try to think of another modern day film, TV show, book or video game that makes use of the revenge plot, and describe (briefly) how the revenge plot unfolds. Finally, consider the following question: what is it about the idea of revenge that is so broadly appealing?
Please write 5-8 well-crafted sentences and post your response by Monday, March 9/09. Thanks!
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The Italian Job (2003), with the tagline “Get in, get out, get even”, is clearly a film that follows the traditional revenge film plot. The film starts in Venice, Italy where a heist team is planning on lifting a large amount of gold. The plan goes perfectly, until one of the team members, Steve, betrays his friends. He kills the team leader, John Bridger, and leaves the rest of the crew for dead. A year later, Charlie Croker, John’s right hand man, plans to steal the gold back from Steve and enlists John’s daughter Stella to take her father’s place. The team pulls out all of the stops to get revenge on the man who ruined their lives and killed their friend.
ReplyDeleteRevenge is so appealing because for a lot of people, it represents justice. Anyone who feels that they’ve been done wrong wants to be compensated for what they’ve lost. By getting revenge, the victim regains whatever they lost, either literally or metaphorically, and gets the satisfaction of knowing that they did it themselves. Revenge and justice, in the minds of many, are the same thing and that is why revenge is universally appealing.
A modern day film that makes great use of the revenge plot is “Kill Bill”, which is written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The main character of the movie, ‘The Bride’, after leaving a deadly assassin group in hopes for a better life, is shot by her former boss and her former lover, Bill, on her wedding day. After four years of being in a coma, The Bride wakes up with a plan to get revenge on those who destroyed her life by finding and killing each member of the assassin group, one by one, leaving Bill for last. This idea of revenge, which is so commonly used for movie plotlines, is appealing to people because it provides them with the satisfaction of the characters getting even. Getting revenge, in the real world, is no easy task, which is why movies, books, TV shows and videogames with a revenge plot give people pleasure as they fulfill their desire for revenge which they are not able to fulfill in the real world.
ReplyDeleteA perfect example of a modern day film that involves a revenge-based plot is The Count of Monte Cristo. This film is about a man, Edmond Dantes, who was framed by his jealous best friend, Fernand, and how Dantes plans his vengeance. Dantes was imprisoned for life in a cruel and isolated jail. Suffering from maltreatment and horrendous conditions, Dantes decides to escape and get equal. Edmond, with the help of an inmate, plots the perfect plan to give Fernand exactly what he deserves, but after realizing that Fernand married the woman he loved, he plans both of their demises. In the end, Edmond gets his revenge and murders Fernand for what he did, but his love for Mercedes had not altered and so he decides not to follow through on her murder. The main aspect of revenge stories that intrigues the audience is the fact that the avenger is plotting vengeance even after knowing the consequences. The scenario where a character has so much emotion, anger, and determination towards the demise of another person is truly intriguing as there are no bounds to the hatred. An audience loves to see just how powerful emotions can be and how anger can possess a person to do absolutely anything.
ReplyDeleteThe Count of Monte Cristo is an amazing film that I watched a couple of years ago. The story revolves around the life of Edmond Dantes, a sailor who is falsely accused of treason by his best friend Fernand Mondego, who wants his beautiful girlfriend (Mercedes) all to himself. Dantes is put in prison on the island of Chateau D’If for 13 years, where he plots his revenge against Mondego. He escapes jail with the help from another prisoner, who gives him a map to a long lost treasure. After finding the treasure he returns in disguise, as the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo. His revenge plot is based on rescuing Mercedes’ son, getting close to Mondego, and winning Mercedes back. His plan works amazingly and while everything keeps unfolding; he finds out that he’s the father of Mercedes’ son. In the end Edmond and Mondego fight to the death, where Edmond wins. The idea of revenge is so appealing because people love to see the good guy win. People see that the good guy was treated unfairly so they want the bad guy to suffer, which gives the audience a feeling of satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteAn example of a modern day movie that uses a revenge plot is "Friday the 13th", with the tagline "They were warned, they are doomed, and on Friday the 13th, nothing will save them". When Jason Voorhees was a young boy, he attended a camp called Camp Crystal Lake. At this camp Jason died as a young boy, because the counselors were not keeping an eye on the kids. Jason was not a normal child, and because of that he was bullied by the other children. One day the children had pushed Jason into the lake, not knowing how to swim, Jason Voorhees drowned. On Friday the 13th, a year after his death, Jason arose from the dead, and came back to Camp Crystal Lake to seek revenge and kill the counselors who were not keeping an eye on him the day he died. Every year on Friday the 13th Jason arises from the dead and comes back to kill those who visit the camp and areas around the camp in horrific ways. The idea of revenge is appealing because it provides justice and shows the wrong doings of others. It provides pleasure for the person seeking the revenge, knowing that they have done something to get back for what has been done to them.
ReplyDeleteA great film that makes excellent use of the revenge plot is Max Payne. Max Payne is a DEA officer who arrives at his home one day only to find his wife, Michelle, and his newborn daughter brutally murdered. Knowing the police investigations are going no where, he take matters into his own hands and attacks and kills all who stand in his way, in order to find the people that were responsible for his loss. The idea of revenge is so popular because; the viewer wants to see the good guy take matter into his own hands, and defeat or kill the bad guys, thus satisfying the viewers hunger for justice. If a person’s family is murdered, and the person decides to let the police investigate and find the killers, they will be given a fair trial and maybe thrown in jail. The viewer will not agree, and conclude that the bad guys did not give the good guy’s family a fair chance to defend them selves, so why should the good guy give the bad guys a fair chance?
ReplyDeleteA recent movie with a central theme of revenge is Man On Fire(2004). The plot unfolds when an industrialist hires a former CIA assassin, Creasy, to protect his wife and daughter. The bitter ex CIA assassin's life is changed with the presence of this sweet little girl; he becomes very attached to her. The twist in the plot occurs when the daughter of the industrialist is kidnapped. Creasy swears to kill every person responsible for the abduction. The thought of revenge is a dark thought, and it helps prove how one can derive good out of evil. Evil, being the thought of causing someone harm or discomfort for another person's satisfaction. Satisfaction occurs from an upsetting incident being solved or fixed, which results in one feeling good that the "good guy" won. Thus, revenge appeals to the audience because they get to see how much the "good guy" will strive for satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteA modern day film that portrays revenge is Man on Fire (2004), starring the amazing Denzel Washington. It all takes place in Mexico City where kidnappings were happening throughout the city. For those who were wealthy they hired body guards. One family hired Creasy, played by Washington, who is a burnt out CIA operative. He is a man who is given up on life and really doesn't want to deal with anyone. Eventually nine year old Pita, played by Dakota Fanning, starts to get through to him and change his outlook on life, and totally changes the way he looks at other individuals. When she was kidnapped, Creasy will stop at nothing to get her back and have his revenge on those who kidnapped her, or those who are profiting from it. The tagline for this movie is perfect to explain the actions of Creasy in the film... "Revenge is a meal best served cold"...
ReplyDeleteRevenge is a common plot for movies and video games. My favorite 'revenge themed' movie is "Taken" (released in January 2009 in Canada). "Taken" is about a retired CIA agent Bryan Mill. Bryan's daughter, Kim, travels with her friend Amanda to Paris to see their favorite rock band, Kim later on speaks with her father on the phone when kidnappers break into the house and kidnap the girls. Bryan was able to talk with kidnapper on the phone telling him to let his daughter go, Bryan then says a famous line from the movie, "If you let my daughter go now, that will be the end of it. If you don't, I will look for you; I will find you and I will KILL you.". The kidnapper responds by saying, "Good luck.". Bryan then learns that the kidnappers are Albanian sex traffickers and that he has only 96 hours to recover his daughter, so Bryan determines on finding his daughter and killing everyone involved in the plot. At the end, Bryan is able to find Kim and kills every gang member involved and everyone else who got involved. "Taken" is the best movie of 2009 so far.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of revenge is so appealing because people think it is a way of achieving justice and by taking revenge they retrieve what is taken from them. I think the idea of revenge is wrong because it only promotes hatred and more violence. To be able to forgive is the most powerful form of revenge.
I've read this fantasy book, "Pillars of Creation" by Terry Goodkind, and the story plot has an ironic twist about the main character's revenge. It's about a girl named Jennsen who has spent the first twenty years of her life running away from Darken Rahl, a great but evil wizard, ruler of D'Hara and also her own father. Jennsen, who was born not even with an infinitesimal spark of the gift, was condemned to die since birth lest she passes down her ungifted trait to her children. After her mother gets murdered by her father's assassins, she sets out to end her torment with her new companion, Sebastian. For her, there is nothing more to life than to eliminate the one responsible for her misery. Even if revenge may give an evanescent satisfaction for practicing out a corrupted version of justice, the process of consummating one's revenge is ironically alluring to the viewers. This maybe due to the fact that revenge involves the "justified" acts of violence or immorality that the protagonists do. In such cases, the audience are able to experience a fantasy world of their own in which they could freeze what's morally wrong and right.
ReplyDeleteIn Homeworld you are, "all that's left of our world, our culture, and our people." In a conflict brought on by an ancient relic, the Hyperspace Core, the Taiidan have destroyed your home, brought your race to near extinction, and have retreated with the relic in tow. You take control of the Mothership to track down those who have wronged your people.
ReplyDeleteAlready a race sent into exile, the Kushan are peaceful but have suffered greatly after many years of hardship defending their homeworld. After the last offensive, with the loss of 300 million people, the Kushan have officially been pushed too far. This is what makes the revenge plot so appealing, the victim can become the victor. During the game, this sense of loss fuels your search for revenge, which is a dish best served cold and in the depths of space. When you play the game you are driven by this single cause and it makes you want to succeed, move on to the next level, destroy as many Taiidan ships as possible, and get home. Revenge is a method of creating passion within a story. There is a sense of justice in the notion of revenge, but the Kushan only want to retrieve what is theirs and return home. Unlike some who seek revenge they do not become that which they hate.
Don’t get mad, get even” is the slogan for the film John Tucker Must Die (2006). This film is about a trio of girls who plot to break the heart of manipulative basketball star John Tucker after they learn that he has been secretly dating all three. Kate a new girl in school and Tuckers new crush is enlisted to help in the relation against him. All four girls plot to seek revenge by breaking his heart and embarrassing him at the most attended event of the year: his birthday. All four girls end up revealing their plot at the party: embarrassing not only tucker but themselves as well. Only days later Kate and John agree to be friends and John decides to be honest.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion revenge is broadly appealing because individuals believe that “justice” is served. Revenge can be seen as a quick remedy for self satisfaction; therefore acting in a manner that would promote a vengeful action could be seen as entertainment for viewers who are not directly inflicted.
“Revenge is a dish best served cold” is the tagline from Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), a modern day movie that makes great use of the revenge plot. Four years after taking a bullet in the head at her own wedding, “The Bride” wakes up from a coma and discovers her baby is gone. She then decides to seek revenge upon the five people who destroyed her life leaving Bill, her former boss and lover, for last. This typical revenge plot is like so many others. I think the idea of revenge is appealing to so many of us because it makes the viewer feel satisfied as justice is being served. People thrive on revenge as it gives them a satisfied feeling when the good guy wins and the bad guy loses.
ReplyDeleteAn example of a modern day film that makes use of the revenge plot is "Shutter." In this film, the revenge plot unfolds after Ben and Jane experience a puzzling car accident that leads to a girl’s death. Following this accident, they encounter several abnormal situations including flashbacks of the car accident, nightmares, spirit photography, images of blood, and weight gain. Ben realizes that the spirit haunting them was the spirit of the girl that he and his friends had killed. This girl was a victim of assault and took revenge by re-enacting a victim's suffering. The idea of revenge is broadly appealing because it represents justice and fairness; if someone feels that they have been treated unfairly, they take revenge to gain inner satisfaction. Revenge seems to be appealing in movies as it creates suspense and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.
ReplyDeleteThere have been a pile of great revenge films over the years and one of my favorite most recent revenge themed film is “Four Brothers” (2005), “They came home to bury mom…and her killer.” When their adoptive mother is murdered in a convenience store, the Mercer brothers reunite to avenge their mother’s death. As they track down their mother’s killer they unravel a series of crimes involving a local kingpin. The need to inflict suffering and punishment on those who have wronged us is one of our primal instincts. Revenge is such an appealing thought for the viewer because it develops a vigorous sensation into each individual regardless of their age or gender. As viewers, we prefer to see the good guy doing something bad; many people would watch a film based on revenge rather than the good guy playing by the rules.
ReplyDeleteThe movie "Four brothers" is the story of four adopted brothers who come together after being separated for many years after their mother is murdered. The brothers work together to try and find their mother's murderer and end up uncovering a string of corrupt cops within their detroit neighborhood. What makes this story so appealing is the raw aggression of the men's attempt to avenge their mother's death. This anger leads to some very intense action scenes and powerful dramatic performances. Perhaps these sorts of movies also settle our own internal quests for revenge. Everyone is subject to some sort of wrong and maybe by seeing other people get revenge in an over the top way, satisfies us.
ReplyDeleteThis is a reply to Gohar's blog comment. This movie seems really interesting, everytime it came on television, I would not want to watch it, but now it seems like something I would be interested in. I agree with what you said about people getting some sort of satisfaction from watching movies or reading etc. It is only normal for us to be entertained by something so unreal.
ReplyDeleteFour brothers (2005), is a recent release move that reflects the genere of revenge. The movie was directed by John Singleton, and is considered an action-drama theme. Taglines of the movie are "Angel Mercer wants to know who killed his mother". This evidently shows individuals insist on to want to pull a deed off to the murderer of one of the brother’s mother. An additional would be, "Jack Mercer will do violence to get justice". This undoubtedly also represents the aggression that wants to be taken out to get the inner anger towards the mother’s murderer released. Summing up of the movie includes four adopted brothers who want to find out who has killed their mother in a random killing in a grocery store robbery. However, the boy’s investigation of the death reveals more sinful activities linking the one brothers business dealings with a local hoodlum. Two cops, who also are trying to find out the murderer, are not what they seem to be. While a moderately average tale, there are still quite a few twists and unexpected turns that keep things interesting.
ReplyDeleteIn my judgment revenge is not solving anything, other than building a dilemma bigger and denser. Revenge is to discharge more of an interior feeling rather then solving a problem taking place.
After reading through a handful of blog responses, I came to Ghadir’s post about “John Tucker Must Die”. I watched this movie quite a while ago, and from what I remember, it was an entertaining and a fairly revengeful movie. I agree with what you said about revenge being appealing as it is seen to be a form of serving justice and I also think that people feel satisfied when they have a chance to watch others “take revenge” on their enemies. I, as I am sure many others, find these types of movies pointless, but in some way wildly amusing.
ReplyDeleteThis is a reply to both Rachel and Nour's Blog Posts. The movie "Four Brothers" is a perfect movie that represents revenge. It shows how a family that has completely fallen a part can get their act together and become a family again. It was the perfect movie to chose for this blog topic. Nicely written ladies.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Ghadir’s response, I agree that revenge is appealing because it tends to provide self satisfaction. “John Tucker Must Die” was a really entertaining movie, specifically because the plot was based on the idea of revenge. Watching four girls take revenge on a high-school flirt, John Tucker, was amusing since it had nothing to do with me or the reality around me. This proves that watching revengeful actions in films is often seen as entertainment because it doesn’t directly affect the viewers, just as Ghadir mentioned. However, if the same notion of revenge was actually plotted against me, it would not be as entertaining as it appeared to me on the screen.
ReplyDeleteSuperheroes rarely fight crime in the sake of revenge; rather they fight for the sake of others. “Batman Begins”, the prequel to last summer’s blockbuster movie, “The Dark Knight” featured Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne. The film focused on the death of Wayne’s parents as a child, and Wayne’s continued pursue of the man who killed them, as well as crime in general. What separates Batman from other superheroes is that he has no powers that he has been assigned to save mankind. Instead Batman’s mission to stop crime seems to be revenge based, which one can see as a noble outcome for a not-so-noble cause. The movie as well as the sequel earned $1.5 billion in revenue, clearly making the series and revenge theme successful. I believe that a revenge plot excites everyone, especially when the reasoning is noble. Most of us have experienced something in life that is unfair, it is only expected that someone – such as Batman—who executes their revenge would be captivating for a viewer.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ali’s explanation for the concept of revenge. Viewers always want the “good guy” to win because most viewers can side with the protagonist. Everyone who has had an experience of injustice generally remembers it, and if not consciously, subconsciously wants justice to any wrongdoing they witness, as seen in Max Payne. Most people especially feel a deep attachment to their family, and so if like in the movie find their family harmed, they too could relate even on the level of extreme revenge.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nour M. statement about revenge,” Revenge is not solving anything, other than building a dilemma bigger and denser". The origin of the movies mentioned above all come from "Getting even" this is how more controversies come into play creating a much complicated but entertaining scenarios.
ReplyDeleteA modern day film which makes great use of revenge plot is “Kill Bill” that i have watched a couple of years ago it is written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The main character of them movie is ‘The Bride’ after she leaves the group that she used to work with in a hope of having a better future. She’s shot by her boss and her lover, Bill right on her wedding day. After being four years in a coma. The Bride wakes up and has plan of getting her revenge from those who destroyed her life. She finds each member of the group and kills them leaving Bill for the last. The idea taking revenge is commonly used in the plotlines. Which is appealing to people it’s because they love seeing the person who has suffered, and wants them to win or do something bad to the villains. This gives the audience a satisfaction of getting things even.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Pratik's analysis of the movie "The Conte of Monte Cristo". After I saw the movie, I had a completely different idea of revenge, as the movie showed every aspect of that emotion. I also agree with Pratik's statement about there being "no bounds to hatred" when it comes to revenge. Revenge a truly intriguing and slightly disgusting state of mind for a human being to be in, and this a surprisingly attractive phenomenon for people to watch.
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