Or, Is Bacon in favor of revenge as we see in his essay “Of Revenge”?
Introduction: Francis Bacon’s famous essay “Of Revenge” where he focuses on the barbaric nature of revenge. Here he argues in favor of revenge and against revenge.
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Bacon’s argument for revenge: According to Bacon, only wrongs can be avenged for which there is no law. However, in this case, no action against the law will be accepted. Otherwise, the avenger will have to face two kinds of enemies, because the one on whom he takes revenge will be his enemy and he will be considered a criminal in the eyes of the law. Bacon’s second argument for revenge is public revenge. This is because the group of those who take revenge will know that revenge has been taken. In this type of revenge, the avengers feel pleasure in seeing the enemy repent even if they do not hurt the enemy. Also, open retaliation is better than covert retaliation because it gives the enemy a chance to defend himself. According to Bacon, revenge is tolerable in manifestation because it involves the good of the country, society, nation, and people. History records that revenge for many murders has brought good results for the avengers. Such as Augustus who avenged the murder of Julius Caesar, Septimius Severus, who avenged the murder of Partinax, and Henry IV, who avenged the death of Henry III, all these revenges brought good results for the avengers.
Conclusion: Finally, we can say that although Bacon presents some arguments in favor of revenge, he is basically against revenge. For he says the wounds of the avenger are always green and never fade away. So, we should forgive others as much as possible.
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