What Revenge Stories Teach Us About Justice and Morality
We all like to think we’re above the base impulses of revenge.
That if someone wronged us, we’d take the high road, turn the other cheek.
Yet revenge stories captivate us again and again.
Why?
Because they speak to something primal, something we keep carefully locked away beneath our civilised exterior.
Take Soren from my novel Guild of Assassins.
He begins as a sculptor’s apprentice, an artist devoted to creating beauty.
Yet when his father is murdered, that creative impulse twists into something darker.
His hands, once used to shape stone into life, become instruments of death.
We understand his choice viscerally, even as we recoil from it.
The Thin Line Between Justice and RevengeThis transformation reveals an uncomfortable truth: the line between justice and revenge is razor-thin.
When Soren first sets out to find his father’s killer, he speaks of justice.
But justice through proper channels proves impossible—the Magistrates are corrupt, the system broken.
How many of us, facing similar circumstances, would choose the path of revenge?
We tell ourselves we wouldn’t, but revenge stories resonate because, deep down, we know better.
The Transformative Power of RevengeThe appeal goes deeper than just vicarious satisfaction.
Revenge narratives explore how violence transforms not just bodies, but souls.
We watch Soren’s gradual corruption with a mix of horror and recognition.
Each compromise, each act of violence, strips away another layer of his humanity.
Yet he can’t stop—and neither can we stop reading.
Because his descent mirrors our own capacity for darkness, the monster we fear lurks within ourselves.
Revenge as More Than a Power FantasyThis psychological transformation is what elevates revenge stories above simple power fantasies.
Yes, there’s satisfaction in seeing wrongdoers punished.
But the real draw is watching how revenge reshapes its seekers.
When Soren finally confronts Kierak in their death duel aboard the ship, he’s become nearly as brutal as his opponent.
His victory feels hollow because we recognise the cost: to destroy the monster, he had to become one.
Revenge as a Response to ChaosYet revenge stories also speak to our desire for agency in an often chaotic and unfair world.
When systems fail us, when justice proves impossible through legitimate channels, revenge promises a way to reshape reality through sheer force of will.
It’s a seductive promise—that through violence, we can impose meaning on senseless tragedy.
Confronting Our Darkest TruthsThe true power of revenge narratives lies in their ability to force us to confront uncomfortable truths about ourselves.
They reveal the savage lurking beneath the sculptor, the killer beneath the creator.
They make us question how far we’d go if pushed past our breaking point.
In doing so, they remind us that the capacity for darkness exists in us all.
The Dual Nature of Revenge StoriesThis is why we keep returning to revenge stories, despite their darkness—or perhaps because of it.
They serve as a safe space to examine our own capacity for violence and moral compromise.
Through characters like Soren, we can explore our darker impulses from a safe distance while acknowledging their reality.
The Light Amidst the DarknessBut the best revenge stories, like Guild of Assassins, don’t just wallow in darkness.
They explore how friendship and loyalty can serve as counterweights to revenge’s corrupting influence.
Soren and Alaric’s bond reminds us that even in our darkest moments, human connection offers a path back to light.
A Final TruthPerhaps this is the final truth revenge stories reveal: our capacity for violence is matched by our capacity for connection.
The same hands that deal death can create beauty.
The same heart that burns with revenge can expand with loyalty and love.
Why We Are Drawn to Revenge StoriesIn the end, revenge stories captivate us not just because they speak to our darkness, but because they acknowledge the full spectrum of human nature—our savage impulses and our saving graces, our capacity to destroy and our power to preserve.
They remind us that we contain multitudes and that our choices, not our impulses, define us.
What revenge stories have resonated most deeply with you? How do you think they reflect or challenge our darker impulses? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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