The Count of Monte Cristo
To seek vengeance is to inflict injury, harm, and humiliation, on a person by another who has been harmed by that person. In the movie The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond seeks revenge on Fernand Mondego for many reasons. All of which were justified because of the horrible treatment Edmond received while he was in prison. Not only did that make Edmond angry, but also when he found out the Fernand Mondego had married his wife to be only 1 month after being locked away.
Being that they were friends once before made it that much harder for Edmond to believe everything that Fernand had done to him behind his back. There were lots of lies, betrayal, and false hoods as to why Edmond was even sent to prison. Throughout the whole movie everyone was told that he was dead. Edmonds approach to become revengeful toward Fernand might be criticized because many believe that vengeance has no justification no matter how the other person has harmed you. If society is not going to retaliate against a crime on your behalf it is not okay to take matters into your own hands.
Most people would say that it would all depend on the situation, but I think that there is no situation that is so severe to where there would be justification for those actions. The Golden Rule states to do unto others as you would have them do to you. If you are treated wrongfully it does not give you the right to turn around and do the same or worse back to them. Otherwise the cycle will keep going in a circle and people will get hurt and they will get nowhere in life with that thought process.
Before someone seeks vengeance they need to think about the utilitarianism theory which states that everyone should perform that act or follow that moral rule which will bring about the greatest good for everybody. Paying someone back for a wrong doing that they did to you is not moral or ethical at all under any circumstances. Stating that revenge and retributive have similarities would be a true statement. Revenge is the exact punishment or amends for a wrong on behalf of, especially in a resentful or vindictive spirit.
Whereas retributive theory states that punishment should be given only when it is deserved and only to the extent that it is deserved, is concerned with the past rather than the future. It is also stated that punishment should be imposed by some person or group that has “duty constituted” moral or legal authority. Both are a form of punishment, but retributive is a type of punishment that has to be imposed by a legal authority. Revenge is an act of punishment but not by a legal authority.
It is imposed on a person who has wrong someone else whether it was intentional or not. Overall revenge is a highly debated topic that everyone has their own opinions on. It is something that is frowned upon in many circumstances. Hurting someone because they have mistreated you is not the answer. The statement an eye for an eye and tooth for and a tooth for a tooth could be an extreme when murder is the circumstance. To each his own opinion, but I think that no matter the circumstance there is never justification for revenge.
