UNIT – I PROSE BACON’S OF REVENGE
UNIT – I PROSE
BACON’S OF REVENGE
OF
REVENGE
Revenge
is a kind of wild justice; which the more man’s nature runs to,
the
more ought law to weed it out. For as for the first wrong, it doth but
offend
the law; but the revenge of that wrong, putteth the law out of
office.
Certainly, in taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but
in
passing it over, he is superior; for it is a prince’s part to pardon. And
Solomon,
I am sure, saith, It is the glory of a man, to pass by an offence.
That
which is past is gone, and irrevocable; and wise men have enough to
do,
with things present and to come; therefore they do but trifle with
themselves,
that labor in past matters. There is no man doth a wrong, for
the
wrong’s sake; but thereby to purchase himself profit, or pleasure, or
honor,
or the like. Therefore why should I be angry with a man, for loving
himself
better than me? And if any man should do wrong, merely out of
ill–nature,
why, yet it is but like the thorn or briar, which prick and
scratch,
because they can do no other. The most tolerable sort of
revenge,
is for those wrongs which there is no law to remedy; but then let
a
man take heed, the revenge be such as there is no law to punish; else a
man’s
enemy is still before hand, and it is two for one. Some, when they
take
revenge, are desirous, the party should know, whence it cometh.
This
is the more generous. For the delight seemeth to be, not so much in
doing
the hurt, as in making the party repent. But base and crafty
cowards,
are like the arrow that flieth in the dark. Cosmus, duke of
Florence,
had a desperate saying against perfidious or neglecting friends,
as
if those wrongs were unpardonable; You shall read (saith he) that we
are
commanded to forgive our enemies; but you never read, that we are
commanded
to forgive our friends. But yet the spirit of Job was in a better
tune:
Shall we (saith he) take good at God’s hands, and not be content to
take
evil also? And so of friends in a proportion. This is certain, that a
man
that studieth revenge, keeps his own wounds green, which otherwise
would
heal, and do well. Public revenges are for the most part fortunate;
as
that for the death of Caesar; for the death of Pertinax; for the death of
Henry
the Third of France; and many more. But in private revenges, it is
not
so. Nay rather, vindictive persons live the life of witches; who, as they
are mischievous, so end they infortunate.
******
Detailed Summary
🔹 The Nature of Revenge
- Bacon
begins by calling revenge a kind of wild justice — instinctive and
emotional, yet disruptive to civil order.
- The
more natural it is to man, the more law must work to suppress it.
- A first
wrong offends the law, but revenge displaces the law and puts
justice into personal hands.
🔹 Moral Superiority in Forgiveness
- Taking
revenge makes a man equal to his enemy, but forgiving makes him
superior, like a prince.
- Bacon
cites Solomon: “It is the glory of a man to pass by an offence.”
🔹 The Futility of Revenge
- The
past is gone — wise men focus on the present and future, not
dwelling on past wrongs.
- Those
who seek revenge wound themselves by clinging to pain, keeping
their wounds fresh.
🔹 Understanding Wrongdoing
- People
rarely harm others without reason — usually for gain, pleasure, or
honor.
- Why
then be angry with someone who prefers himself over you?
- Even ill-natured
people are like thorns — they harm because that is their
nature.
🔹 When Revenge May Be Tolerable
- Some
wrongs cannot be addressed by law; in such cases, revenge may
seem acceptable.
- But
even then, a man must ensure his revenge is not punishable, or else
he becomes doubly harmed.
🔹 Motivations Behind Revenge
- Some
want their enemies to know the source of their punishment — this,
Bacon calls more generous.
- The real
satisfaction is not the harm itself, but making the enemy repent.
🔹 Cowardly Revenge
- Cowards
strike in the dark, like arrows in the night.
- He
quotes Cosmus, Duke of Florence, who said that we are commanded
to forgive enemies, but not friends.
- However,
Job’s spirit was nobler: accepting both good and evil from God — and
so should we with friends.
🔹 Conclusion
- A man
obsessed with revenge keeps his own wounds open.
- Public
revenge (e.g., for political assassinations) may be justified and even
honored.
- But private
revenge is unfortunate, and vindictive people live like witches
— full of mischief and doomed to a miserable end.
·
1. Bacon describes revenge as a kind of:
A) Legal action
B) Wild justice ✅
C) False kindness
D) Royal duty
➡️ “Revenge is a kind of wild justice…”
·
2. The more man's nature tends toward revenge, the
more:
A) Religion should forgive it
B) Society should accept it
C) Law must weed it out ✅
D) It must be encouraged
➡️ “…the more ought law to weed it out.”
·
3. A first wrong offends the law, but revenge:
A) Strengthens it
B) Ignores it
C) Put the law out of office ✅
D) Justifies it
➡️ Revenge disrupts the legal process.
·
4. According to Bacon, forgiving an enemy makes a
man:
A) Weak
B) Noble ✅
C) Dishonest
D) Fearful
➡️ “In passing it over, he is superior…”
·
5. Revenge makes a man:
A) Wiser
B) Superior
C) Equal to his enemy ✅
D) Innocent
➡️ “…a man is but even with his enemy.”
·
6. Forgiveness is described as a:
A) King’s error
B) Prince’s part ✅
C) Religious law
D) Political strategy
➡️ “…for it is a prince’s part to pardon.”
·
7. Which Biblical figure does Bacon quote in
support of forgiveness?
A) Job
B) David
C) Solomon ✅
D) Paul
➡️ “Solomon, I am sure, saith…”
·
8. According to Solomon, it is the glory of a man
to:
A) Punish enemies
B) Avoid evil
C) Pass by an offence ✅
D) Follow law
➡️ “…to pass by an offence.”
·
9. Bacon believes wise men focus on:
A) The present and the future ✅
B) Emotions
C) Revenge and justice
D) Meditation
➡️ “…wise men have enough to do with things
present and to come…”
·
10. To labor in past matters is to:
A) Strengthen character
B) Learn history
C) Trifle with oneself ✅
D) Seek justice
➡️ “…they do but trifle with themselves…”
·
11. People do wrong not for the sake of wrong but
to:
A) Be evil
B) Please others
C) Gain something like profit or honor ✅
D) Break rules
➡️ “…to purchase himself profit, or pleasure, or
honor…”
·
12. Bacon questions why we should be angry with a
man who:
A) Loves himself more than others ✅
B) Breaks the law
C) Repents sincerely
D) Seeks justice
➡️ “Why should I be angry with a man for loving
himself better than me?”
·
13. A person who harms others out of ill-nature is
like:
A) A demon
B) A storm
C) A thorn or briar ✅
D) A barking dog
➡️ “…which prick and scratch, because they can do
no other.”
·
14. The most tolerable kind of revenge is for:
A) Legal trials
B) Love affairs
C) Wrongs that law cannot remedy ✅
D) Mistaken identity
➡️ “…for those wrongs which there is no law to
remedy…”
·
15. Even in such cases, revenge must be:
A) Seen by others
B) Justified by religion
C) Outside the reach of legal punishment ✅
D) Known by all
➡️ “…such as there is no law to punish…”
·
16. If revenge is punishable, the enemy is:
A) Weak
B) Even
C) Ahead, and it becomes two for one ✅
D) Forgiven
➡️ “…a man’s enemy is still beforehand, and it is
two for one.”
·
17. Some people wish the enemy to know the source
of revenge because:
A) It satisfies their pride
B) It makes them repent ✅
C) It spreads fear
D) It builds fame
➡️ “…the delight seemeth to be… in making the
party repent.”
·
18. Bacon calls this open form of revenge:
A) Cruel
B) Holy
C) Generous ✅
D) Barbaric
➡️ “…this is the more generous.”
·
19. Cowardly revengers are like:
A) Lions
B) Ghosts
C) Arrows that fly in the dark ✅
D) Clouds that thunder
➡️ “…are like the arrow that flieth in the dark.”
·
20. Cosmus, Duke of Florence, said we are commanded
to forgive:
A) Strangers
B) Enemies ✅
C) Rulers
D) Family
➡️ “We are commanded to forgive our enemies…”
·
21. But, according to Cosmus, we are not commanded
to forgive:
A) Friends who betray us ✅
B) Criminals
C) Priests
D) Parents
➡️ “…but you never read that we are commanded to
forgive our friends.”
·
22. Bacon contrasts Cosmus with the spirit of:
A) Paul
B) David
C) Job ✅
D) Peter
➡️ “…the spirit of Job was in a better tune…”
·
23. Job said, “Shall we take good at God’s hands
and…”
A) Praise Him in suffering
B) Not accept evil also? ✅
C) Reject sorrow?
D) Fear punishment?
➡️ “…and not be content to take evil also?”
·
24. A man who studies revenge keeps his own wounds:
A) Clean
B) Festering
C) Green ✅
D) Closed
➡️ “…keeps his own wounds green…”
·
25. According to Bacon, private revenges usually
end in:
A) Great reward
B) Peace
C) Tragedy and misfortune ✅
D) Justice
➡️ “…in private revenges, it is not so… they end
infortunate.”
·
26. Bacon suggests that the act of taking revenge:
A) Restores justice
B) Is divine
C) Is base and common
D) Keeps the mind dwelling on old pain ✅
➡️ “A man that studieth revenge keeps his own
wounds green…”
·
27. What happens to wounds, according to Bacon, if
revenge is not pursued?
A) They grow deeper
B) They heal and do well ✅
C) They become infected
D) They leave scars forever
➡️ “…which otherwise would heal and do well.”
·
28. Bacon compares vindictive people to:
A) Kings
B) Lawyers
C) Witches ✅
D) Scholars
➡️ “…vindictive persons live the life of witches…”
·
29. What trait of witches does Bacon associate with
the vindictive?
A) Religious devotion
B) Mischievous and unfortunate ends ✅
C) Wisdom
D) Silence
➡️ “…so end they infortunate.”
·
30. Public revenges, according to Bacon, are
usually:
A) Destructive
B) Justified and fortunate ✅
C) Illegal
D) Politically motivated
➡️ “Public revenges are for the most part
fortunate…”
·
31. Private revenges, by contrast, are:
A) Often ignored
B) Peaceful
C) Rare
D) Infortunate ✅
➡️ “…but in private revenges, it is not so.”
·
32. Bacon views revenge as something that belongs
to:
A) Civil law
B) Wild nature ✅
C) Religious duty
D) Ancient history
➡️ “…a kind of wild justice…”
·
33. Revenge puts the law:
A) Into motion
B) Out of office ✅
C) Under review
D) To the test
➡️ “…putteth the law out of office.”
·
34. Bacon says the offender in a revenge scenario
is usually motivated by:
A) Honor, hatred, or pain
B) Profit, pleasure, or honor ✅
C) Fear or shame
D) Revenge for another
➡️ “…to purchase himself profit, or pleasure, or
honor…”
·
35. The person who wronged another often acts out
of:
A) Madness
B) Pity
C) Ill-nature or self-love ✅
D) Lawlessness
➡️ “…loving himself better than me…”
·
36. Bacon sees the desire for revenge as:
A) Noble
B) Natural but misguided ✅
C) Forbidden and satanic
D) A sign of power
➡️ He acknowledges it as instinctive but needing
restraint.
·
37. According to Bacon, people who pursue revenge
dwell too much on:
A) Justice
B) God’s law
C) The past ✅
D) Other people
➡️ “That which is past is gone and irrevocable…”
·
38. Bacon calls it foolish to:
A) Trust your enemy
B) Meditate on evil
C) Labor in past matters ✅
D) Read history
➡️ “…they do but trifle with themselves, that
labor in past matters.”
·
39. The most generous kind of revenge is:
A) Anonymous
B) Open, where the victim knows who did it ✅
C) Paid
D) Political
➡️ “This is the more generous…”
·
40. According to Bacon, the true delight in revenge
is in:
A) Seeing the enemy fail
B) Hurting him deeply
C) Making him repent ✅
D) Watching him suffer publicly
➡️ “…not so much in doing the hurt, as in making
the party repent.”
·
41. Cowards, in Bacon’s metaphor, are like arrows
that:
A) Hit from afar
B) Fly in the light
C) Miss the target
D) Fly in the dark ✅
➡️ “…like the arrow that flieth in the dark.”
·
42. Cosmus, Duke of Florence, considered betrayal
by friends as:
A) The most dangerous
B) Unforgivable ✅
C) A small offence
D) A common error
➡️ “…as if those wrongs were unpardonable…”
·
43. Bacon disagrees with Cosmus’s view and praises:
A) Anger
B) Revenge
C) Job’s forgiving spirit ✅
D) Political strategy
➡️ “…the spirit of Job was in a better tune…”
·
44. Bacon quotes Job saying we should accept:
A) Only blessings
B) Evil from the devil
C) Good and evil from God ✅
D) Pain with pride
➡️ “…and not be content to take evil also?”
·
45. What does Bacon say about people who forgive
wrongs?
A) They are divine
B) They are weak
C) They are superior ✅
D) They are simple
➡️ “In passing it over, he is superior.”
·
46. Bacon uses the word “prince” to symbolize
someone who:
A) Acts with vengeance
B) Uses divine wisdom
C) Has the power to punish and chooses to forgive ✅
D) Rules by fear
➡️ “…for it is a prince’s part to pardon.”
·
47. Bacon argues that wise men do not seek revenge
because:
A) They are rich
B) They are indifferent
C) They focus on present and future ✅
D) They lack power
➡️ “…have enough to do, with things present and to
come…”
·
48. To hold onto revenge is to keep wounds:
A) Buried
B) Bleeding
C) Green ✅
D) Ignored
➡️ “…keeps his own wounds green…”
·
49. Bacon says some people want their enemy to know
who harmed them because:
A) They seek applause
B) They want revenge publicly
C) The enemy will fear them
D) They want repentance ✅
➡️ “…the delight seemeth to be… in making the
party repent.”
·
50. Bacon's central idea in “Of Revenge” is that
revenge is:
A) Lawful if done cleverly
B) Emotionally satisfying but morally flawed ✅
C) A spiritual practice
D) Encouraged by scripture
➡️ He consistently discourages private revenge.
·
51. Bacon warns that pursuing revenge is like:
A) Building a fire
B) Repeating evil
C) Keeping wounds from healing ✅
D) Following justice
➡️ Revenge traps the mind in old injury.
·
52. Which metaphor does Bacon use for cowardly
revengers?
A) Wolves in sheep’s clothing
B) Poisoned fruit
C) Arrows that fly in the dark ✅
D) Snakes in the grass
➡️ They strike secretly without courage.
·
53. What kind of revenges does Bacon see as
“fortunate”?
A) Personal revenges
B) Political/public revenges ✅
C) Revenge by rulers only
D) Vengeful duels
➡️ He gives examples like the death of Caesar.
·
54. Revenge for Caesar’s death is an example of:
A) Lawful justice
B) Fortunate public revenge ✅
C) Personal retaliation
D) Philosophical debate
➡️ “…that for the death of Caesar…”
·
55. Which monarch’s assassination is also listed
under “fortunate revenge”?
A) Edward VI
B) Henry III of France ✅
C) Richard III
D) Queen Mary
➡️ “…for the death of Henry the Third of France…”
·
56. Bacon states that people rarely do wrong for
the sake of:
A) Pleasure
B) Justice
C) Evil alone ✅
D) Greed
➡️ “…no man doth a wrong, for the wrong’s sake…”
·
57. Wrongdoing is usually driven by:
A) Envy
B) Ignorance
C) Profit, pleasure, or honor ✅
D) Weakness
➡️ He lists these motives directly.
·
58. What kind of people, according to Bacon, act
like thorns or briars?
A) Sinners
B) Naturally ill-natured people ✅
C) Ambitious rulers
D) Honest men under pressure
➡️ They prick because they can do no other.
·
59. What does Bacon call revenge for unpunishable
wrongs?
A) Cowardly
B) Noble
C) Tolerable ✅
D) Weak
➡️ “…the most tolerable sort of revenge…”
·
60. Even tolerable revenge must be taken with care
to:
A) Be unnoticed
B) Avoid legal punishment ✅
C) Gain sympathy
D) Please friends
➡️ “…such as there is no law to punish…”
·
61. If a man is punished for his revenge, the enemy
gains:
A) Double suffering
B) Legal support
C) The advantage ✅
D) Forgiveness
➡️ “…enemy is still beforehand, and it is two for
one.”
·
62. “Generous” revenge refers to:
A) Forgiving publicly
B) Revenge that reveals its source ✅
C) Seeking apology
D) Religious mercy
➡️ “…the party should know whence it cometh.”
·
63. Bacon says it is better to:
A) Defeat enemies in public
B) Avoid law and fight
C) Pass by an offence ✅
D) Use private revenge quietly
➡️ “It is the glory of a man to pass by an
offence.”
·
64. According to Bacon, private revenge:
A) Builds courage
B) Often ends badly ✅
C) Wins admiration
D) Is justified by betrayal
➡️ “…private revenges… end infortunate.”
·
65. Vindictive persons are compared to witches
because they:
A) Use curses
B) Are feared
C) Live miserably and die miserably ✅
D) Practice magic
➡️ “…so end they infortunate.”
·
66. Bacon implies that revenge:
A) Corrects wrongs
B) Replaces law with personal emotion ✅
C) Strengthens society
D) Helps reconciliation
➡️ It puts the law out of office.
·
67. Why does Bacon mention Job?
A) As a forgiving and patient figure ✅
B) To criticize him
C) As a revenger
D) As a prophet of justice
➡️ “The spirit of Job was in a better tune…”
·
68. What does Job suggest we accept from God?
A) Only punishment
B) Only wealth
C) Both good and evil ✅
D) Suffering only
➡️ “…take good at God’s hands, and not… evil
also?”
·
69. Revenge is described as:
A) Useless
B) A base emotion
C) A wild justice ✅
D) God’s command
➡️ “…a kind of wild justice…”
·
70. A man who passes over an offence is compared to
a:
A) Coward
B) Saint
C) Prince ✅
D) Prophet
➡️ “…a prince’s part to pardon.”
·
71. Laboring in past wrongs is seen by Bacon as:
A) Wise
B) Strategic
C) Trifling with oneself ✅
D) A noble burden
➡️ A waste of effort and peace.
·
72. What motivates most wrongdoers, according to
Bacon?
A) Hatred
B) Revenge
C) Self-interest ✅
D) Religion
➡️ “…loving himself better than me…”
·
73. Revenge should only be considered if:
A) It is legal
B) It is poetic
C) Law provides no remedy ✅
D) Friends agree
➡️ “The most tolerable sort of revenge…”
·
74. Who said, “We are commanded to forgive our
enemies; but you never read that we are commanded to forgive our friends”?
A) Solomon
B) Cicero
C) Cosmus, Duke of Florence ✅
D) Julius Caesar
➡️ A controversial statement Bacon quotes.
·
75. What does Bacon say about this quote from
Cosmus?
A) He agrees completely
B) It lacks wisdom
C) Job’s spirit was nobler ✅
D) It reflects Christian values
➡️ Bacon sides with Job’s higher attitude.
·
76. What kind of justice does Bacon call revenge?
A) Royal
B) True
C) Wild ✅
D) Poetic
➡️ “Revenge is a kind of wild justice…”
·
77. What should law do in response to mankind's
tendency for revenge?
A) Support it
B) Ignore it
C) Weed it out ✅
D) Encourage it
➡️ “The more ought law to weed it out.”
·
78. In Bacon’s view, revenge harms:
A) The law ✅
B) The king
C) The state
D) The church
➡️ “…revenge… putteth the law out of office.”
·
79. Passing over revenge makes one:
A) Helpless
B) Afraid
C) Superior ✅
D) Foolish
➡️ “…in passing it over, he is superior…”
·
80. “It is a prince’s part to pardon” implies that
forgiveness is a sign of:
A) Weakness
B) Royalty and nobility ✅
C) Deceit
D) Revenge
➡️ Forgiveness belongs to the great.
·
81. What does Bacon believe about focusing on the
past?
A) It strengthens character
B) It helps closure
C) It wastes time ✅
D) It builds knowledge
➡️ “They do but trifle with themselves…”
·
82. Bacon compares people who act out of ill-nature
to:
A) Lions
B) Poison
C) Thorns or briars ✅
D) Fire
➡️ “…which prick and scratch, because they can do
no other.”
·
83. What is the outcome of public revenge,
according to Bacon?
A) Always wrong
B) Frequently fortunate ✅
C) Often ignored
D) Sometimes useless
➡️ “Public revenges are for the most part
fortunate…”
·
84. Bacon cites the revenge for the death of which
Roman figure?
A) Augustus
B) Cicero
C) Julius Caesar ✅
D) Brutus
➡️ “…that for the death of Caesar…”
·
85. Why does Bacon disapprove of secret revenge?
A) It causes fear
B) It is childish
C) It is cowardly ✅
D) It is illogical
➡️ Like “arrows that fly in the dark.”
·
86. People who wish to make their revenge known
desire to:
A) Show strength
B) Apologize
C) Cause repentance ✅
D) Win glory
➡️ “…in making the party repent.”
·
87. Bacon’s view of forgiveness includes:
A) Weakness
B) Personal defeat
C) Noble self-control ✅
D) Political caution
➡️ Forgiveness is a higher moral ground.
·
88. The man who does not take revenge allows his
heart to:
A) Harden
B) Heal ✅
C) Forget
D) Suffer
➡️ “…which otherwise would heal…”
·
89. Vindictive people, like witches, end in:
A) Power
B) Wealth
C) Misery ✅
D) Fame
➡️ “…so end they infortunate.”
·
90. The phrase “keep wounds green” means:
A) Make others suffer
B) Keep anger and pain alive ✅
C) Bandage pain
D) Fight anew
➡️ Revenge prolongs emotional injury.
·
91. Bacon implies that ignoring small offences
leads to:
A) More betrayal
B) Loss of status
C) Personal growth ✅
D) Fear
➡️ Forgiveness is part of inner strength.
·
92. Bacon’s mention of Caesar’s death serves to:
A) Justify public execution
B) Demonstrate wise leadership
C) Illustrate public revenge as justified ✅
D) Encourage assassinations
➡️ An example of fortunate public revenge.
·
93. Cosmus’s statement about friends reflects:
A) Loyalty
B) Religious doctrine
C) Harsh justice ✅
D) Legal mercy
➡️ “…as if those wrongs were unpardonable.”
·
94. Bacon believes the better attitude is reflected
in:
A) Solomon
B) David
C) Job ✅
D) Paul
➡️ “The spirit of Job was in a better tune…”
·
95. The central message of “Of Revenge” is to:
A) Plan revenge wisely
B) Avoid forgiveness
C) Replace law with passion
D) Let go of revenge for greater moral elevation ✅
➡️ Forgiveness is the superior path.
·
96. Which of the following is NOT suggested by
Bacon in the essay?
A) Revenge may seem just in rare cases
B) Wise men do not waste time on revenge
C) Friends must never be forgiven ✅
D) Public revenge may be fortunate
➡️ Bacon critiques Cosmus’s view on friends.
·
97. The phrase “two for one” implies:
A) Double the reward
B) Extra grief for the revenger ✅
C) Equal justice
D) Mercy and punishment
➡️ The enemy is ahead if you suffer punishment for
revenge.
·
98. Bacon's view aligns most closely with:
A) Stoic philosophy ✅
B) Machiavellian strategy
C) Romantic idealism
D) Fatalism
➡️ Reason, self-control, and moral superiority.
·
99. The final tone of the essay is one of:
A) Vengeful triumph
B) Sober moral reflection ✅
C) Political calculation
D) Cynicism
➡️ Bacon counsels moderation and dignity.
·
100. What is the ultimate fate of revengeful
people, according to Bacon?
A) Victory
B) Ruin ✅
C) Fame
D) Honor
➡️ They “live the life of witches… so end they
infortunate.”
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