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Vengeance

Psychology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A powerful psychological drive in poetry to retaliate against injustice or injury, often expressed through vengeful imagery, curses, or dramatic monologue.

Detailed Definition
Vengeance consumes the seeker. Poetry dramatizes it through dark imagery, cyclical structure, or tragic irony, often warning of its self-destructive nature while acknowledging its primal appeal.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy,” vengeance erupts toward the father figure; In Robert Browning’s “Porphyria’s Lover,” vengeance leads to murder; In W.B. Yeats’ “Leda and the Swan,” vengeance inheres in violent transformation; In Langston Hughes’ “Harlem,” vengeance threatens in “Or does it explode?”; In Adrienne Rich’s “Diving into the Wreck,” vengeance confronts patriarchal myths; In Ocean Vuong’s “Aubade with Burning City,” vengeance echoes in survival amid chaos.
Additional Notes
Vengeance—retributive justice—is often gendered and politicized in poetry (Plath, Rich); differs from justice by its personal, often excessive, quality; poetic techniques include violent imagery, imperative verbs, or cyclical structure; students should analyze whether vengeance liberates or entraps; note its link to trauma—vengeance as failed healing.
Also Known As
Retaliation Revenge Retribution Payback wreak Wrath
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