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The Forum: Revenge

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Revenge

01/09/2012 GMT

BBC World Service - The Forum, Revenge

What drives our vengeful desires and what happens if we listen to them?

We explore where our desire for revenge comes from and if it can ever bring peace.

Conflicts around the world remind us daily of the perils of taking an eye for an eye. How deep into our societies does the instinct for revenge go? If revenge is a dish best not served at all, can victims of personal trauma find closure by other means? And what are the consequences of supressing our vengeful desires?

Bridget Kendall is joined by the celebrated novelist Rose Tremain, whose latest book Merivel, depicts a man incapable of taking revenge. Indian essayist Salil Tripathi considers righting the wrongs of history in Bangladesh. And the activist Yvette Alberdingk Thijm encourages victims from all over the world to relate their experiences on video and begin the process of moving on.

Illustration by Emily Kasriel: Vengeance pacified by storytelling.

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