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Literary notes about Cursed (AI summary)

The term “cursed” is deployed in literature to convey a spectrum of negative emotions and outcomes, ranging from divine retribution and inescapable fate to bitter regret and social condemnation. It is used to mark places or moments as ill-fated, as when an area is branded with misfortune or disgrace ([1], [2]), and to denote the weight of divine or moral judgment, where characters invoke curses against others or themselves to signal irreversible consequences ([3], [4]). In dramatic contexts, the word intensifies the emotional landscape, capturing both the fury and despair of protagonists ([5], [6]), while in casual dialogue it serves as an emphatic expletive that underlines frustration ([7], [8]). Overall, “cursed” functions as a versatile literary device that enriches narrative tone and deepens themes of destiny and moral retribution.
  1. O my friend, let us come no more into that cursed country where I left my purse.
    — from Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais
  2. And here advance it in the market-place, The middle centre of this cursed town.
    — from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare
  3. Oedipus and Amyntor and Theseus cursed their children, and their curses took effect.
    — from Laws by Plato
  4. Now therefore cursed shalt thou be upon the earth, which hath opened her mouth and received the blood of thy brother at thy hand.
    — from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete
  5. Here 's the cursed day To prompt my memory; and here 't shall stick Till of her bleeding heart I make a sponge To wipe it out.
    — from The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster
  6. What cursed foot wanders this way tonight, To cross my obsequies and true love’s rite?
    — from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
  7. Where’s that Goddamned cursed ashtray? BLOOM: (Goaded, buttocksmothered.)
    — from Ulysses by James Joyce
  8. He cursed Strickland freely, then, calling for the waiter, paid for the drinks, and left.
    — from The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham

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