Literary notes about Reprieve (AI summary)
In literature, "reprieve" is often portrayed as a temporary escape or reprieve—from fate, death, or punishment—imbuing a moment of unexpected relief or a delay in an otherwise inexorable outcome. Writers use the term to highlight the tension between impending doom and the brief promise of clemency, as when a character faces certain punishment yet clings to the possibility of a pardon [1], or when a twist postpones an execution for a fleeting moment of hope [2]. It can also encapsulate a broader sense of grace or mercy that offers the afflicted a momentary pause to reflect, as seen in legal and existential contexts where the reprieve becomes both a blessing and a bittersweet interlude [3][4].
- You are condemn'd; our general has sworn you out of reprieve and pardon.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - "It must be a reprieve; the admiral has relented."
— from The Grip of Honor: A Story of Paul Jones and the American Revolution by Cyrus Townsend Brady - No; there was no news come—no pardon—no reprieve.
— from Adam Bede by George Eliot - It is a balm from Gilead for the sick, oil for the bruises of the wounded, reprieve for the prison-bound, and bread for them that are ready to perish.
— from The World's Great Sermons, Volume 07: Hale to Farrar
