Literary notes about Reprisal (AI summary)
In literature, reprisal is used to denote an act of retaliation that can be both formal and instinctive. It frequently appears in narratives involving warfare or political conflict—illustrated by state-sanctioned measures like letters of marque and reprisal ([1], [2]), and tactical responses such as blockades ([3], [4]). At the same time, reprisal is employed to convey personal vengeance or emotional retribution, as when a character’s impulsive act of reprisal reflects deep personal injury ([5], [6]). Whether denoting calculated military strategy or individual vendetta, the term enriches the text by vividly capturing the nuances of reciprocal justice and the complexities of human response to wrongdoing ([7], [8]).
- Will you give them letters of marque and reprisal to pay themselves by force?
— from The World's Best Orations, Vol. 1 (of 10) - He thought it better to arm our merchantmen; to grant letters of marque and reprisal; and repeal our non-importation law.
— from Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. 4 (of 16) by United States. Congress - Bayezid by way of reprisal for this directed a blockade by land of Constantinople.
— from The Turkish Empire, Its Growth and Decay by Eversley, G. Shaw-Lefevre (George Shaw-Lefevre), Baron - In 1862 Great Britain by way of reprisal for the plundering of a wrecked British merchantman, blockaded the Brazilian port of Rio de Janeiro.
— from International Law. A Treatise. Volume 2 (of 2) War and Neutrality. Second Edition by L. (Lassa) Oppenheim - I hoped that his method of reprisal would be summary.
— from The Portal of Dreams by Charles Neville Buck - This was her unconscious act of reprisal.
— from Diana of the Crossways — Complete by George Meredith - Justice is therefore reprisal and exchange upon the basis of an approximate equality of power.
— from Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - (That large reprisal he might justly claim, For prize defrauded, and insulted fame,
— from The Iliad by Homer
