Literary notes about Requital (AI summary)
The term “requital” appears in literature as a multifaceted concept, often used to denote a response—whether of gratitude, compensation, or retribution—to a preceding act. In poetic and dramatic works, such as those by Shakespeare, it is evoked to accentuate the reciprocal nature of love and duty, suggesting that kindness be met with a fitting return [1, 2]. Epic narratives also employ the term to signify a measured balancing of deeds, as in the grim retribution exacted in heroic contexts [3, 4], while philosophical and ethical writings use it to explore themes of justice and equity, implying that every action carries its own due by nature [5, 6, 7]. This layered use enriches the narrative texture, underlining that the response to an action, whether tender or harsh, is an intrinsic component of the human experience.
- O, take his mother's thanks, a widow's thanks, Till your strong hand shall help to give him strength To make a more requital to your love!
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - Thank you, good Pompey; and, in requital of your prophecy, hark you: I advise you, let me not find you before me again upon any complaint whatsoever-
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - Then if one of the Frisians the quarrel should speak of In tones that were taunting, terrible edges Should cut in requital.
— from Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem - The Lord, in requital, Wielder of Glory, with world-honor blessed him.
— from Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem - The conception of requital implies that of time; therefore eternal justice cannot be requital.
— from The World as Will and Idea (Vol. 1 of 3) by Arthur Schopenhauer - The noble soul gives as he takes, prompted by the passionate and sensitive instinct of requital, which is at the root of his nature.
— from Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - Ἀμοιβή, ῆς, ἡ, (ἀμείβω, ἀμείβομαι, to requite) requital; of kind offices, recompence, 1 Ti. 5.4.
— from A Greek-English Lexicon to the New Testament by William Greenfield