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Literary notes about Requite (AI summary)

The term "requite" in literature is typically employed to convey the notion of reciprocation, whether it be repaying a kindness, responding to an injury, or fulfilling a duty. It appears frequently as a pledge to repay good deeds with goodwill or prayer, as seen when a character vows, “I shall requite thee for thy good offices” ([1]), or when thanks are returned with promises, “I will not fail to requite it” ([2]). In other contexts, "requite" is charged with the gravity of duty or justice—its usage spans from expressions of divine recompense, as in, “God requite thy mercy” ([3]), to declarations of retaliatory response, such as when one vows to repay insults with force ([4]). Such usage reflects the word’s versatility in conveying both heartfelt gratitude and the darker edges of vengeance, underscoring a recurring literary motif of balancing favors and affronts through measured reciprocation.
  1. I shall requite thee for thy good offices.’
    — from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1
  2. "Thanks for your courtesy," replied Eustace gladly; "and, trust me, I will not fail to requite it."
    — from Cressy and Poictiers: The Story of the Black Prince's Page by John G. (John George) Edgar
  3. Tom dropped upon his knees with a glad cry— “God requite thy mercy, O my King, and save thee long to bless thy land!”
    — from The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
  4. Therefore neither shall my eye spare, nor will I have pity: I will requite their way upon their head.
    — from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete

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