Literary notes about revoke (AI summary)
In literature, "revoke" is often employed to mark the deliberate withdrawal of a previously granted favor, decree, or permission, underscoring shifts in power or moral judgement. In early works, such as in Spenser’s richly layered verse and Shakespeare’s dramatic dialogues, the term evokes the gravity of retracting something once bestowed with authority [1][2]. It frequently appears in the context of legal or regal decisions, where the act of revocation—be it of a commission, a sentence, or even a divine curse—carries significant narrative weight, as seen when a king undoes a gift or a mandate is canceled [3][4][5]. Later literary works continue this tradition, using "revoke" to underscore the finality and tension inherent in reversing decisions, thereby reflecting the enduring interplay between power, responsibility, and consequence [6][7].
- shame were to revoke, etc., it would be cowardly not to go forward for fear of some suspected unseen danger.
— from Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Book I by Edmund Spenser - Revoke thy gift, Or, whilst I can vent clamour from my throat, I’ll tell thee thou dost evil.
— from The Tragedy of King Lear by William Shakespeare - These words amazed the father; but neither could he bear to revoke the freedom he had granted her, and he promised her in marriage to Frode.
— from The Danish History, Books I-IX by Grammaticus Saxo - Those who commissioned him had the right to overrule him, or even to revoke his commission.
— from The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Galatians by George G. (George Gillanders) Findlay - The king, solicited by the archbishop, granted a license to imprison the teacher of heresy, but the commons made the king revoke this act as illegal.
— from Fox's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe - I protest against this proceeding as a conspiracy, and I—I revoke my intended forgiveness of the person who was once my son!"
— from Lady Audley's Secret by M. E. Braddon - For Heaven's sake, sir, revoke your warrant, and do not send her to a place which must unavoidably prove her destruction.”
— from History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding