Was revenge justified ? Is revenge ever justified

It is
difficult to know if Montresor's revenge was justified because the reader doesn't exactly know
what he's avenging. All we know, and this from a rather unreliable narrator, is that at some
point Fortunato insulted him. What repercussions that had on him, his career or his family we
don't know. For all we know the insult could have ruined his life. That would perhaps make the
revenge more justified than what it seems on the surface. It is strange that Fortunato seems to
have no knowledge of the disservice he has done his friend. When they first meet in the story
Montresor states that he gave "Fortunato no cause to doubt my goodwill."

From whichever way one looks at it, Montresor's revenge on someone who at one point he
calls a "friend" seems unjustified. The reader even has to question Monstresor's
sanity. If what Fortunato did was that bad, why doesn't he contact the police or take legal
action against him? The choice he makes seems very extreme.

Whether revenge
is justified is a sensitive subject. The Old Testament, for example, has
the famous line about an eye for an eye, meaning people should be avenged in a way that is
similar to their evil deed. However, on the Sermon on the Mount in the New
Testament, Jesus rejects that idea and tells his followers they should turn the other
cheek.

For many, it probably depends on the severity of the crime or deed.
Many countries, for example, including some states in America, have capital punishment for
murder.

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