Forgiveness: Difference between revisions

** Alfred Lord Tennyson did a poem "The Voyage of Maeldune" on it. The hermit cites the [[Cycle of Revenge]] for why he should give it up.

* In [[Rick Cook]]'s ''[[Limbo System]]'', when humans are held prisoner by aliens, the priest among them discusses philosophy with prisoner aliens. At one point, he says that people must especially love those who have wronged them, and an alien is delighted with the concept: by loving them, you have freed yourself from bondage to them.

* In [[John C. Wright]]'s ''[[Chronicles of Chaos|Titans of Chaos]]'', Amelia is told to speak the word and the universe will be destroyed in [[Revenge]] for her killing. It is, it turns out, a [[Secret Test of Character]]; when she does not speak, they proclaim she forgives her killers and shows that a human can make correct moral judgments. Later, Quentin manages to nullify a [[Curse]] against him for killing Lamia by forgiving her for the injuries she did him.

* ''[[Harry Potter]]'': this is Dumbledore's specialty. Other characters even accuse him of being too willing to forgive. Justified by his backstory revealed in ''[[Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows]]''.

* ''[[Someone Else's War|Someone Elses War]]'': A Muslim boy living in a landlocked country where Christian extremists reign supreme. He loses his entire family and most of his friends to the war. And still he learns how to forgive the people who took them away.

 

* The recurring theme in ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined]]'' is that the cycle of revenge between man and machine is perpetuated because neither is capable of forgiveness, season 4 seems to be building up to an alliance between humans and rebel Cylons that ''may'' be capable of breaking the cycle. As of the end of the series {{spoiler|Roslin forgives Baltar and lets him live (and keeps his terrible secret, no less). Not only does it help her heal emotionally, it also helped cement the rebel Cylon/Colonial alliance and ensure their mutual survival. So all in all, aesop 1 and bullet point 1. Which is surprising considering the tone of the series.}}

* This is shown fully in the end of series 3 of the new ''[[Doctor Who]]''. After being imprisoned, humiliated and tormented for a year, not to mention seeing {{spoiler|the Earth decimated (literally), the Doctor disarms the Master, corners him and says that the Master knows what happens now. He says "I forgive you"}}.

* "The Heart of the Matter" by Don Henley.

 

* In [[Dorothy L. Sayers]]' ''The Emperor Constantine'', Constantine discusses with his mother how he had pardoned but not forgiven his enemies before. He realizes that he may not pardon his wife's treachery, but he must forgive her.