My God, What Have I Done?: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{cleanup|This trope's definition is muddled; the main text and example listings can't seem to agree on what constitutes this trope.}}
[[File:Ivan_the_Terrible_%26_son_-_detail.jpg|thumb|link=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ivan_the_Terrible_%26_son_-_detail.jpg|Ivan the Terrible, having just murdered his son in the heat of the moment.]]
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which an age of prudence can never retract."''|'''[[T. S. Eliot]]''', ''[[The Waste Land]]''}}
The character, usually an [[Anti-Villain]] or [[Tragic Hero]], comes to this realization after the damage has been done. Sometimes this damage is irreparable; a loved one may be killed in the crossfire, for instance. The character may also discover too late that that which he longs to destroy and that which he wants to protect are, in fact, [[Dramatic Irony|one and the same]].
Usually delivered dramatically, sometimes, [[Narm|well, over-the-top.]] A villain might utter this line if they're about to take the [[Last Second Chance]]. Or a hero after being freed from [[The Virus]], being [[Brainwashed and Crazy]], or a [[Super-Powered Evil Side]].
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