Original artwork, not a still
Samson Agonistes · 1671
O dearly-bought revenge, yet glorious!
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The exclamation places the cost of revenge beside the glory claimed for it, allowing neither judgment to erase the other. Dearly bought acknowledges a serious price, while yet insists that admiration remains possible. The tension between those assessments gives the brief line its force.
Context reviewed
