(403 words) Blood feud is one of the most ancient customs that appeared in human society. It constitutes a mandatory retribution, which must be carried out in relation to the person who committed the murder of one of the family members (tribe or clan), but in some cases it was replaced by a ransom. At the moment, this tradition is a relic of the past, but once it was a real scourge, leading to the destruction of entire genera. Therefore, this problem has been described by many writers.
So, one of the wonderful examples of the tragedy that is being played out because of blood feud is the imperishable play of William Shakespeare “Romeo and Juliet”. The action takes place in Italy, where hostility erupts with renewed vigor between two noble families - Capulet and Montecchi. Romeo falls in love with young Juliet, and they find themselves in a hopeless situation. They are separated by an abyss, which they cannot overcome, while they want to give Juliet to marry a man she does not like. The girl wants to poison herself, but, convinced by the holy father of Lorenzo, drinks sleeping pills, and the priest prepares the escape of her lovers, sending a messenger with the message of Romeo, but he does not receive the news because of the plague epidemic. As a result, the young man poisons himself over the body of his beloved, not knowing that she is sleeping, and the girl, waking up, stabs herself, mad with grief. Blood feud between families was stopped only after the death of their children - and William Shakespeare focuses on this, showing all the horror, bloody trail stretching for revenge.
In Russia, the concept of blood feud has existed since ancient times, and quite early on such a principle as "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" was offered such an alternative as a ransom for a killed or mutilated family member. For example, Tsar Ivan the Terrible in the work of M.Yu. Lermontov's “Song of the Merchant Kalashnikov” agrees to support the family of the merchant, whom he executed for breaking the law. In a fist fight, which was organized for fun, Kalashnikov killed Kiribeevich, who was the ruler’s favorite warrior. He took revenge for the fact that the hero disgraced his wife, pestering her on the street. But the culprit did not give the king the reasons for his act. Then Ivan the Terrible was forced to execute him in order to stop the cycle of revenge. However, by his example, Vladyka showed how a person should behave according to the law. Even Yaroslav the Wise abolished blood feud and imposed a fine for those who mutilated or killed a representative of another family. Therefore, the hero gives Alyona Dmitrievna and her children lifelong security, making amends for them.
Blood feud is a terrible custom, which is based on the right of revenge, belonging to the relatives of the injured or killed person. Artists have repeatedly turned to this topic, trying to show how terrible the consequences it carries. Blood feud remained the rudiment of his era, so it is not in any civilized country.
