How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
I start to speak, but Rurayya interrupts me. "Why is he so cruel, Jaha?"
How many times have I pondered this question? A hundred? A thousand?
"The Emperor," I reply, still somewhat unsure of the answer, "always felt unloved. He was mistaken, but that didn't matter, for when you deem yourself unloved your world is quite cold. At first there's jealousy, then bitterness, then hate. And hatred soured Alamgir's heart." (Part I.21)
And as we all know, hatred goes hand in hand with seeking revenge against those who have seemingly wronged you, right? Well, at least in the case of literary villains it does. We don't know many people who've actually sought revenge in real life…we don't think…
Quote #2
Shrieking in rage, I swung my fist as I'd seen fighting men do. I aimed for his nose, but he twisted quickly and I managed only to strike the side of his cheek. A copper ring on my thumb opened a cut under his eye. When a drop of blood tumbled down his face and fell into the water, he slapped me. The blow was loud and a few women looked at us from the shore.
Aurangzeb's lips drew back to reveal his teeth. "You'll regret that," he promised, quoting a verse from the Qur'an that spoke of vengeance. (2.95)
Some people have an amazing capacity for holding on to rage. In Aurangzeb's case, he never lets a slight against him go unpunished, and that spells major trouble for Jahanara. Can you imagine having a sibling like that?
Quote #3
Balkhi laughed at my frailty. "Unwise, so unwise to spit at him. He—"
"Hold your tongue," Dara demanded, his voice lacking vigor.
Balkhi fingered the hilt of the sword. "The weakling on the throne won't live forever. And when he dies, I'll use the gelding blade on you both. I'll use it slowly." The warrior spat at my feet and walked away.
If my brother were a warrior, he might have killed Balkhi then. If I were a man, I'd have tried, for I understood the peril I faced. Aurangzeb's honor was slighted today, and he would not rest until I suffered. Alas, Dara remained still. And I was no man. (7.44)
Balkhi and Aurangzeb are both pretty big on making threats of revenge. "You'll regret that"? "When your dad dies, I'll get you"? Sheesh. It's like no one taught these fools how to secretly plot revenge, like smart people do.
Quote #4
"You should kill that brute," I finally said, long after Balkhi had disappeared and my knees had ceased trembling. "Poison him; pay a soldier to slay him in battle. I don't care how you do it, but do something."
"One can't murder, Jahanara, and be righteous. I'm not of that make. Nor will I live in that world."
[…]
"When Father departs this life," I said, "whether in two years or twenty, Aurangzeb shall kill us. We'll die and our children will die and his claim to the throne will be complete." (7.48-52)
So here's the difference between Aurangzeb and Jahanara (and Dara, for that matter): Aurangzeb threatens violence and death because he feels threatened by his siblings. Whether that threat is purely a perceived one doesn't really matter, because he's a man of action. Jahanara, on the other hand, craves a violent solution because she doesn't see any alternative. For her, it's a matter of self-defense. Dara, however, doesn't support any form of violence, and he ends up paying the consequences.
Quote #5
"Stop worrying. While he spends his next life slithering through offal, we'll drink wine and live decadently." (10.41-46)
Now that's a proper revenge: silent, insidious, but aggravating. Ladli is drastically underappreciated for her wit, in our opinion.
Quote #6
"Did you know, Khondamir," I hissed, "that Arjumand isn't of your blood?" His face whitened and I continued relentlessly. "You think that twig of yours could ever lay but dead seeds? Do you—"
He screamed, his blow coming so fast that I had no time to react. It further split my lip and I fell. Aurangzeb cursed, throwing Khondamir from me. Yet I was unfinished.
"How I laughed when you were upon me," I raged, spitting blood. "I imagined you as a goat and found the image quite pleasing!" (17.102)
First of all—dude. She's saying all of this in front of her poor dad. Oversharing, much? Anyway, moving on. Jahanara is pretty dang smart, and she knows exactly where to deliver her emotional blows—basically, right where it hurts the most. She can't fight back the way the men do, so she's clever enough to verbally stab them in the heart. While this is good for her emotional catharsis, though, it's not so smart in the long run. It just makes the men hate her and seek their revenge even more.
Quote #7
Two weeks into our imprisonment, perhaps a little more, Aurangzeb revisited our cell. He was upset, his mouth twitching with apprehension as he opened a sack and let a dead cobra fall to the floor. Shuddering, he kicked it toward me. Between his shouts, he hissed that it had been placed alive in his bed. The serpent's fangs had been removed and it couldn't bite him, but when Ladli's screams awoke him, he bellowed for his men to kill it. Though shocked by this revelation, I pretended to be pleased, as if the scare had been my doing. I quickly deduced that Ladli, quite incredibly, had set the serpent within her bed so that Aurangzeb would believe my warning and leave me in peace. (18.4)
Once again, a standing ovation for Ladli, please?
Quote #8
"Remember, whore, your last words to me?" I nodded as his hand fell to my breasts. He pinched my nipples until I couldn't help but cry out. I wept now. "You told me of your lover, whom I'll surely kill, and you mocked my manhood. Do you mock me now?" he asked, exposing himself. I shook my head, but it mattered little. His rage was insatiable. "You should never have returned, but how glad I am that you did! Because tonight I'll have my revenge." His breath, fouled with liquor, cascaded over me. "Now stand like a b**** in heat, for that's what you surely are." (22.66)
Aaaaaaand here comes Khondamir's revenge for Jahanara's outburst earlier. We all knew he was going to have to do something. And this is as foul and awful as we suspected it might be.
Quote #9
"You're no woman, sinner, but a thing that crawls into men's hearts and eats away at our flesh. Such a thing doesn't deserve death, but life!" He knocked me from my knees and I fell backward. The guards then dragged Khondamir's remains away, and Aurangzeb stormed out of the cell with Ladli behind him.
Revenge was unlike what I had imagined. It didn't satisfy, nor did it please.
I felt only emptiness. (23.106-108)
So, right, Jahanara got her revenge on Khondamir—you could even call it justice—but we're doing the confused puppy head tilt at Aurangzeb leaving her alive. We understand the rationale behind it (he's making her live with the knowledge that her confession killed her "love"), but Aurangzeb's never been one for subtlety. What do you think? Was this out of character for him?
Quote #10
"Because revenge is hollow," I say. "I won and he lost. His empire crumbles, his people despise him and thoughts of assassins steal his sleep. He's grown weak in his hate and I've grown strong in my love." (25.51)
Throughout her trials and tribulations, Jahanara has learned the ultimate lesson about revenge: once you have it, you still feel bad. It turns out that the best revenge is learning how to move on and find happiness—which is exactly what Jahanara finally does.