This study of Shakespeare's treatment of revenge differs from earlier work on the topic by its emphasis on the psychology of revenge and, in particular, the relationship of revenge to the experience of victimization.

While much critical writing on the theme has assumed that dramatic revengers reflect mental imbalance and are condemned for moral and civil offenses, this study treats revenge primarily as a strategy (among other strategies) by which victims of malicious injury strive to restore personal integrity and recover from feelings of powerlessness, violation, and injustice. It bases its discussions of Shakespeare's characters on Renaissance theories about the proper and beneficial role of the passions, from Aristotle and Aquinas through to Francis Bacon, Niccolo Machiavelli, Peter de la Primaudaye, Nicholas Coeffeteau, Robert Burton, Thomas Wright, and Edward Reynolds.

It also identifies Renaissance ideas about vindictiveness, a condition of chronic revengefulness grounded in envy, excessive pride, resentment, and self-hate.