Retribution
What Retribution means in English Literature A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definition of Retribution
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Retribution in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
Asks whether suffering repays harm, and must be distinguished from punishment, which asks what a society does with an offender.
Topics that use Retribution
- Elements of crime writing (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Ambiguity and unresolved endings
- Betrayal
- Class and social voice
- Closure and resolution
- Crime across literary periods
- Crime as narrative driver
- Crime as social critique
- Elements
Using Retribution in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
Practise English Literature questions
Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge