Introduction

Shao Kang is well known as the Chinese Hamlet, though this is a bit of a misnomer because our tale today is no tragedy. We'll cover his life and struggle to avenge his humiliated and defeated family. This legendary tale shares many aspects with revenge stories throughout time. The subsequent god-induced madness wrought on the tragic Greek hero Orestes really aren't all that surprising. After all, there are few emotions so ancient and quintessentially human as the drive for revenge.