Why do we say "Hell have no fury like a woman scorned"?

Well-Known Expressions

Hell have no fury like a woman scorned

Meaning:

A woman rejected by her lover is liable to seek revenge on him

Background:

This expression is often attributed to late 17th century English dramatist William Congreve (see below), but the concept of the vengeful scorned woman dates back at least as far as 400 BC as seen in Euripides' most famous play, Medea. Medea, betrayed by her husband who she sacrificed everything for, unleashes a horrific vengeance on her enemies, making both assassins and victims of her own children.

It would also seem that the concept of the vengeful woman was common in earlier writing, such as in the Jacobean play The Knight of Malta (1625): "The wages of scorn'd Love is baneful hate."


William Congreve, in The Mourning Bride, 1697:

As you'll answer it, take heed
This Slave commit no Violence upon
Himself. I've been deceiv'd. The Publick Safety
Requires he should be more confin'd; and none,
No not the Princes self, permitted to
Confer with him. I'll quit you to the King.
Vile and ingrate! too late thou shalt repent
The base Injustice thou hast done my Love:
Yes, thou shalt know, spite of thy past Distress,
And all those Ills which thou so long hast mourn'd;
Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd,
Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd.

More expressions and their source

Challenge yourself with BookBrowse Wordplays

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
The Ghostwriter
by Julie Clark
From the instant New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight and The Lies I Tell comes a dazzling new thriller.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The Whyte Python World Tour
    by Travis Kennedy

    Rikki Thunder, drummer for '80s metal band Whyte Python, is on the verge of fame, love—and a spy mission he didn’t expect.

  • Book Jacket

    Angelica
    by Molly Beer

    A women-centric view of revolution through the life of Angelica Schuyler Church, Alexander Hamilton's influential sister-in-law.

  • Book Jacket

    The Original
    by Nell Stevens

    In a grand English country house in 1899, an aspiring art forger must unravel whether the man claiming to be her long-lost cousin is an impostor.

Who Said...

The less we know, the longer our explanations.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

E H L the B

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.