# Revenge explained — Poetry > Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce. ## What happens A spitcat and a snapdog confront each other in a darkly comic poem. The cat accuses the dog of stealing a kitten's catgut string (the note 'E') for his fiddle, and her vengeful shriek is so powerful it cracks tombs and sends missiles flying. The dog is left blind, wearing a placard that declares his condition. ## Themes in this chapter ### Justice and Revenge The cat's retaliation for the theft of the kitten's string escalates into a violent, almost cosmic revenge, leaving the dog permanently blind. ### Art and Criticism The dog's use of a stolen catgut string for his fiddle raises questions about the ethics of artistic creation and the materials it appropriates. ## Character check-ins ### Spitcat The vengeful cat who accuses the dog of stealing a kitten's catgut string and unleashes a destructive shriek. ### Snapdog The dog who carries a fiddle-string and is blinded by the cat's revenge. ## Key lines > A spitcat sate on a garden gate And a snapdog fared beneath; Careless and free was his mien, and he Held a fiddle-string in his teeth. A cat sat on a gate while a dog walked below, looking carefree and holding a fiddle-string in his mouth. _Introduces the two main characters and the object of contention._ > But that dog has trifled with art and rifled A kitten of mine, ah me! That catgut slim was marauded from him: ’Tis the string that men call E. The cat accuses the dog of stealing a kitten's catgut string, which musicians call the note E. _Reveals the motive for revenge: the theft of a kitten's gut for artistic use._ > Then she sounded high, in the key of Y, A note that cracked the tombs; And the missiles through the firmament flew From adjacent sleeping-rooms. She shrieked so loudly in the key of Y that it cracked graves and sent objects flying from nearby bedrooms. _Describes the destructive power of the cat's vengeful cry._ > And that snapdog wears a placard that bears The inscription: 'Blind from birth.' The dog now wears a sign that says he was born blind. _The ironic outcome: the dog is permanently blinded, and the placard falsely claims it was congenital._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters/revenge - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters