Jump to content
 Share

4 Comments

Recommended Comments

  • Site Moderator
drpaladin

drpaladin 114,693
Zorro+

Posted

  • Site Moderator

One should learn from mistakes, but spare no space for regrets.

  • Like 3
  • Wow 2
  • Popular Comment
Bill W

Bill W 63,475
Hot

Posted (edited)

  • Popular Comment

Regret comes from the Old French word regreter (to Lament, bewail, or long after), which combined the intensive prefix re- with greter, meaning "to weep'.  This -greter root traces back to the Proto-Germanic grētaną, meaning "to weep or cry," giving it the literal etymological sense of weeping over and over.  

According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the word "regret" entered the English language in two stages: As a verb: Recorded earliest around 1400 in the Middle English period (such as in the poem Pearl).  As a noun: Earliest evidence dates to the early 1500s, most notably appearing in the text Three Kings' Sons. 

Edited by Bill W
  • Like 6
  • Popular Comment
Bill W

Bill W 63,475
Hot

Posted (edited)

  • Popular Comment
Regret serves as a profound storytelling engine, transforming flawed protagonists into deeply relatable characters.  It functions as the ultimate catalyst for character growth, revealing a character's core values, and driving narrative tension by forcing them to reconcile past mistakes with future actions.

Storytellers use regret to accomplish several essential structural and emotional goals:  
Revealing Core Values: As behavioral scientists and psychologists note, our regrets reveal what we ultimately value. 
Boldness: Regretting missed chances highlights a desire for growth. 
Connection: Regretting broken relationships points directly to a need for love.  When a character fixates on a past misstep, the audience immediately understands what the character holds most dear. 

The Bridge to Character Growth: A character who never looks back is stagnant.  Regret forces a character to perform a form of mental time travel, revisiting a pivotal fork in the road and wishing they had chosen differently.  When confronted properly, this pain transforms into an engine for progress.  It shifts a character from passively accepting their circumstances to actively seeking redemption or making better, more deliberate choices. 

Creating Narrative Stakes: Regret builds intense emotional stakes through "counterfactual thinking"—the "what if" scenarios that haunt a protagonist.  Whether it is a sin of commission (doing the wrong thing) or a sin of omission (failing to act), these lingering feelings create a powerful conversation between who the character was and who they are trying to become. It keeps the audience hooked, wondering if the character can finally overcome their demons. 

Creating the "Ghost": In character development, the "ghost" or "wound" is the emotional trauma from the protagonist's past that dictates their current fears and flaws.  Regret is often the active symptom of this wound.  By forcing the character to confront their painful past rather than ignore it, the story allows the protagonist to learn, forgive themselves, and ultimately move forward. 
Edited by Bill W
  • Like 7

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...