Introduction

It is 44 BC, and a dictator, Julius Caesar, is stabbed to death as a result of a conspiracy about power hunger. A few centuries later, it is 1808, and they’re random executions of the Spanish citizenry resulting from fighting in the Puerto Del Sol area of Madrid. Skip a few more years and Hitler is leading a genocide killing six million European Jews during World War II. Now, it’s 2011, and the United States Army troops gun down an innocent, defenseless woman in order to kill Osama Bin Laden. Even in the Bible, a heroine, Judith, actively murders a powerful general in order to save her village. Throughout history, murder has been presented under many different scenarios. However, the same question arises; whether these acts are considered glorious or shameful? As a result, many renowned artists such as Gentileschi, Goya, Delacroix, and others have created artworks depicting their view upon murder. Although these artists come from different ages and display their art in many fashions, they send the same message; that murder isn’t glorious.