How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"You should kill that brute," I finally said, long after Balkhi had disappeared and my knees had ceased trembling. "Poison him; pay a soldier to slay him in battle. I don't care how you do it, but do something."
"One can't murder, Jahanara, and be righteous. I'm not of that make. Nor will I live in that world."
[…]
"When Father departs this life," I said, "whether in two years or twenty, Aurangzeb shall kill us. We'll die and our children will die and his claim to the throne will be complete." (7.48-52)
So here's the difference between Aurangzeb and Jahanara (and Dara, for that matter): Aurangzeb threatens violence and death because he feels threatened by his siblings. Whether that threat is purely a perceived one doesn't really matter, because he's a man of action. Jahanara, on the other hand, craves a violent solution because she doesn't see any alternative. For her, it's a matter of self-defense. Dara, however, doesn't support any form of violence, and he ends up paying the consequences.
Quote #5
"Stop worrying. While he spends his next life slithering through offal, we'll drink wine and live decadently." (10.41-46)
Now that's a proper revenge: silent, insidious, but aggravating. Ladli is drastically underappreciated for her wit, in our opinion.
Quote #6
"Did you know, Khondamir," I hissed, "that Arjumand isn't of your blood?" His face whitened and I continued relentlessly. "You think that twig of yours could ever lay but dead seeds? Do you—"
He screamed, his blow coming so fast that I had no time to react. It further split my lip and I fell. Aurangzeb cursed, throwing Khondamir from me. Yet I was unfinished.
"How I laughed when you were upon me," I raged, spitting blood. "I imagined you as a goat and found the image quite pleasing!" (17.102)
First of all—dude. She's saying all of this in front of her poor dad. Oversharing, much? Anyway, moving on. Jahanara is pretty dang smart, and she knows exactly where to deliver her emotional blows—basically, right where it hurts the most. She can't fight back the way the men do, so she's clever enough to verbally stab them in the heart. While this is good for her emotional catharsis, though, it's not so smart in the long run. It just makes the men hate her and seek their revenge even more.