Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Villains to Know



Knowing the villains of literature is part of a sound preparation for survival. Those memories provide an internal alarm which can sound an alert if we encounter such characters in real life. A few to keep in mind:
  • Iago from Othello
  • Becky Sharp from Vanity Fair
  • Lady Macbeth and Macbeth from Macbeth
  • Uriah Heep from David Copperfield
  • Blue Duck from Lonesome Dove
  • Bill Sykes from Oliver Twist
  • Mr. Kurtz from Heart of Darkness
  • Madame DeFarge from A Tale of Two Cities
  • Long John Silver from Treasure Island
  • Napoleon from Animal Farm
  • Richard III from Richard III
  • Alfred Jingle from The Pickwick Papers
As the above list indicates, Shakespeare and Dickens knew their villains.

Are there any you'd like to add?

2 comments:

Dan in Philly said...

Speaking of Shakespeare, I think Crasius is a wonderful character. Kind of like Iago, he warps the good in Brutus for his own purposes and petty hurts, initiating all of the horror and action to come.

Michael Wade said...

Daniel,

You're right. I should have included Cassius. He's such a weasel.

Michael