Kreader Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Ah, but is he a villain? The matter is far from decided; I should know as I'm currently in the midst of writing an essay on the subject. Shylock is a usurer because Christian society won't allow him a more dignifid profession, he has spent all his life being spat upon, called names, discriminated against in every possible way - such treatment would hardly make anyone into a saint, in my opinion. I don't go the full length of some critics and class him as a wronged hero; undoubtedly by the end he's lost all proper sense of right and wrong, but to class him as a clear cut villain is I think also inappropriate. Personally I like to think of him as someone who was made into a villain - more or less like Mary Shelley's Creature from "Frankenstein", the only difference is that in Merchant the side the author is on is less explicit. Someone once said that in a good play, everyone is in the right. Or, as Merchant proves, in the wrong (the added cast of backstabbing, forunehunting, intolerant, misoginistic Venetians isn't exactly in the right, either). Such is the genius of Shakespeare. That's what makes him so good. Nothing is clear cut. Being bad isn't just purely horrid. It can be an average person having a bad day or being disrepected. He just went a little over board with his anger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atticjnr Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 To me, he didn't seem as a villian for some reason. Vanity was the real villian in my opinion, I loved Dorian. Its got to be Draco Malfoy from HP books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 That's what makes him so good. Nothing is clear cut. Being bad isn't just purely horrid. It can be an average person having a bad day or being disrepected. He just went a little over board with his anger. Undoubtedly that's what so good about Shakespearean ethics, they're never black and white, thus forcing you to think for yourself. Having thought for myself however, I personally find the Venetians in TMV 100 more villainously despiseable - they're the baddies as far as I'm concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissWhitlock Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Umbridge! She ruined my favourite book (OotP) as I just wanted to constantly slap her. I wanted to constantly shake her and...punch her stupid...simpering..toadlike face of hers. Grr. Anyways, I would also like to punch Greyback from the HP books. He was one disgusting weirdo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimitra Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I wanted to constantly shake her and...punch her stupid...simpering..toadlike face of hers. Grr. I totally agree with you. I thought that Umbrigde was a I have the same feelings for Mrs.Norris from Mansfield Park Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawr Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Umbridge is a definitely class A jerk i agree. I love how McGonagall dealt with her whilst her class was being inspected Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Mines Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Iago from Othello - he's a fantastic villain! Precisely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christie Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 My favourite villains... Lestat number one he is so naughty but so nice! One villainess which I also love if Annie Wilkes from Misery! She is scary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Readwine Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Uriah Heep from David Copperfield - nasty little creature Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanna Addison Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 My favourite fictional villains. Count Dracula - he is awfully wicked! Fagin - Oliver Twist (he is the true villain as he is the one that trains boys to steal and has young girls as prostitutes, Nancy was one of his girls before she lived with Bill Sykes! Also he almost encourages Bill to kill Nancy just to protect himself!) Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix LeStrange, Voldemort - I really love to read these characters. Bellatrix particularly. She's crazy! The White Witch - Delightfully evil. Torak - David Eddings, the evil God in Belgariad series. Sexy and evil! Grima Wormtongue, Saruman, Denethor - I am surprised this trio hasn't been mentioned. I find Grima particularly fascinating! Oh and I love one of my own created Villains but wish not to name him ... lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 For a really nasty piece of work how about a sorceror (for want of a better term) that consumes other people's bodies by being in their presence and keeps the company of snake-like creatures made from his own feces and semen? He's called Kissoon and can be found in The Great And Secret Show and it's sequel, Everville, by Clive Barker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCee Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 How about Gollum? I remember hating him, especially in The Hobbit. I felt sorry for him in LOTR, at least until the spider's lair. Creepy, creepy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadya Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I agree with some of the posts here. Umbridge is from Harry Potter, right? If she is, she's definitely one, I read Harry Potter to my daughter mostly, sometimes my son listened too. My children are huge Harry Potter fans. In Holland I think she is called Omber,but I'm not sure about that. It's been a while. In about two weeks, I'm taking them to watch the latest Harry Potter movie. They are so excited about it! Bill Sykes too, as some have mentioned already. For Gollum I started to feel sorry, the further the story advanced, but then he did a few nasty things to make me hate him again. There were more villains in LOTR which I disliked, amongst whom were Saruman and Sauron. I also didn't like Melkor (Morgoth) from the Silmarillion. I don't like Becky Sharpe either, but she seemed a little less annoying in the movie than she was in the book. I didn't like the Dracula from some of the books I've read, for example, 'The Historian', but there are stories and movies where I did feel sorry for him. Same goes for vampires. I'm going to read a few more books about Dracula and vampires, but I'm not interested in reading every book about them. So I might find one which I also dislike in the few books I will read about them. I also hate husbands who abuse their wives mentally and/or physically in one way or another, in any book. General Woundwort from 'Watership Down' by Richard Adams. The phantom in 'The Phantom of the Opera' by Gaston Leroux, was very dislikeable, in the musical and some movies, he was more kind though and I felt sorry for him, but not in the book, he had a much more nasty character in the book. Most Nazi's in World War II related books. Can't think of any right now, but I'm sure there are more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbielleRose Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 One of my favourite villians is The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (also known as Elphaba in Wicked, though she is more the herione of that particular book). Her role is iconic and has been portrayed and created more times over than most other villians or characters in general ever will be. Another great one who always makes me smile in that 'awkward reading' sort of way is Mr. Wickham from Pride and Prejudice. He is one of those characters that just makes you cringe whenever his parts come up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffin Nail Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 Begbie in Trainspotting and Porno--Irvine Welsh. I can't remember another character that I found so terrifying. Iago is my favourite Shakespeare baddie. Really glad this thread got bumped up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luthien Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 Certainly Dolores Umbridge. And Gollum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimmy619 Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 One of my favourite villians is The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (also known as Elphaba in Wicked, though she is more the herione of that particular book). Her role is iconic and has been portrayed and created more times over than most other villians or characters in general ever will be. Another great one who always makes me smile in that 'awkward reading' sort of way is Mr. Wickham from Pride and Prejudice. He is one of those characters that just makes you cringe whenever his parts come up! I totally agree with Mr Wickham, he comes accross as nice to start with and then he goes all nasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola Booth Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 Snape, Harry Potter Books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffin Nail Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 Mrs Danvers from Rebecca. Very chilling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirinrob Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 Interesting, how many 'villains' are truly villain. Also how may 'innocents' are truly innocent. Who tells the truth and who lies? We all lie and tell the truth. Discerning the difference is a gift you have or you don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eck Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 The nice elderly couple next door from Rosmary's baby. Napoleon-Animal farm. Lady McBeth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nienna Posted April 13, 2010 Share Posted April 13, 2010 Mrs. Coulter from the His Dark Materials trilogy. And how could we miss Heathcliff! Certainly a character you're meant to genuinely love and hate at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 (edited) My first thought was the clown/monster from IT by Stephen King... but not really sure if that counts as a villain. I also thought of Obadiah Hakeswill from the Sharpe series, such an evil character that you just love to hate. Most of my classic literature is on my TBR pile so I can't make suggestions from them but I am sure there are tonnes. Edited June 14, 2012 by Timstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Topics merged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessi Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Certainly Dolores Umbridge. And Gollum. Both of these - especially Gollum!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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