Shakespeare is widely known for his spectacular characters. As a general rule, each play's characters cover the wide range of the human spectrum. These include characters such as Falstaff, Romeo, King Lear, Titus Andronicus, Richard III, and so on. The villains range in emotion from the most evil and vile person ever put on the face of the earth to the guy who just wants a little attention and the kingdom. There are no real heroes of Shakespeare's tragedies and histories. There is only the anti-villain. This is the person who is more than likely not considered a hero by definition's terms; however, this person tries their hardest to foil the plots of the villain. Typically, the anti-villain comes in at the last moment of the play and only makes matters worse.
             The anti-villains are vast and numerous. At the same time, they are hard to locate. In the tragedy plays, it is hard to discern betwixt the two. For instance, in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, one might say that Romeo is the anti-villain. However, how can he be the anti-villain if he provoked a fight with Tybalt and killed him? Was it justified because of the death of Mercutio? It all relates to aesthetics and one's own definition of ethics.
             The villains are more easily recognized. A villain, by definition, is one who lies and cheats to get his or her own way. The plays of Shakespeare are set up so that within
             the first few scenes of the play, the villain has already had someone killed or revealed his plot to the audience. Villains of Shakespeare include Richard III, Tybalt, Brutus, Macbeth, and Lady Macbeth. Shakespeare also tends to mimic his villains after real-life scoundrels. This makes them larger than life and appear even more villainous to the audience. Perhaps Shakespeare practiced scare tactics even in those early years of England.
             Old, fat, lazy, selfish, dishonest, corrupt, thieving, manipulative, boastful, a...