Villains in Shakespeare
When reading a story, people tend to identify with the hero. They like to think of themselves as heroes in their own lives and the success of a hero in a story makes them feel better about their chances of success in their own lives. However, a hero is only as great as the obstacle he can overcome. The obstacle can be a natural disaster or even a wild animal but it is a human villain who himself develops and changes as the story unfolds that can be the most challenging, and therefore interesting obstacle to overcome. In fact, it is the villain who makes the story exciting. What is a story without a villain? For example, what would the story of Cinderella be without the ever-present evil of Cinderella's wicked stepmother and stepsister's. And the ending of the story would be much less satisfying if the prince did not have to run all over town, shoe in hand to find his true love. We would never have come to know and love the seven dwarfs if Snow White wouldn't have been kicked out of the house by her jealous stepmother. It is the villain who moves and compels the story. It is the villain who provides the conflict that in turn sets the story into motion. As George W. Williams says of Iago "...The most energetic of the
" Once Iago obtains Desdemona's handkerchief, he gloats that Othello will "Burn like the mines of sulphur" (3. When Iago doesn't get the job that he thinks he deserves, he sets out to destroy Cassio, who did get the job, and Othello, who gave Cassio the job. To the Machiavellian mind of a villain, breaking people up into factions makes them easier pray. Villains are also inevitably forces of decay and instability. The antagonists set out to attain their goals. When something in the world causes discontent for a villain, he sets out to change the order of things, or at least make himself feel better (Geitzen, 2). " These words are a harbinger of the catastrophe that is to come. 43-46)Although Claudius admits his guilt, he is not truly penitent because he knows that he cannot be forgiven (Charney, 243). Villains understand this and know how to alter people's perception in a way that aids the villain (Geitzen, 4). Claudius poison's Hamlet's wine in case he should win at fencing; Iago turns Cassio's promotion into a weapon against him.
Common topics in this essay:
Denmark Claudius,
Denmark Secondly,
Iago Claudius,
Claudius Iago,
,
Othello Burn,
Nevertheless Claudius',
Hamlet Coe,
Gertrude Hamlet,
Othello Desdemona's,
geitzen 2,
claudius iago,
geitzen 3,
desdemona's infidelity,
kill cassio,
roderigo kill cassio,
natural causes,
3 villains,
obstacle overcome,
mere playthings,
cassio job,
geitzen 2 iago,
geitzen 3 villains,
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Acceptance Essays
