Favorite Shakespearean Villain?

[riptide]

I know that given Shakespeare's brilliance for characterization the term "villain" is a bit of an oversimplification, but I can't resist. They're just so fricking cool.

[Coldfire]

I've only read A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and I am currently reading Othello for school. I like Iago

[wahrman]

Richard III

[MyrddinsPrecint]

Puck.

; )


(i may be biased.)

[Phaeton]

Richard III hands down. Iago pulling up in a close second and while not a villain per say Petruchio is highly amusing.

[scrapinpeg]

Can't say I'm familiar enough with Shakespeare. I've seen Hamlet with Mel Gibson, and Twelfth Night with Jimmy Smits and Julia Stiles, and Othello with Laurence Fishburne. Of those, I guess the most enjoyable villain was Iago.

Oh yeah, I also saw Titus with Anthony Hopkins, where the real villain appears to be the Bard of Avon himself. Not his best work.

[Angwilwileth]

Brutus

Because he's so conflicted.

[MessiahFencing]

Only read Romeo, Twelfth ( Best One ever ), and Midsummer.

Malvolio is by far the coolest. Who else gets addressed with a :

How now malvolio?


Oh, and what's with these forums and Shakespeare, I know fencers are smart

but like ive seen alot of people with 12th night or other shakespeare quotes in their sigs..

[telkanuru]

Well,

My knee-jerk reaction is for Don John the BASTARD, just, well, because I get to say Don John the BASTARD. Because he really is a BASTARD. It's right in the book. Don John the BASTARD.

Anyway.

Iago is really kinda fun, Richard III depends entirely on which actor is portraying him (I really liked Ian McKellen), and, even if he is the protagonist, I <3 Titus Andronicus.

Entirely too dorky on this subject btw.

[Sabresque]

Richard the Third... wooooeeeey

"Was ever woman in this humor wooed?
Was ever woman in this humor won
I'll have her, but I will not keep her long.
What? I that killed her husband and his
to take her in her heart's extremest hate,
with curses in her mouth, tears in her eyes,
the bleeding witness of my hatred by,
having God, her conscience, and these bars against me,
and I no friends to back my suit at all
but the plain devil and dissembling looks?
And yet to win her! All the world to nothing!
Ha!
Hath she forgot already that brave prince,
Edward, her lord, whom I, some three months since,
stabbed in my angry mood at Tewksbury?
A sweeter and a lovelier gentleman,
framed in the prodigality of nature -
young, valiant, wise, and (no doubt) right royal -
the spacious world cannot again afford;
and will she yet abase her eyes on me,
that cropped the golden prime of this sweet prince
and made her widow to a woeful bed?
On me, whose all not equals Edward's moiety?
On me, that halts and am misshapen thus?
My dukedom to a beggarly denier,
I do mistake my person all this while!
Upon my life, she finds (although I cannot)
myself to be a marv'llous proper man.
I'll be at charges for a looking-glass
and entertain a score or two of tailors
to study fashions to adorn my body:
since I am crept in favor with myself,
I will maintain it with some little cost. [Ross, note 16]
But first I'll turn yon fellow in his grave,
and then return lamenting to my love. "

[telkanuru]

But he's not a BASTARD, like Don John. Who, if I mentioned, was a BASTARD. I do not intend BASTARD in the common sense, but BASTARD in the traditional, a man with improper parents. And since Don John the BASTARD is in fact a proper BASTARD, I could say BASTARD all I wanted to my uptight 9th grade english teacher when we were discussing the BASTARD, and really, that BASTARD made it possible for me to have fun in that class. What a BASTARD.

[Inquartata]

Either the Duke of Cornwall from King Lear, or Mac---er, the Scottish guy. Probably the latter; I mean, if your very name becomes a curse of bad luck, you've got to be pretty bad.

I never really understood Iago as a villain. He just seems to be a sociopath, with no real reason for his depredations. I like to be able to see why a fellow is evil.

[telkanuru]

I was pretty sure it was envy...

I always viewed othello as a better written Titus Andronicus, really.

[Coldfire]

Originally Posted by Inquartata

I never really understood Iago as a villain. He just seems to be a sociopath, with no real reason for his depredations. I like to be able to see why a fellow is evil.

Well he appears to just be evil for the sake of being evil but as Telkanuru said he is jealous of Cassio for getting promoted, and there were unfounded rumours that Othello slept with his wife. Not exactly grounds for how far he goes (I haven't finiiahed it yet so don't ruin it!) but certainly its not pure malice. Still I like the way he manipulates everyone. Very cunning.

[Westley]

Totally Darth Vader, man.