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Top 10 Shakespeare Villains
http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-greatest-shakespeare-villains.php
This list gets originality points for Iago coming in at #3, Claudius at #5 and Edmund #8. Guess who #1 and # 2 are?
Monday, September 08, 2008
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3 comments:
Interesting list. But I totally disagree. I mean seriously, Richard II ahead of Edmund? No goddam way.
Iago and Edmund are one-two with Richard III pulling in third, on my list.
The "villains" from Titus Andronicus aren't developed as characters, they don't plot and scheme, and we don't follow their thought processes. They're poor candidates -- villainy isn't just a matter of a body count.
We aren't horrified by villainy unless we can identify with the villain in at least some way; part of what appalls us about a villain is the realization that we too are capable of evil. Edmund would be at the top of my list.
I think you're both right, the ordering is all off. Seems like the writer went more for the "villain = gory axe murderer sort" connection. I liked the list exactly for that reason, it didn't provide the same list we always see with Edmund and Iago at the top.
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