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
My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen. (3.3.53-55) Nevertheless, Claudius' admission of his guilt, even if it is only to himself, and the obvious difficulty he has in living with feelings, make him more human. Although Claudius admits his guilt, he is not truly penitent because he knows that he cannot be forgiven (Charney, 243).
Some common words found in the essay are:
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,
Approximate Word count = 2204
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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