Evaluating Villains in Texts: The Traditional ‘Evil and Devious’ Character

and that was all I cared about”.The use of the word “guest” sounds like he is the host and is there to look after Miranda, rather than be cruel to her, suggesting that he has no bad intentions and is therefore not cruel like other villains. The villainous character in “Wuthering Heights” is Heathcliff. He is described as a villain as he does have some qualities that would support this, for example his vengeful tendencies “I'm trying to settle how I shall pay Hindley back. I don't care how long I wait if I can only do it at last. I hope he will not die before I do! Heathcliff reveals he wants to take out revenge on Hindley and as this would cause harm to Hindley, Heathcliffs’ villainous side is revealed.

On the other hand he is also one of the most romantic characters in literature. He is cruel, vulgar, and egotistical, but his strong love for Catherine makes him seem more like a hero. It could be argued that Heathcliff loves strongly and hates strongly, he has some villainous qualities but some heroic ones also, which can also be linked to the character Othello in the play “Othello”, Othello's intense love and jealously for Desdemona results in him murdering her. Although Othello is thought of as a Hero at the beginning of the play, the manipulation of Iago turns Othello into a tragic hero, his flaw being his jealousy.

Shakespeare's Iago could be described as a villain as he is lacking a conscience, as he shows no remorse as he ruins the other characters lives. For example when the "ignorant, ill-suited" Cassio is given the

position he desires. Iago is consumed with envy and plots to steal the position he feels he most justly deserves. “One Michael Cassio ...

That never set a squadron in the field, Nor the devision of a battle knows”.Iago feels that Cassio does not hold the experience that he has and therefore doesn’t deserve his position. Iago deceives and murders to achieve his goals and his lack of conscience allows him to commit these acts. When Iago speaks one can point out his deceptive manner, Shakespeare has used Iago’s soliloquy in the play to reveal his thoughts, motives and state of mind at a certain point in the play. In Iagos first speech he reveals he wants to “abuse Othello’s ear” and “make women false”. When Iago directly informs the audience and admits his true intentions it reaffirms his position as the villain.

This can also be supported when Iago tricks Othello into believing that his own wife is having an affair, without any concrete proof. Iago tells Othello that his wife has given away his first gift to her, the handkerchief “such a handkerchief – I am sure it was your wife’s – did I today See Cassio wipe his beard with”. Othello is so caught up in Iago's lies that he refuses to believe Desdemona. Iago is the villain here as he is able to twist the mind of Othello using only his language. The deception by Iago is similar to the character Clegg in “The Collecter”.Clegg tells Miranda he will get her a doctor, “[I] told her I would never not get a doctor if she was really ill” however Clegg is suspicious and

doesn’t get her a doctor.

Clegg is similar to Iago in the sense they both use lies to benefit themselves, and both of their lies have resulted in the death of another character. In relation to the concept of a villain causing death is one of the clearest identifiers that somebody is a villain. Iago's taking of Emilia's live is also proof of his amorality. Iago sees his wife as an obstacle and a nuisance so he kills her. The woman falls; sure he hath killed his wife”. The idea that Iago is capable of murdering his own wife supports the fact that he is a villain as he is able of committing crimes and therefore has no conscience.

This again can be connected to Clegg as he lets Miranda die even though he claims to care for her and describes her as “the purpose of [his] life”. Iagos’ ability to say the right things at the right time is what makes him such a successful villain, as he can influence people any way he chooses. Shakespeare changes Iago’s language to suit different characters for example when he reveals to Brabantio that Othello has married Desdemona, Iago used quite a graphic language to provoke a response, “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe”. Iago uses sexual connotations to anger Brabantio, in hopes that he would punish Othello.

In contrast Iago uses much softer language when talking to Othello, “My lord, you know I love you” Iago feeds Othellos ego by seemly being a loyal friend. Images changing language helps him to manipulate each character differently by trying to satisfy their desires.

This is similar to the character Heathcliff in the novel ‘Wuthering Heights’ when he manipulates Isabella to marry him just so he could get back at Edgar “he wishes to provoke Edgar to desperation – he said he has married me on purpose to obtain power over him”. Isabella warns how people shouldn’t “put faith in a single word he speaks. He’s a lying fiend, a monster, and not a human being! ” Heathcliff has deceived Isabella and she describes him as a friend or villain because of his lies.

I could also be argued that nearer the end of ‘Othello’, Othello is also portrayed as a villain. The way he talks to Desdemona has changed greatly. At first he talks about her lovingly “but that I love the gentle Desdemona” but later on he becomes extremely dismissive of her, “I took you for that cunning whore of Venice”. Othello’s language becomes similar to that of Iago’s near the end of the play, as Iago also uses derogatory terms to address Emilia. Othello doesn’t believe that Desdemona is innocent and murders her, supporting the idea that he has become a villain; however he does regret it after and mourns after Desdemona “Roast me in sulphur!Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire! O Desdemon! Dead Desdemon! Dead! O! O! ” reaffirming the idea that Othello is perhaps a tragic hero. This is similar to Heathcliff when he mourns over Catherine “Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest for as long as I am living! You said I killed you – haunt me then! ”.

“The Collecter” by John Fowles portrays Clegg as a pitiful, lonely man who has

unorthodox ideas about love; he is a butterfly collector, who decides to "collect" the long admired art student named Miranda. Frederick keeps Miranda prisoner in a room in his secluded basement.All he wants is for Miranda to love him and, other than keeping her prisoner; he treats her fairly well, making Clegg look less like a monster. It could be said the Clegg is not typical of a villain because he doesn’t have a cruel personality like Iago or even Heathcliff. Unlike Iago, Clegg does have a conscience as when he fist kidnaps Miranda he is worried about her not being able to breathe in the back of the van after using the chloroform, “She was still unconscious, but she was breathing, I could hear her .

.. o I knew she was all right” This suggests that Clegg does have a caring side. However, he is villainous as kidnapping somebody and denying them of their freedom is a crime. It can be noted that Clegg has an obsessive personality which would perhaps make a reader less likely to warm to him as a character.

He also has trouble talking about deeper feelings and emotions because he repressed them violently in his childhood - a response to the deaths of his father and uncle, and the rejections of his aunt and mother “My father was killed driving. I was two. That was in 1937. He was drunk, but my Aunt Annie always said it was my mother that drove him to drink”. This is similar to Heathcliff’s who also had a difficult upbringing. It could be argued from this that a reader would not view Clegg or

Heathcliff as true villains as they almost have a justification for their actions.

Clegg was also deprived of a "normal" childhood by living with a "nonconformist"; this would make him feel different, which would make him make himself immune to outside problems, which is why he can't ever talk below the surface or take responsibility for his actions. Clegg can’t admit that he has stolen Miranda’s freedom “Do you think a madman would have treated you the way I have? ” this makes him seem naive and obsessive, convincing himself that his actions are right, hoping that Miranda will forgive him for taking her once she has time to get to know him. Clegg has dreams about their life together, marriage and children, this also makes Clegg seem quite deluded and makes readers feel sorry for him rather than dislike him as a character or view him as a villain.Clegg’s personality is not typical of a cruel, manipulative villain but of an outsider who doesn’t understand what is right and wrong. His intentions towards Miranda are good in his own mind, supported when he calls her his "guest" rather than the prisoner. Clegg promises Miranda that when she got ill he would call for a doctor.

However he doesn’t keep his promise and Miranda dies in the basement. This confirms in my eyes that he does play the role of the villain as he has caused an innocent young woman to die, as he kidnapped her against her will and then refused to get her help.Although his personality is not typical as he doesn’t come across as malicious but his ideas of what is right and wrong

is not normal. Clegg is a contrast to the Character Iago as Iago used physical violence to murder Emilia and Roderigo, the stage directions support this idea “[he stabs Roderigo]” and “[Iago draws his sword and threatens Emila.

Like Romeo and Juliet. It would be a real tragedy” this again can be linked to Heathcliff and Othello when they mourn for lost lovers, on the other hand Clegg is trying to describe his relationship with Miranda as a tale of “star crossed lovers” who are devoted to one another, this is not the care and reaffirms Cleggs deluded ideas. However at the end of the novel Clegg reveals he has thought about kidnapping another girl, “Of course I shall never have a guest again, although now Aunt Annie and Mabel have decided to stay Down Under, it would not be difficult ... have not made my mind up about Marian .

Heathcliff is a fictional character in the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. He is often regarded as a tortured romantic hero whose all-consuming passions destroy both himself and those around him. He has been stereotyped as somewhat of a romantic hero, and he is generally known more for his love for Catherine Earnshaw than his final years of vengeance in the second half of the novel, in which he grows into a bitter, haunted man although there are also a number of incidents in Heathcliff's early life that show that he was an angry and sometimes malicious individual from the beginning. His complicated, mesmerizing and altogether bizarre nature makes him a rare character, with components of both the hero and villain. “Wuthering Heights” centres on

the story of Heathcliff.

The novel provides a vivid physical picture of him, as Lockwood describes how his “black eyes” withdraw suspiciously under his brows, which instantly gives a reader a picture of a villain. This is also similar to Miranda’s description of Clegg when she says “his eyes are mad. Grey with a grey light lost in them” both writers have used physical descriptions to evoke a certain response from the audience. By the name Heath-cliff it hints to the reader that he is empty like a heath or treacherous like a cliff.

The house which he is brought to also gives the reader a picture of stormy bad weather, this use of pathetic fallacy creates a dangerous atmosphere around Heathcliff which is suited to his persona as a villain. Bronte reveals to the reader two sides to his character. One that his cruelty is only an expression of his frustrated love for Catherine and thus seen as a romantic hero. The other, a demon or a devil that is hungry for recognition, money, and power and thus seen as a villain. A romantic hero could be described someone who appears dangerous, daring or cold at first who later emerges to be fiercely devoted and loving.

A villain is usually someone who’s violent and ill-disposed towards others, the wicked enemy of the hero in a story or play. This idea can be supported when Catherine and Edgar arrange to marry which devastates Heathcliff. After this his main aim was to gain control on Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange and win back the hand of Catherine. Heathcliff began gambling with Hindley and caused him to become an addicted

gambler and an alcoholic.

He lost Wuthering Heights to Heathcliff and died a broken man after living on Heathcliffs’ petty charity. Heathcliff saw Hindley as weak and therefore takes advantage of this, much like Iago who sees his wife as weak and uses her for his own benefit. Once married to Isabella, Heathclif hangs her pet dog on the gates of the Heights. His abuse of her was purely sadistic as he amused himself by seeing how much she could take and still come back for more. In a letter to Ellen she wrote, “Is Mr. Heathcliff a man? And if so is he mad? And if not is he a devil? ”, suggesting that the other characters in the novel also view him as a villain.

This is a contrast to Iago in the play ‘Othello’ as most of the other characters trust Iago throughout the play, particularly Othello who refers to Iago as a “dear friend”. When Heathcliffs’ son came back home after his mother had died he saw this not as an opportunity to regain his lost son but to gain control of the Grange. He said of his son, “I despise him for himself, and hate him for the memories he revives! ” Heathcliff can’t feel anything towards his own son which makes him seem like a heartless person, similar to Iago when he kills Emilia as he too must not feel any emotions towards his own wife. Heathcliff also kidnapped young Cathy and forced her to marry his son, knowing that his son would soon die and he would reap the inheritance of Thrushcross Grange. The theme of kidnapping has also been

seen in ‘The Collector’ it can be noted from this that Heathcliff and Clegg are both villains as they have both committed a similar crime.

Once Linton died he bribed a lawyer and thus gained complete control of the Grange. He forced Hareton to move in with him and he maltreated him just as his father had done to him. After all the pain and destruction the “gypsy boy” had caused.He finally got what he wanted, he was at his peak but he was not happy all he could think of was being with Cathy.

Although Heathcliff has been the villain in the novel and many of his actions have harmed other characters, once Catherine died his love for her became the motivating factor in his life. He prayed, “And I pray one prayer. I’ll repeat it till my tongue stiffens—Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest for as long as I am living! You said I killed you -- haunt me, then! ... Be with me always -- take any form -- drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Heathcliff would see her face everywhere, “Catherine’s face was just like the landscape”, he even bribed a sexton to dig up the grave so that he could have one last glance at her.

This suggests that he does have a heart and does feel normal human emotions. This is in similar to Clegg, who talks about being with Miranda “in the great beyond” however Clegg doesn’t express his feelings for Miranda like Heathcliff does for Cathy, Clegg is much more matter of fact about her death, for example “we are

just like insects, we live a bit and then die and then that’s the lot”.In this part of the novel Heathcliff shows his vulnerable side which isn’t typical of a villain and supports the idea that he perhaps isn’t a true villain. In conclusion, the presentation of the concept of the villain in ‘Othello’ by William Shakespeare, ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Bronte and ‘The Collector’ by John Fowles are all very different. The Presentation of Iago in ‘Othello’ is of a manipulative man who will use anybody to achieve his goals; he is also the villain as he murders other characters and is the main cause of the breakdown between Othello and Desdemona.

Shakespears presentation is clever as the character within the novel, with perhaps exception of Emilia is not aware of Iago’s true nature whereas the audience is. Clegg in ‘The Collector’ is more complex, although in society Clegg’s ideas of love and kidnapping are not typical but in his own mind he is not doing anything wrong, he claims to feel for his ‘victim’ Miranda and treats her well but ultimately his actions lead to her death which would class him as a villain. Lastly Heathcliff in ‘Wuthering Heights’ comes across as a dark character, his difficult past gives reasoning to why he acts the way he does, however his cruelty to others would make him a villain, however his love for Catherine shows another side to him and her death reveals to a reader just how much he is capable of caring for someone. It can be noted from these three texts that all do have qualities of a villain, for example hurting

others, causing death, and cruelty, however, all the characters mentioned are villains in different ways and have different motivations as to why they act in that way.