A weekly meme hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish.
This week's topic is:
Top 10 Villains, Criminals and Other Nasties
In no particular order...*spoilers may ensue*
1) Pinkie Brown- Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
A despicable, sociopathic gangster wannabe with a cruel disposition towards everyone, especially women.
2) Iago- Othello by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare created villains that still rub us the wrong way to this day. You can't help but despise Iago for his fatal games of trickery and deceit.
3) Mr. Hyde- Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The evil other half resulting from a botched scientific experiment.
4) "Big" Jim Rennie- Under the Dome by Stephen King
This character proves how sleaze, greed, and power are a lethal combination.
5) Regan & Gonneril- King Lear by William Shakespeare
Two oldest daughters of the tragic King Lear whose greed does them both in.
6) Jack- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Another fatal misuse of power, this time by a child unwilling to be anything but the leader.
7) George Harvey- The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The creepy, murderous neighbour who continues to live as Susie watches from above.
8) The Firm- The Firm by John Grisham
Cutthroat group of crooked lawyers take advantage of a young, impressionable man fresh out of law school.
9) Mrs. Carmody- The Mist by Stephen King
What is even scarier about this character, aside from her extremist interpretation of the invasion and her decision to offer human sacrifices, is how many people came to believe in her.
10) Nurse Ratched- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest- Ken Kesey
Her cold, rigid demeanor coupled with an unwillingness to budge an inch from her calculated procedures is a recipe for disaster in a mental institution.
How could I have forgotten Nurse Ratched!!! She was horrendous!
ReplyDeleteGreat list!!!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to use Lord of the Flies, but I couldn't remember the character's name. It's been over 20 years since I've read the book.
ReplyDeleteNurse Ratched is just horrible, both in the book and the film.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all your list. I would add the female lead from Misery by Stephen King - I got chills reading that book!
Tony D~ I confess that I had to Google that character's name before I posted. My memory ain't what it used to be :/
ReplyDeleteGreat list! Iago is my favorite Shakespeare character, villainous or otherwise. He's awful and manipulative but so fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteRegan & Gonneril, so despicable. It was fascinating to read A Thousand Acres, which retells King Lear in a modern setting from those daughters' point-of-views.
ReplyDeleteIt's been interesting reading everyone's lists today. Definitely being reminded of some books I haven't read for a while. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, Jack...yes he really disgusted me. Iago is a fantastic choice too, everything he did was so low-down and dirty.
ReplyDeleteOh god, I'll admit I never read the book, but I remember that crazy Carmody lady from the movie, and I really, REALLY wanted to strangle her. You're right, what's scariest about her is that people start believing her, and King's excellent at showing how desperately people will act when they go into survival mode in a crisis. Will a human sacrifice get us out of this mess? WHO KNOWS, let's try it.
ReplyDeleteIt's really then that you want to shake people and say "What is wrong with you, how could you think like this?"
Ahem. Anyway, great call!
Good list! I wondered if "Big Jim" Rennie would make anyone's list. He's one I considered that didn't make the cut...
ReplyDeleteEdward Hyde was high on my list as well.
-Jay
You have a very varied list. Good selections! Thanks for dropping by my blog.
ReplyDelete-Anne
http://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com
Great list! Shakespeare really did create a lasting villain with Iago!
ReplyDeleteEven the idea of George Harvey creeps me out. Big Jim is also another nasty individual. I've seen Iago on a lot of lists. He's definitely one of Shakespeare's most manipulative villains.
ReplyDeleteI honestly had no idea that R. L. Stevenson wrote Jeckyl and Hyde (not sure even about the spelling). I've been trying to read all of his work, so I need to seek this out. How could I have missed this?!
ReplyDeleteHere's my Top Ten Baddies List.
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