The eNotes Blog Vicious and Delicious The Best of Literatures FoulestCharacters

Vicious and Delicious The Best of Literatures FoulestCharacters To be sure, some of the best characters in literature are the so-called good guys, but lets face it: these goody-goodies are rarely the most interesting characters  in the story. Most of us, most of the time, want to see good triumph over evil in the end, but were really interested in what the villains are up to. Think about it: if not for Ursula in The Little Mermaid, Ariel would never have  even had the chance to get some land-legs; she wouldve  stayed a lady-fish and Eric wouldve  married a  human and had pretty babies. In honor of these dynamic characters and their  questionable motives, enjoy the following list  of some of our favorite fictional criminals/murderers/psychopaths from literary history. The White Witch from  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe  by C.S. Lewis Photo Via Washington Monthly Imagine a world where its always winter. And not just any winter- the coldest, snowiest, windiest, most miserable winter youve ever seen. Now imagine that this winter is  never-ending and that three years and a few months from now youll wake up and it will  still be the same winter. Now what could possibly make that worse? An evil witch stealing Christmas.  Thats right, the White Witch  did what the Grinch couldnt. Add to that the fact that she had a tendency to turn her enemies into stone and that her lifelong ambition was to murder four unsuspecting children and youve got one bad witch. Iago from  Othello  by William Shakespeare Photo Via Pinterest Iago is one of Shakespeares most famous villains, and for good reason. Unlike Shakespeares other villains, who tend to be more discreet, Iago just goes for it. For no reason  other than a distinct dislike for Othello, Iago manipulates the man into believing that his wife is cheating on him with his Lieutenant. As if that isnt  enough, Iago somehow convinces Othello that he would be justified in killing his (completely innocent) wife. To be fair, Othello really shouldnt have taken  the word of this guy he barely knew, no matter how stand-up a fellow everyone seemed to think he was. But regardless of Othellos gullible little head, its pretty likely he wouldnt have committed the murder of his beloved without Iagos influence. Lord Voldemort from the  Harry Potter  Series  by J.K. Rowling Phot Via The Telegraph Like the previously mentioned White Witch, Voldemort (or He Who Must Not Be Named/The Dark Lord/You Know Who) is a villain geared toward  children and young adults. But we dont buy that. Voldemorts plans were pretty nasty for a kids book. In addition to  being the most evil wizard of all time (which is really saying something, since  there were a lot of other evil wizards before him and they did some pretty awful things), Voldemort creates an army of weaker but still  evil witches and wizards, magical folk, and creatures that likely wouldve just  minded their own business for the rest  of their lives and turned into ghosties when the time came in not for Voldemort. In fact, he was so obsessed with gaining followers, Voldemort used  dark curses to gather  more followers to do his bidding. As if committing countless murders wasnt enough, Voldemorts end goal really seemed geared towards the permanent misery of the people living under his charge. Not to mention that J.K. Rowlings description of him as a  monster with pale skin, red eyes,  slit-like pupils, and basically no nose. Thats  pretty nasty if you ask me. Nils Bjurman from  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo  by Stieg Larsson Photo via Fanpop Just what we wanted: a more modern-day, relatable bad guy. That isnt to say that we can all relate to this man, but we can all read about his character and be reminded of the  horrendous stories weve heard on the news, whereas youre not going to turn on FOX and hear about the witch who stole Christmas. Nils is the man who eventually becomes Lisbeths guardian after her previous guardian falls seriously ill. Unfortunately for poor Lisbeth, Nils is a sexually depraved sadist who refuses her access to her own money without the act of various sexual favors. To end on a positive note, Lisbeth does get a sweet taste of revenge: she manages to secretly film one of her brutal rapes to use as collateral against her abuser and is able to tattoo Im a sadistic rapist pig onto his stomach. So at least theres some karmic retribution. Cruella de Vil from  101 Dalmations  by Dodie Smith Photo via Buzzfeed First and foremost, theres the characters name (de Vil = deVil = devil). They say not to judge a book by its cover, but in this case, its probably okay: Cruella is tall, has two-tone hair, and  skins puppies to make her fur coats. Its possible that  this is a commentary about the nature of the fur industry, as in, why is it okay to skin some animals and not others? To some, its never okay, but  everyone,  regardless of whether or not  they like mink coats,  will adamantly agree that no one should make a garment out of puppy fur. As if that isnt bad enough, Cruella also  drowns kittens and abuses  her pet Persian kitty. Maybe de Vil doesnt stack up against some of the other villains on this list, what with all their murders and whatnot, but theres really something about animal abusersit just makes you seem like the most despicable kind of person. But maybe thats just the animal lovers opinion. Ernst Stavro Blofeld  from  Thunderball  by Ian Fleming Photo via The Nerdist Mr. Blofeld is perhaps one of the most famous villains on this list. Even those of you who havent  heard the name will be familiar with the  trope of  the  bad guy with the bald head and a fluffy cat.  It all started with this guy. He  became the inspiration for the bad guy stereotype as we know it today, even inspiring the character of Dr. Evil. Blofeld was the first evil genius/criminal mastermind to hit modern, mainstream media. As the head of SPECTRE, Blofeld was responsible for countless robberies, assaults, and manipulations of both individuals and political groups. Like many successful villains, Blofeld has been portrayed time and time again in adaptations since his inception in 1961. His first big screen appearance coming just two years later in 1963. Most recently, in 2015, this classic evil mastermind was  embodied by the magnificent Christoph Waltz in the latest Bond film,  Spectre. Professor James Moriarty from  Sherlock Holmes  by Arthur Conan Doyle Photo via Wired   Every  fan of the  Sherlock Holmes franchise is familiar with Moriarty. Originally, Moriarty was not the most prevalent of Doyles villains. In fact, this genius was only portrayed in one or two books throughout the original seriess creation. Over time, though, his character has evolved, as many things do, with the interest of the audience. Much like the aforementioned Blofeld has been inserted into adaptation after adaptation of Bond works, Moriarty finds a way to sneak into a wide multitude of Sherlockian lore. Its easy to see why Moriarty quickly became a fan favorite: hes brilliant, cunning, psychopathic, and the direct antithesis of Mr. Sherlock Holmes (a fine example of a dynamic and fascinating good guy). Moriarty as he was introduced by Doyle in The Adventure of the Final Problem was said to be a crime lord, in other words, he was owed allegiance  by just about all of the criminals in England and was paid by them accordingly. Ever since his creation, adapters have found ways to incorporate Moriarty into their Sherlock-based works. Perhaps most famously was the 2009 film,  A Game of Shadows, with Moriarty attempting to spur on a World War in attempt to turn a profit. Hannibal Lector  from  Red Dragon  by Thomas Harris Photo by Time   Hannibal the Cannibal, a title as succinct as it is  gross. Hannibal Lector is arguably one of the most famous and grotesquely wicked characters of the later 20th century. Not only was Lector a closeted murderer/cannibal, but he also worked for the FBI as a clinical psychologist, going so far as to assist Agent Graham in following a trail of murders that he, Hannibal, was guilty of. Now thats bold. Unfortunately for Lector, he was discovered as the murderer and locked away in a mental institution for a grueling, but deserved sentence. Everything changed when Agent Graham finds himself in need of Lectors insight into the criminal mind of a yet-to-be-captured murderer.  Not one to forgive and forget, Lector located the murderer and led him to the house of Agent Graham with the instruction of to kill  whoevers inside. Thats pretty twisted. Already infamous from his appearances in the novels  Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal,  and  Hannibal Rising,  Lector was catapulted into the mainstream eye by the Oscar-winning portrayal of  Anthony Hopkins. Something about Hopkinss deadpan eyes and chilling delivery brings Lector to life in a way that the world could have done without. Still, were glad he did it, because this is  a stunning film. Professor Dolores Umbridge from the  Harry Potter Series by  J.K. Rowling Photo via Mashable And last but most certainly not least we have the worst person ever. Yes, worse than the manipulative, murderous cannibal, worse that the woman who skins puppies, and yes, still worse than the man who planned to start a world war with the intent of turning a profit. Indeed, anyone who is familiar with Umbridge  knows that on a scale from one to nasty, shes nasty +1. Why is she so bad? Shes prim, shes proper, she wears pink, and she loves cats. All that is potentially forgivable, but what really makes her a villain is  that shes the accidental servant of Voldemort, upholding the laws of Fudge (the Minister of Magic) which deny  the re-emergence of the Dark Lord and make it easier for him to gain control. Not to mention that she terrorizes students with her meaningless but painfully enforced rules, refuses her students the opportunity to learn, and is just generally the kind of person that everyone knows and despises. Let us not forget the time Harry attempted to stand up for himself and ended up having to write lines with his own blood. Seems a little extreme a punishment for talking out of turn, doesnt it? We think so too. And remember when she attempted to have Dumbledore arrested? Dumbledore.  Just as  no one puts baby in the corner, no one better put Dumbledore in Azkaban. Curious about these characters and their authors? Check out  Ã‚  to find detailed biographies of your favorite authors alongside full summaries and study guides of their most popular literary works!