Shakespeare’s Villains and Their Humanity

The Human Side of Shakespeare’s Villains

When we think of Shakespeare’s villains, we tend to think of the most vicious, selfish and predatory individuals. Iago from Othello, Macbeth from Macbeth and Richard III from Richard III are known to us as villains who commit the most loathsome acts. However, Shakespeare does not create “evil” by itself, making his villains interesting and close to life. Behind their actions, there is always a specific motivation, as well as a humane characteristic that can be found in every person.

Take, for example, Iago, one of the most terrifying villains in Shakespeare’s tragedies. The reason for his vicious behavior is not supernatural, but rather human. Iago is a very smart man who knows people’s minds and weaknesses. He uses the familiar to him feeling of jealousy and resentment to accomplish his goals. It is this approachability, this similarity to normal people, that makes Iago one of the most frightening villains. Every person recognizes envy, and the pettiness that often goes with it, and Iago is a living example of how dangerous these feelings can be.

From Ambition to Villainy

In the play Macbeth, the titular character does not decide to commit the most heinous acts right away. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is not a villain but an honorable warrior who has earned his victories through courage and valor. He is shown as a good person, so the motivation for his evil actions must be found elsewhere. The driving force for Macbeth’s turn to evil is the prophecy, which stoked his ambitions. Macbeth is shown to be a greedy and ambitious man, willing to do anything to become king. However, when he commits regicide, Macbeth does not rejoice but is horrified and confused by his actions, realizing what he has done. After that, Macbeth continues his downward spiral, becoming more and more ruthless and vicious on his way to the throne. Again, we see that it is not inherent evil that stimulates people to act like villains, but certain actions that seem wrong to them.

Richard III is a villain who realizes quite early that he is inferior to other people in terms of physical appearance. Richard III is a greedy and selfish person, but despite his initial fear and resentment, he is very consistent in his pursuit of his goals. Richard wants to change society’s perception of him, but he is not willing to change his ways. Richard’s villainy is a direct result of his dissatisfaction with his appearance andasty life. From a human point of view, Richard III is a sad person who, through his actions, wants to prove to himself and others that he is no different from everyone else. His statement that he is determined to be a villain almost seems like an excuse for his future crimes.

Why Shakespeare’s Villains Feel So Real

Shakespeare’s villains are so thought-provoking because they are so much like us. Almost all of them had some kind of reason to turn to a life of evil. It could be a feeling of resentment or jealousy, or a desire to take what belongs to others. In Macbeth, we can see how close the hero is to becoming a villain. However, the fact that he is horrified by his actions and the consequences of his actions makes him human, and therefore understandable and relatable. By creating characters that are close to humans, Shakespeare makes it possible to empathize with the victims of villains, as well as reflect on the causes and consequences of their actions.

Shakespeare does not give his villains any unique features that distinguish them from the ordinary person. Villains feel the same things we do disappointment, resentment, and sometimes hope. For this reason, judging his characters is difficult; the reader almost always takes sides with the villain against the “evil” world around them. Perhaps this is the essence of great literature: rarely does an author clearly demonstrate his position, but more often it is hidden behind carefully crafted phrases, making the reader think and draw conclusions for himself.