Villains

This month’s episode is Villains, and here it is!

The 24th Episode of BardCast, originally published July of 2010.  Villains are a lot of fun, when they’re well done, and disgusting when the play thinks that they’re a hero.  I’m looking at you, Taming of the Shrew!

Trying to figure out some way to continue hosting old episodes, sorry if you accidentally re-downloaded the first episode on iTunes.

Our next episode is Henry V.

(A bit of fuzz in the audio on this one, and some choppy editing at points, but overall pretty solid.  We haven’t seen all the plays yet at this point, so we didn’t get through every villain by any means.)

Episode Outline after the break.

Shakespeare’s Villains

   1. Introduction
         1. Bardcast
         2. Names
         3. Villains
   2. Definition Corner
         1. Villain is not the same as Antagonist
         2. Protagonist is the star of the show, the Antagonist is the person who opposes him
         3. Ergo, the Protagonist can be a villain
   3. Villains in Shakespeare’s Time
         1. Before Shakespeare’s time, Morality plays didn’t have characters like we imagine, they were “characters” like Vice and Greed, etc.
               1. Shakespeare and the allegory of evil.
         2. several of Shakespeare’s villains draw directly from this tradition.
   4. Shakespearean Style on Villains
         1. Tends to give them legitimate grievances, against type at the time
               1. Villains don’t need motives for this audience
         2. Typically, gives a villain speech at the beginning
               1. This shows their villainy,
               2. clarifies the way that they’re going to operate.
               3. Without this speech, the dissimulation could be seen as genuine.
         3. Usually drags other characters into Villainy with them
               1. The Villainy of XXX is worse in Shakey’s time than ours. When someone severs the ties of marriage, father and son, fealty, etc. It is a violation of the Natural order (God’s order), not just a violation of the bond.
         4. Almost always die, usually horribly
               1. Not really a Karmically just world, since the good guys generally get it too, in the tragedies.
         5. Generally have a characteristic that makes them into a believable villain regardless of motive: bastardry, moorishness, Jewosity, etc.
   5. Particular Shakespeare Villains
         1. Iago - Othello Machiavel, Italians would be seen as natural to plots, etc.
               1. Motives are different than the actions, desire for promotion not connected to his actions.
         2. Aaron - Titus Andronicus Machiavellian - kills some people, causes unrest
         3. Richard III - Malformed is enough to be a villain, people of the time were much more willing to accept appearance -> character.
               1. Murders Nephews, usurps throne
         4. Lady Macbeth - Macbeth - woman - that entire assassination thing. She’s worse because she wants to be evil, not the results of evil.
         5. Shylock -  Merchant of Venice - definitely a villain in shakey’s time, not so much in ours - tried to kill Antonio
         6. Edmund - Lear - bastard
               1. Manipulates Goneril  and Regan to get power, lets father get eyes gouged out, more stuff
         7. Goneril and Regan- King Lear - women
         8. Don John - Much Ado About Nothing - bastard
         9. Angelo - Measure for Measure - Hypocricy!
        10. The Queen - Cymbeline - woman
   6. Are these people Villains?
         1. Cassius - Caesar- Brutus - Julius Caesar
         2. Macbeth - Macbeth is hero and villain, his great destruction is of himself.
         3. Falstaff - Henry IV - definitely in the character of a vice in a morality play.
         4. Claudius - Hamlet - regrets his sins, etc.
   7. Closing
         1. Next time - Henry V
         2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lev-raphael/was-shakespeare-jewish_b_662765.html