Some help for a research paper (Literature Suggestions)

[The SLIP]

For my senior research paper, I have to use Richard III and compare the rhetoric of Shakespeare and compare it to two other works expressing the same theme. I'm using Richard III and The Scarlet Letter thus far. My teacher/professor loves my ideas and parallels, but I need one more source and he told me to keep going with the Evil guys using a false guise, and also are intentionally given the symbol of an animal.

So...is anyone aware of other pieces of classical literature that express the similar theme? The bad guy uses a fake outward appearance to fool those around him/her and carry out their devious means. I especially wanted to find a character deliberately represented as an animal, as Richard's royal symbol is the boar and Chillingworth refers to Chillingworth as the leech. I was thinking Tale of Two Cities, but the thing is, Sydney Carton comes clean. It has to be fictional literature, as in a novel, book, play (in writing), or poem. I'm thnking pretty hard and I've come up with a few things, and they could work but don't fit all criteria and might disrupt the paper in terms of flow.

Any suggestions are beyond appreciated.

Note: I know Macbeth would be perfect in this case, but I can't use any other Shakespeare.


Among things I've looked into and eliminated:

1984
Animal Farm
Steppenwolf
Brave New World
A few poems by Edgar Allan Poe

My teacher seemed to think there was a poem that would fit perfectly, but he could not think of it. I'd assume it would be a Greek poem or something of the sort.

Cheers! :thumbs_up

[Pecksie]

There are lots of characters in literature who act outwardly nice (or righteous) to hide their evil intentions... Uriah Heep in 'David Copperfield', Abigail in Arthur Miller's play 'The Crucible' and Barabas in Marlowe's 'The Jew of Malta' (an admittedly controversial play, at least in our times) are some that come to mind right now... Don't know about the animal symbolism, though --- but you might search for it in the works.

And then of course there are the archvillains, Iago and Angelo, but you said you can't use any more Shakespeare! :(

[Wilde woman]

Satan is the most obvious character who jumps to mind. In Paradise Lost, he disguises himself as a serpent to tempt Eve.

Another one that jumps to mind is Milady in the Three Musketeers. She frequently disguises herself and is constantly characterized as various felines - tigers, panthers, etc.

And in Lord of the Flies, there's not necessarily one antagonist, but the boys - when they're getting ready to sacrifice one of their own - put on masks. There is lots of description of them as beasts, though not necessarily any one particular animal (except, perhaps, wild boars).

You might also want to check out Ben Jonson's Volpone, where many of the devious characters actually have the names of animals (albeit in Italian).

Good luck!

[bounty]

hi slip...your description left me thinking of zeus, and his predeliction for taking the form of an animal, visiting earth, and often cheating on hera by having sex (consensual and sometimes otherwise) with mortal women.

i dont know if that will fit your literary parameters...but its a thought.