Who is your favorite Shakespeare Villain?

[Janine]

Iago, most definitely...Hands down! He is a pure villain from start to finish. It is the way in which he plans and does it all and has no remorse at the end. He is pure villain and knows the consequences could be either to his advantage or not. He knows he will win but may lose his life. His actions are put into motion and he follows through without hesitation. He is so darn sure of himself he is arrogant and yet the most villainous part of him is his apparent charm and goodness, everyone referring to him as "Good Iago". If I could love a villain, it would be Iago. The reasons have all been stated so eloquently in the last 5 or more posts about him.
Yes, "Othello" is one of my favorite plays, I know it is because of Iago....He mesmerizes me with his scheming. Maybe this play should be named "Iago" and not "Othello". He is more than a plot device. He is the play!

[Debrasue]

Richard III !!!! Don't ya just hate to love him? LOL!

"And thus I clothe my naked villainy
With odd ends stol'n of holy writ,
And seem a saint,
When most I play the devil."

Therefore, since I cannot prove a lover...
I am determined to prove a villain......

But he'll give it all up to be the hero....
"A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!

Debrasue

[Debrasue]

"2. Richard III! This guy rocks! He's a no-brainer for me, since his murderous nature seems revenge against the world for making him deformed. He admits his wrongs instead of denying them like other villains would. He'll say, "Yes, I did Deed X, but I did it for a good reason!" His rationalizations and rampant murdering of seemingly everyone he meets place him so high up on the list."
Well said Cassius614 (5-29-06)! ROFLMAO!!! Sorry....had to quote!!!

Debrasue

[KittyFowl]

Easy! Iago by far! In my opinion, he's most certainly the greatest villain ever created!

[Abdiel]

I also love Iago but there's some others I have to give respect to.

Aaron from Titus Andronicus is very devious, and so is Queen Tamora. Their evil deeds make you sick just thinking about them: they execute a plan where they have the main character's daughter, Lavinia, raped, then have her tongue cut out.

They have her tongue cut out so she can't speak the names of her rapists (the Queen's own sons), but, for good measure, they also cut off her hands so she can't write the names of her offenders, or sew them into a tapestry (as according to another Roman myth).

But Titus's revenge on the Queen and her sons is just as gruesome. If you haven't read the play, you need to.

Oh, and Cloten from Cymbeline is the biggest idiot in the Shakespearean cannon and also one heck of a funny guy.

[tealcrackle]

I would have to say that Iago is my favorite by far, but Richard the III is also among my favorite villainous Shakespearian characters.