... heroes, and even more so, his villains. Perhaps the two most infamous villains in all of Shakespearian literature are the characters of Iago in Othello and Claudius in Hamlet. Both major characters in their respective plays, Claudius and Iago are driven by immoral ambitions. However, unlike many "evil ... at first, and Shakespeare manages to give us a unique three-dimensional view into their wicked minds. First of all, when reading Hamlet and Othello, Iago and Claudius are both portrayed as clever and conniving when speaking a soliloquy or otherwise thinking to themselves, but give off an...

• Word Count: 1814
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... time. The image becomes a metaphor for the management of human desires as well as the state of affairs of a country and corrupt kingdom. Through examination of Richard II, Hamlet and Othello, the development of the garden transforms from a political allegory to a metaphor for the human body. There is, however, a common theme among the three plays to eliminate the "weeds,"" or corrupt ... immediately. The poison Lucianus uses to kill the Player King is made of "midnight weeds collected,"" which evokes the deadly, invasive force of weeds in Hamlet's first speech. Janet Adelman notes anoth...

• Word Count: 1869
• Approx Pages: 7