For me, Prof. James Moriarty-the Napoleon of Crime is the man....
He's also the arch nemesis of Sherlock Holmes himself (!)
How about you then? Do you agree with me?
2006-08-09 07:47:19 · 10 answers · asked by Professor Franklin 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
I would go with Hitler. He was a great orator. He got the German people to vote for him. He got the Volkswagon made, and Germany was the first country out of the great depression. He told the world what he was going to do in his book, "Mein Kramf". Nobody moved. He told the world that Germany was not going to pay their war debt from World War 1. He took country after country, while everyone stood around watching. If he was a better war commander than the corporal he was... the world would have been in real trouble.
2006-08-10 01:24:24 · answer #1 · answered by thebillshow2005 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'll second Voldemort. He is *pure* evil and lacks even the slightest bit of compassion or love (that's something you really can't say about any non-fictional villain and even many fictional villains). But what's more important is that Rowling takes us deep into his mind (in some cases, literally), to really understand the true depth of his malice. It's this character development that sets Voldemort apart from other fictional villains like Sauron, for example. I think that one of Tolkien's biggest mistakes was that he left Sauron's character terribly underdeveloped. You just can't relate to the good guy's hatred for the villain if you never really get to know the villain yourself. Rowling was clever enough to realize this, and therefore made Voldemort an 'up-close and personal' villain.
It's a shame that some people still refuse to give Rowling the credit that she deserves. There is really a lot of depth to her writing that many readers (especially those narrow-minded LotR elitists) don't catch or just don't bother to acknowledge.
P.S. Moriarty is a great suggestion too! He was a brilliant villain. The 'Napolean of Crime'!
2006-08-09 16:30:50 · answer #2 · answered by ? 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you're counting non-fiction try "Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders" by Vincent Bugliosi. I can't describe the fear Manson instilled in the people of Southern California. For a time Manson took over from Hitler as the epitome of evil.
2006-08-10 10:08:08 · answer #3 · answered by Bob 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Prof. James Moriarty rules, however. How about Lady Magbeth, I think she could be his girlfriend. She is not as smart, but she is definitely equally ruthless
2006-08-13 09:32:22 · answer #4 · answered by michelle 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Villains can be fictional or non-fictional. I will choose the greatest non-fictional villian: Hitler.
Check out Elie Wiesel's book, Night, to read a first hand account of his survival of Auschwitz concentration camp and then Buchenwald. Villains can and are very real.
Cheers
2006-08-09 15:49:15 · answer #5 · answered by Monk 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tolkien - Sauron. Created a lot of other evil than himself.
No mentioning of Voldemort anymore please.
Yes, the Harry Potter books are entertaining and fun to read, but literally nothing more than a cheaper, simpler and younger version of LotR. Anyone who read both books can see that.
No offense...
Add: Saurons character might have been underdeveloped in the movies, not in the book. If you read the "Silmarillion" you find out why he is evil and what other evil comes from it. Sorry, but I still think that Rowling is not half as brilliant (or deep) as Tolkien and stole a lot of his ideas to create Harry P.
2006-08-09 15:56:15 · answer #6 · answered by Paula 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Shakespeare's Richard III. The hunchbacked Duke of Glouchester kills his nephews to gain the throne, then proceeds to kill his supporters, wife, and several kinsmen to keep it. In the end, he gets his head cut off by the future Henry VII.
2006-08-09 15:22:10 · answer #7 · answered by lcraesharbor 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lector from "Silence of the Lambs" - I"m not sure there is a better/worse deviant.
2006-08-09 19:18:52 · answer #8 · answered by VerdeSam 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Weeelllll, I would have to say Voldemort or, going back to a great classic, Heathcliff. He was a pretty miserable meanie too!
2006-08-09 14:55:27 · answer #9 · answered by shamrock 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
humbert humbert of lolita. he's a pedophile, a murderer, a svengali, and an overall a**hole. but despite his total lack of morals, he's pretty good with words (which he *always* uses to his advantage). he's so good sometimes i find myself excusing, or at least understanding, his behavior.
oh yeah, he's funny too.
2006-08-09 22:28:52 · answer #10 · answered by kristina 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋