Who is the worst villain ever? Chengiz Khan to 'Saddam'(as he was minimised by the Yankees), and beyond, there would be very many candidates for that wretched position. I am not much interested in that torrid viciousness, especially because each one has his coterie of bhakts and haters that is not ready to listen to the other(s). It is sheer egoistic din without much thought. Personally, I find the haters rather interesting . In my opinion, they are so busy painting the imagined adversary as the most evil one that they are literally obsessed with him/her, even more than the bhakts. They almost seem to need simplifying, dehumanizing, demonising, diminishing, 'other'ing him/her as if for their own existence!
Well, why worry about such weirdo's, available aplenty? Let us instead look at one of the worst one available in English Literature. The worst villain, that notorious department, is totally eclipsed by Iago.
In fact, he owns villaindom. Nobody can compete with his " motiveless malignancy". Just for sheer fun born out of wickedness, he creates such a web of lies, rumours, suspicions and hatreds that an absolutely innocent girl is viciously victimised. Of course, he is ably supported by the cupidity of Roderigo and his one-sided obsession with poor Desdemona, the hurt ego of Brabantio, her father and the inferiority complexes of the absolutely stupid Othello, and, oh, yes, her own innocent lie born out of the desire to save the lost destiny!
In my opinion, though, Iago's villainy emerges out of his lust for power. He needs power over others as in the case of Roderigo, her reject, over Cassio who supersedes him and whom he presents as her paramour, and, of course, over Othello, his ultimate target. When he has tested power through his manipulation of Roderigo and Brabantio, he is like a man-eating tiger cum hyena lusting for the poor/pure Desdemona and the stupid Othello. He is someone Machiavelli can take lessons from, given his spidery web of deceits, lies, calumnies. In the process, he captures Othello's soul, like the devil.
Who, and what, defeats him finally? Sure it is his wife's blistering attack on the foolish Moor's brainlessness. But more than anything else, it is Desdemona's gentle goodness. When Othello hits her in public, in front of her powerful relations who have always been wary of her decision, she covers up his behaviour. Why, even when she dies at his hands, her attempt is to save her love. Well, that pristine purity of purpose is the ultimate antidote to power lust/greed, I believe, not only in the personal space(s), but in the public sphere, too!
Pratima@villainy can victimize, but cannot corrupt integrity and innocence.
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