"We may love the protagonists of our favorite novels, but without an
antagonist to struggle against, those novels would be very dull. Lots
has been written about the roles played by women in literature, and this
list celebrates female villains. Some we hate and some we love to hate.
Here are ten of the best worst women of literature.
- Ben Gazur"
In ascending order, they are:
9. Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper from the novel Rebecca.
8. The White Witch from Narnia.
7. Miss Havisham from Dickens' Great Expectations.
6. Grendel's Mother in Beowulf.
5. Marquise de Merteuil, from Les Liasions Dangereuses, a novel that scandalized France when it was published in 1782.
4. Livia from Robert Graves' I, Claudius.
3. Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth.
2. Lady de Winter (Milady) of The Three Musketeers.
1. The character Medea as shown in Euripides' play.
So tell us...
What makes a good villainess?
What kind of lady do you love to hate?