Shakespeare Villians and Batman Villians.

Game of Thrones Black Count: The Bear and The Madian Fair 2

I counted two plus about a dozen extras. Sexy translator chick had a line, and Grey Worm had a line directed at him. I'm getting a little concerned. Sexy translator chick generally speaks in a monotone and is used as exposition, and Grey Worm just looks really menacing. So I think we get smug Tyrion rating for that episode. 

https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/6115219456/hD1BA5270/

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This came up to me when my girlfriend and I were watching Batman Beyond, which was recently added to the Netflix intsa-que. She mentioned Mr. Freeze was her favorite because of how tragic and Shakespearean he was. So we spent (we’re pretty nerdy) the next thirty minutes trying to figure out where he fits in the pantheon of Shakespearean characters. That got me thinking. Who else in Batman’s rogue gallery could be a Shakespeare character? So here’s a list (no means complete) of which Batman Rogue was which Shakespearean villain (or anti-hero depending on your perspective.)

1.     Mr. Freeze: Othello

 

http://rroyreport.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/mr-freeze.jpg

http://www.lordalford.com/10grade/european/othello/othello.jpg

Mr. Freeze and Othello both share the same tragic flaw, a love of white women. Their love is what drives them and ultimately kills them, or in Freeze’s case locks him in an Asylum for most of his unnaturally long life. They also tend to brood through most of their stories in between fetes of murder.

2.     The Joker:  Aaron the Moor

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110522005122/marvel_dc/images/b/bc/Joker_0004.jpg

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lv5kqk5Wg51qb9lgyo1_500.gif

Lovers of Chaos and destruction. It’s hard to nail the Joker as one character. The closet character is Aaron, who says early on that he’s sole purpose in the play is to fuck things up. He also has a banging monologue that is very like Joker where he basically announces is he does fucked up shit because he can.

3.     Catwoman: Lady Macbeth

http://www.fightersgeneration.com/nx/chars/catwoman-arkhamcity-artwork3.jpg

http://imgix.8tracks.com/mix_covers/000/649/739/81427.original.jpg?fm=jpg&q=65&sharp=15&vib=10&w=521&h=521&fit=crop

Both Characters want power, both characters are sexy, both characters use their sexiness to get what they want, both characters completely twirl the men in their lives around their finger, and both characters are often dressed in leather.

4.     Poison Ivy: Titania

http://godsofart.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/poison-ivy.jpg

http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/thumbnail/183286/1/Titania,-Costume-Design-For-$5ca-Midsummer-Night$27s-Dream$5c,-Produced-By-R.-Courtneidge-At-The-Princes-Theatre,-Manchester.jpg

This is a stretch I know. Lovers of nature and the natural order of things. Often the most powerful things in their said universes. They also have strange mother instincts that tend to drive them through their plots. Difference, Poison Ivy will often turn men into Donkey's instead of falling in love with them. And she will kill them.

5.     Killer Croc: Caliban

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/3/36257/784344-killer_croc.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9fm3m8DLlhA/TgkoyGMJLQI/AAAAAAAAALQ/0ui4QGLpGeM/s1600/Dion.jpg

Big, dumb, monsters. Nuff said.

6.     The Penguin: Richard 3^rd

http://www.wordstream.com/images/screenshots/penguin-update.jpg

http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/ian-mckellen-richard-iii-660.jpg

Short, ugly, and often misunderstood. Both Character’s “powers” lie in the exceedingly wealth. They are also brutal when they need to be. Especially newer adaptation of Penguin that paint him more of a gangster then then an eccentric business rich guy. But they can’t stand toe-to-toe physically, so they use their manipulation and political influence to get what they want.

7.     Two-Face: Iago

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QRVP3Hbl1Mo/UBROSZHucII/AAAAAAAAC3A/8qg8EZZJ0M8/s1600/othello-iago.jpg

 Both were friends with the protagonist, both turn evil; both are smart, and evil. Did I mention evil.  Also there is a duality to their personalities. Some would argue that Two-Face had always been apart of Harvey Dent, and his accident brought that side to physical life. Iago also has two personalities. The one he shows to himself and the eviler one that is capable of killing his best friend.

8.     Bane: Macbeth

http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120126111603/batman/images/thumb/2/2f/Bane.jpg/339px-Bane.jpg

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01783/macbeth3_1783052b.jpg

“Unseemed him from the Nave to the Chops.”  That’s how a character describes Macbeth. Meaning he literally ripped a man from the navel to his face. He ripped a man in half. What’s more badass then that? Bane broke The Batman in half. Also both characters are incredibly cerebral in their execution.