I don't know about you, but an evil woman in a TV show, book, or in a movie is just the best thing that's ever happened to me. Of course, I'm exaggerating but seriously. There's a reason why Maleficent was my favorite Disney villain as a kid.
The complexity and chaos that is a female villain are so fascinating to me. And don't get me wrong, I don't mean a bitch. For example, Jan Levinson à la The Office isn't a female villain because she's not really clever or conniving. She doesn't have a plan. She's just kind of crazy.
Other poor examples include Veruca Salt (spoiled brat) from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Dolores Umbridge (spoiled bitch) from Harry Potter. I think the difference between a bitch and a villain is that a villain, although pretty crazy, just kind of knows what's up. There's a method to her madness. There are layers under all of that crazy. They are not compulsive or plain nuts (someone like Bellatrix Lestrange is just nutty). They are calculative.
Furthermore, a true villainess does not work under the instruction of anyone except themselves, so obedient Dolores Umbridge or someone like Jane from Twilight, who works under the Volturi, is out.
Top 5 Qualities of the Female Villainess (According to Me):
2. Psychopathic apathy - they screw over anyone and everyone to get what they want... Usually power.
3. Strong ambition - they have a lot that they want.
4. A tendency to kill - along with the psychopathic apathy, they can and will kill to get what they want. And they definitely don't just kill willy nilly.
5. Energy - what the hell do these girls run on? Coffee? Cocaine? Either way, it's like they have no power button.
Okay, so I am insanely excited for you to behold this Female Villain lineup. I love these girls. A lot.
Lady Macbeth | Macbeth
I'm pretty shocked how little photos online there are of Lady Macbeth. No matter, the photo above is Janet Suzman in the 1975 Macbeth. Lady Macbeth has all of the qualities of my idea of the proper Female Villain. She's scheming all of the time, disregarding her husband's well-being because she's so power hungry. She's incredibly over-ambitious, convinces her husband to kill, and the only time we see her remotely weakened is during the whole "out damned spot" bit. My kind of gal.
Amy Dunne | Gone Girl
Okay.. I don't think any of you can comprehend how much I love Amazing Amy. Not only is Gone Girl a fantastic book and Gillian Flynn a great author, but Amy Dunne is one of the best characters I've ever read. Her mind is so complex... She's a true psychopath. Anyone who believes otherwise is a nut. (Disclaimer: Small spoilers in the following paragraph).
What else do you call a woman who frames her husband for her own murder by slowly bleeding herself and mopping it up poorly to stage the crime scene, spending months writing out a diary depicting Nick as a violent abuser, and stealing a pregnant neighbor's urine so that the American public can crucify him for killing his own beautiful, blonde, pregnant wife??? She's the definition of badass. Rosamund Pike really pulled off this role. Perhaps a little too well.
Claire Underwood | House of Cards
F*cking Claire. I love Claire. (I highly encourage you to not read further if you haven't seen House of Cards yet and plan to).
I really feel that most viewers hate her character. I mean, she's petty, conniving, and, good lord, we even found out in the most recent season that she is willing to kill. I think one reason that I adore her so much is that she is so complicated. She's a person. I really do believe there is a sliver of her humanity somewhere in there, and we see glimpses of it from time to time. She believes that her life is a choice she's made and that she is in too deep to get out, which I have some sympathy for. Other reasons to love Mrs. Underwood:
She's taking over the world one step at a time (how about that "My turn" line at the end of season 5?!!) while looking flipping amazing the entire time.
She refuses to live under her husband's shadow and really brings new meaning to the word "feminism".
She's played by Robin Wright. Need I say more?
Scarlett O'Hara | Gone With the Wind
Okay, so maybe you're thinking Scarlett isn't a Female Villain. Granted, she's not everyone's idea of a classic "villain", but you have to admit she's pretty evil. Let's go through each characteristic:
She is always scheming. Scarlett is always thinking about how her actions will either gain her something or exact revenge on a particular someone.
She has zero empathy. She's insanely self-absorbed and despises Melanie Hamilton, the sweetest character in the whole story, for marrying Ashley. The one thing that is different from the other villains listed above is that she does have tons and tons of character development. I think that's why no one considers her to be a true villain. By the end, she realizes all of the selfish decisions she's made and how cruel she's been. But it takes her so so soooo long to get to that place. Poor Clark Gable. (Cue "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn").
She has lots of ambition. Scarlett wants heaps of money and love, which was really all anyone could ask for during the Civil War era. So.
I mean... technically she does kill?? She kills that Yankee soldier. And, honestly, I think if she hadn't promised Ashley to take care of Melanie, she would've left her for dead.
Scarlett really never gets tired and is always impossibly fresh-looking. But we have to credit Vivien Leigh for most of that.
That's all, folks! Who's your favorite villainess?
L
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