The story of Ian's paper

This incredibly fun journey began with our discussions of Don John and how boring he is when compared to Iago and Edmund. I then began wondering what makes a villain like Iago and Edmund so interesting. After watching King Lear, it occurred to me that a great deal of a villain's draw comes from his soliloquies. After that  I began reading the soliloquies of Iago and examining their diction, meter, and theme. That is when I began to notice that Iago is incredibly similar to the Joker on many levels. I thought this idea would be interesting to other people outside of the highbrow Shakespeare crowd and began researching it. I shared the idea with my parents, English major siblings, my wife, and several friends who all have varying opinions regarding Shakespeare. The reception my ideas received was promising! I also noticed a buzz about this online. Movie reviews and blog posts devoted to villains popped up.
I even had the opportunity to chat with a blogger about what makes Iago so darn interesting. I thought that I had come to the fruition of my ideas and wrote the paper. In my meeting with Dr. Burton however, I discovered that I had only made a simple comparison, though an interesting one. After talking about it, a new topic appeared. I could use my research and observations to suggest that Villains are interesting because they express a trait that humans find attractive, namely their ability to assert themselves and be true to themselves. Villains are pure idealists. They live life exactly according to what they want and think. They have resolved the chaos within themselves. So, now I started looking at villains from the perspective that they were a representation of a trait that many people seek after. So, the result of this paper is the complete shattering of how I approach villains in literature in film. After a few more tweaks, Criterion will be getting an email from me tonight!