Here goes a
question inspired by the previous entry, WORLD BOOK DAY.
If you had to dress up as a literary character,
who would you choose?
Below you
can find 10 of the most popular characters in literary history:
SOURCE:
Wikipedia
CAPTAIN AHAB
The captain
of the Pequod in Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby-Dick, a tyrannical character who dooms his crew (except
Ishmael) to death driven by a monomaniacal desire to kill Moby Dick.
Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab in John Houston's film adaptation(1956)
THE HATTER
The Hatter is
a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and
the story's sequel Through the
Looking-Glass (1871). He is often referred to as the Mad Hatter, though
this term was never used by Carroll. The phrase "mad as a hatter"
pre-dates Carroll's works and the characters the Hatter and the March Hare are
initially referred to as "both mad" by the Cheshire Cat, with both
first appearing in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in the well-known chapter
titled "A Mad Tea-Party".
The Hatter as depicted by Sir John Tennien
OPHELIA
Ophelia is
a fictional character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. She is a young
noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and
potential wife of Prince Hamlet. As one of the few female characters in the
play, she is used as a contrasting plot device to Hamlet's mother, Gertrude.
After his father is killed by the man she loves, she becomes mad and is later
reported to have killed herself before the story finishes.
Ophelia, by John Everett Millais
SHERLOCK HOLMES
Holmes is a
fictional detective created by author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He
first appeared in publication in 1887 and was featured in four novels and 56
short stories A London-based
"consulting detective" whose abilities border on the fantastic, Holmes
is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to adopt almost any
disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve difficult cases.
Statue of Sherlock Holmes in Edinburgh
ThE EVIL QUEEN
The Queen
is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the German fairy tale
"Snow White", recorded by the Brothers Grimm in 1882. The Queen is
beautiful, but narcissistic and cruel, and dabbles in witchcraft. She marries a
widowed king, who has a daughter called Snow White from his first wife. The
Queen envies Snow White's beauty, so attempts to have her killed, setting the
story in motion.
Disney's Evil Queen from Snowhite and the Seven Dwarves (1939)
EMMA WOODHOUSE
Emma Woodhouse
the protagonist of the Jane Austen’s Emma
(1815). She is a beautiful, high-spirited, intelligent, and 'slightly'
spoiled young woman. Although intelligent, she lacks the necessary discipline
to practice or study anything in depth. She is portrayed as very compassionate
to the poor, but at the same time has a strong sense of class. Her affection
for and patience towards her hypochondriac father are also noteworthy. While
she is in many ways mature for her age, Emma makes some serious mistakes,
mainly due to her conviction that she is always right and her lack of real
world experience.
Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma in a 1996 film adaptation
FRANKENSTEIN'S CREATURE
The
Creature (or monster) is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary
Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein. It
was created by Victor Frankenstein in an attempt to create life from death. As
depicted by Shelley, the monster is a sensitive, emotional creature whose only
aim is to share his life with another sentient being like himself. The novel
portrays him as intelligent and literate, having read Paradise Lost, Plutarch's Lives, and The Sorrows of Young Werther. From
the beginning the monster is rejected by everyone he meets. He realizes from
the moment of his "birth" that even his own creator cannot stand be
around him. Upon seeing his own reflection, he realizes that he too cannot
stand to see himself. His greatest desire is to find love and acceptance, but
when that desire is denied, he swears revenge on all mankind, especially his
creator, Victor Frankenstein.
Boris Karloff as the Monster in a 1931 film adaptation
COUNT DRACULA
Count
Dracula is the title character and primary antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897
Gothic horror novel Dracula (1897).
He is described as an archetypal vampire. Some aspects of the character are
inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III
the Impaler, who was also known as "Dracula." The character appears
frequently in popular culture, from films to animated media to breakfast
cereals.
Christopher Lee, one of Dracula's most popular interpreters
HESTER PRYNNE
Hester
Prynne is the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter (1850). She is portrayed as a woman condemned by her
Puritan neighbors for committing adultery after being forced to marry a man
older than her. She eventually becomes an angel of mercy who lives out her life
as a figure of compassion in the community.
Demi Moore as Hester Prynee in a 1995 film adaptation
MISS MARPLE
Jane Marple
is a fictional character appearing in 12 of Agatha Christie's crime novels and
in 20 short stories. Miss Marple is an elderly spinster who lives in the
village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur detective.
Joan Hickson as BBC's Miss Marple
Can you
think of any other character? We’d love to hear your suggestions!
