IT seems unfair that so much is made of the heroes of English literature when some of its most memorable characters are actually the villains. Tale after tale shows a good villain can carry a plot almost unaided. No matter how feeble or indecisive the main character is, if the antagonist is vile and mesmerising enough, you’ll continue to turn the pages, praying that, at some point, the odious fiend meets their downfall.
Part of the reason villains can often be the most compelling characters is that they don’t have to conform to the oppressive level of goodness that constricts the protagonists—especially the ones you find in Victorian literature. Without a really strong enemy, well-meaning characters would simply be a little… dull. Flat. Boring. The villains, on the other hand, are free to have their own, often idiosyncratic agendas and their sheer disregard for rules,
