Great villains
Sir: Oh, poor Iago: 'the greatest villain in English literature'! The next time Mr Waugh is flinching under 'Who steals my purse, steals trash' and so on (21 February) — or indeed the next time Mr Evans or anyone else feels a writ for libel coming on — he might usefully brood on Iago to Cassio ('Reputation! 0, I have lost my reputation!'), earlier: 'I thought you had received some bodily wound! There is more offence in that than in reputation. Reputation is an idle and most false imposition . . . You have lost no reputation at all unless you repute yourself the loser.'
Although it is true, of course, that people have in the past looked on libel damages as a useful form of income.
As for Iago: I would defend him against Shylock, as our greatest literary villain, at any time.
Anne Woolfe 70 Hatton Garden, London EC1
Previous page
