snake
/snāk/
A person (or in this case, a character) who is two faced. Someone who will definitely stab you in the back.
July 16 is World Snake Day, so I think that’s a good enough reason to round up some of the snakiest characters in literature. Tread carefully for there are spoilers ahead.
1. Edmund Pevensie – The Chronicles of Narnia
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I feel a little bad bringing him up for this list because yes, he was a kid and he probably didn’t know the consequences his actions would have. But still, telling all of his family’s business to the White Witch—and for a Turkish Delight of all things—is snake behavior.
2. Peter Pettigrew – Harry Potter
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So, technically he was a rat, but I think we can all agree that he was the BIGGEST SNAKE EVER. He betrayed all of his friends by becoming a Death Eater, selling out James, Lily, and Harry to Voldemort, and, as if that weren’t enough, faking his own death and framing Sirius for the betrayal. A snake if I ever knew one.
3. George Wickham – Pride and Prejudice
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George Wickham can appear particularly snake-y because he seemed so nice at the beginning. He wins over Elizabeth with his charm, but then uses it to spread lies about himself and Mr. Darcy. And not only that, but it is clear that he only pursues women for their money and goes as far as eloping with the young and naive Lydia. Maybe the most disappointing of all is that, even after all of that, he still manages to get the debt he continues to accumulate paid off by Elizabeth and Jane.
4. Frank Churchill – Emma
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Continuing on the Jane Austen train, Frank Churchill also belongs on this list. Though I’ll admit that his “crimes” are not as heinous as of those of Mr. Wickham, but still, he played around with other girls (mostly for appearances) while secretly engaged to Jane Fairfax. And in my eyes, that is enough to get him on this list.
5. Jamie Lannister – Game of Thrones
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Game of Thrones as a whole is just full of snake-like characters. There’s constant betrayals, backstabbings, double crossings, etc., but Jamie’s ones hurt just a little bit more because we were all kind of rooting for him. I’m not even talking about the whole “murdering the man he swore to protect by literally stabbing him on the back” thing, because he had a good reason for that. Maybe if we choose to ignore season 8, as one should, he wouldn’t be here. But alas.
6. Bunny – The Secret History
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I mean yeah, he is not the only bad character in this book, maybe not even the worst; and, after all, he is the one that got murdered by his friends, but can we admit that he was a big snake? Half the time he was friendly, the other half he was insulting and blackmailing his friends. Not to mention that he also just had a terrible personality and was very bigoted, which made it really easy to hate him. Sorry he got murdered, but he still gets the snake title.
7. Briony Tallis – Atonement
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The events that unfold because of the actions of this girl are just…tragic. By falsely accusing Cecilia’s lover of rape, she unfolds a terribly tragic series of events that could’ve been avoided if she didn’t tell that lie. Yes she was 13 years old, and she might’ve had some reasons to distrust Robbie, but still, she allowed the real criminal to get away and in the process broke her sister’s heart and basically destroyed the family. And on top of it all, also makes YOU believe that it all goes well at the end when the truth is not half as pretty.
8. Iago – Othello
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There are many backstabbers in the Shakespeare universe, but Iago might just be the worst one. His manipulation and betrayal of the people that trust him end up in the death of many characters including Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, and Roderigo. For that, he takes the title of the snakiest of the all.
9. Winston Smith – 1984
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This one also hurts different. Backstabbing and betrayal are not unusual in the world of 1984, but Winston having his wife Julia mangled by rats to save his own skin is just…sigh. I don’t want to talk about it.
10. President Coin – The Hunger Games
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We are so focused on the actions of President Snow during the events of The Hunger Games that we almost miss how bad President Coin is. In the pretense of doing it for justice and the liberation of the districts, she makes some seriously messed up decisions to ensure her ascension to power. Pretty snake-y of her.
11. Maven Calore – Red Queen
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That betrayal at the end of the first book was truly something. While his actions might’ve been influenced by his mother and her desire for power, he still betrayed his brother and the girl that he loved (loved used liberally here). He was given many chances to redeem himself, and Mare and Cal struggled to give up on him until the very end, but his desire to get out of his brother’s shadow was stronger at the end, so, snake.
12. Cardan Greenbriar – The Cruel Prince
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Not only was he a LITERAL snake for a short period of time, but he was also a metaphorical one for a while. Tricking Jude into marrying her and then immediately exiling her from the land? Snake behavior. He had his reasons of course, and he does redeem himself at the end, but I think he still goes on this list.
What other characters deserve a spot on the list?