> nearly every villian in Shakespearean tragedy is a kind of Dionysian guard, (I think that's the term) whispering into the ear of whoever is vulnerable enough to listen and believe. It's a very effective method, as we all have people that do this to us, almost 400 years later.

Eep. My favorite roles to play/read are villians-- 'specially in musicals-- but I never really thought of myself as an evil kind of villain, just the greater of two minor evils.

The whispering in the ear of those who would listen... well, I've been doing a bit of that lately. 'Course, it's required, but I've actually been enjoying it.