Persson 1

Zach F. Persson
Dr. Theile
English 382: Film Genre and Styles
December 15, 2015
Alan Moore and James McTeigues V for Vendetta
V, the protagonist from Alan Moores graphic novel V for Vendetta, is widely accepted as
the hero of the story. This is a very curious categorization of his character because of the actions
he commits along with the literary and historical figures he aligns himself with throughout the
narrative. In the novel, V is constantly quoting Macbeth, but the more obvious remains with Guy
Fawkes, the name synonymous with the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Neither Macbeth nor Fawkes
is remembered as heroes, in fact effigies of Guy Fawkes are burned in England on the
anniversary of the Powder Treason to this day. Macbeth was the murderous villain that
committed regicide in order to assume control of Scotland. His guilty conscience eventually
eroded his sanity culminating in vengeance being brought against him. V is hardly any different
than either man in form; he is essentially a terrorist, yet he is seldom observed that way. The
question of Vs perception as a hero can be answered through the concepts and subliminal motifs
that the author and director are trying to convey to their audience. Vs quotation of Shakespeare
provides cultural capital recognizable to the audience and links him to the tragic heroes being
referenced. His Shakespearean connection aids in the positive perception subsequent heroic
status. This visage of V creates a domino effect altering the how the audience views Guy Fawkes
and perhaps even Macbeth. In essence, it revises the mythology of these characters because of
their similarity and association to V forcing the audience to rethink the assessments of these two
well-known terrorists. Alicia Ostriker created the concept of remythologizes as revisionist

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mythmaking, a theory that is particularly useful in the analysis of V and Macbeth (Ostriker
212). Moore and McTeigue explodes the binary conceptions of Fawkes and Macbeth and forces
reevaluation of their negative brands through the unique hero of V for Vendetta.
Quotations of William Shakespeare are pervasive in both the graphic novel and the film
providing cultural capital assisting in the positive characterization of V. Robert Dale Parker
discusses cultural capital in his book How to Interpret Literature and explains that our aesthetic
style and tastes is not really our own but rather the result of societal conditioning (Parker 243).
Thus, society has constructed the education system such that Shakespeare has become a staple of
literature resulting in its widespread influence. The pervasiveness of his works perpetuates
knowledge of tragic heroes such as Macbeth, Hamlet, and Othello and the existence of their
tragic flaws. The quotations permeate V for Vendetta to provide linkage between V and these
well known tragic heroes subliminally conveying that he also a tragically flawed hero and not a
villain. Moore employs only Macbeth in the graphic novel, however McTeigue uses a variety of
the Bards works illustrating this correlation for their audience.
Moore and McTeigue both utilize mise en scene heavily conveying more to the audience
than the words of the characters can do alone. The first scene featuring V in McTeigues
adaptation captures him in front of a well-lit makeup mirror with a bust of William Shakespeare
in the top right corner of the frame. The screenplay for V for Vendetta actually featured V quoting
some of the first lines of Sonnet 55 then speaking informally to the Bard, Not Mars sword, nor
wars quick fire, shall burn the living record of your memory. Dont wait up for me Bill. I intend
to enjoy myself tonight (Lamm and Bray 13-14). V speaks while looking at himself serves as a
promise to preserve Guy Fawkes memory. The colloquial iteration to Shakespeare presents him
as a not-so-subtle ally in his vendetta (Friedman 124). Macbeth enters both the graphic novel and

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the adaptation during the attempted rape of Evey by the Fingerman; V intervenes immediately
uttering:
The multiplying villainies do swarm upon him and fortune, on his damned quarrel,
smiling, showed like a rebels whore. But alls too weak; for brave Macbethwell he
deserves that namedisdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, which smoked with
bloody execution. Lie valours minion, carved out his passage till he faced the slave;
which neer shook hands, nor bade farewell to him (Moore 11-12).
This quote, taken from the famous Captains speech to Duncan, emphasizes the exploits of
Macbeth on the battlefield (Macbeth 1.2). Duncan had dispatched Macbeth to lead his men to
quell a rebellion instigated by Macdonwald, the King of Norway, and the Thane of Cawdor. An
interesting first speech because it is one that extolls the virtue and supreme skill of Macbeth to
the audience, portraying him in a rare positive aspect. Perhaps Moore alludes to his
remythologizing of Macbeth through this primary speech where Macbeth is praised for being a
hero and V, in turn, presents himself in the same light by rescuing Evey from a despicable fate.
McTeigue heightens the heroism of V by increasing the innocence of Evey in his adaption; she is
not going out to prostitute herself, but rather she is going to meet a friend and breaks curfew by a
matter of minutes. This scene subconsciously revises audience perception of both Guy Fawkes
and Macbeth the when V saves Evey as all three figures are now linked with heroism. McTeigue
alters this scene further by adding Vs quotation of Polonius from Hamlet to the Fingermen
before he kills the last one:
We are oft to blame in this:
Tis too much proved that with devotions visage
And pious action we do sugar oer
The devil himself (Hamlet 3.1.46-49).

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This speech emphasizes the hypocrisy of the Fingermen that are attempting to perpetrate both a
gang rape and murder when they are duty-sworn to protect Evey. This speech also presents V as
an analogue of Hamlet; a revenger seeking retribution against an authority figure whose own
crimes render him unfit for is office as in the case of both Claudius and Sutler (Friedman 126).
Vs disdain for the Sutler and permeates all levels of his government leading to his
assassination of Bishop Lilliman and V for Vendettas portrayal of religion in the text and film.
Bishop Lilliman was a puppet for the government that preached as they pleased and was more
than happy to do so as he was growing extremely wealthy as a result of his allegiance. Also, the
Bishop was a pedophile heightening the audience disgust of his character. V retains Eveys
assistance in order to gain access to the Bishops private quarters exploiting his deviancy. In the
film adaptation V enters the room and quotes Richard Gloucester:
And thus I clothe my naked villainy
With odd old ends, stoln forth of Holy Writ,
And seem a saint when most I play the devil (Richard III 1.3.334-336).
Richard Gloucesters meaning in this speech is that he will disguise his evil machinations
through the usage of Scripture and the appearance of good intention. Vs meaning is that this
man of God is disguised as a saint but his true nature is evil. McTeigue drives this point home
by having Bishop Lilliman run over to a Bible in his room that is hollowed out so that he can
hide his pistol within.
Through Vs association with Shakespeare, it is undeniable that he is intended to be the
tragic hero analogous to Macbeth and Hamlet. Also, Vs quest for retribution is not only for
himself, but also he is fighting for Valerie Page, the woman in cell IV. He read her autobiography
on the toilet paper; her story gave him both hope and instilled within him a connection to this
woman that had endured a similar torture. Valerie Page becomes a surrogate family member that

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needs to be revenged in the narrative of a tragedy analogous to the ghost of Hamlets father; this
quest for filial justice enhances the heroic nature of the cause of the avenger. Another aspect of
revenge tragedies is the protagonists excessively violent tendencies that are employed in order
to achieve their goals. This is wildly evident in V for Vendetta, Hamlet, and Macbeth where the
tragic heroes all commit homicidal actions. The violent behavior of the tragic hero necessitates
their equally tragic demise at the end of the narrative. Hamlet and Vs quests create collateral
damage and must pay for their violence with their lives. In his article, Shakespeare and the
Catholic Revenger: V for Vendetta Michael Friedman explains that, In revenge tragedies, the
protagonists use of violence threatens to lower him to the moral standards of his enemy, and he
must pay with his life for the violence (Friedman 119).
In their essay, Heroes and Superheroes, Jeph Loeb and Tim Morris define hero as a
moral category (Morris 12). The article claims, No level of achievements alone is enough to
make someone a hero. That person must embody noble qualities as well. Go look up the word
noble and youll find phrases like of lofty character or ideals or morally elevated.(Morris
12). The definition of hero is much more subjective than most would presume as it is relegated to
the realm of morality. V for Vendetta enlightens its audience to the subjectivity of morality as
well as heroes.
The mise en scene of the graphic novel alludes to the subjectivity of heroism consistently.
V is portrayed as heroic through his rescue of Evey, and he even exclaims, Youyou rescued
me! Like in a story! I dont believe it (Moore 13). Eveys proclamation of Vs heroism
abandons subtlety in order elucidate the answer V gives her as to who he is, Me? Im the King
of the twentieth century. Im the bogeyman. The villain. The black sheep of the family (Moore
13). Alan Moore takes an instance of clear-cut heroics and muddles it with Macbeth, Fawkes,

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and Vs self-proclaimed villainy. The point that Moore is conveying to the reader is that a hero is
not always so clear-cut as one would imagine. Consider Guy Fawkes: he was a man that simply
wished to attain religious freedom and eliminate the persecution that James I allowed and
instigated against Catholicism. In fact, many modern-day Catholics do not view Fawkes in the
same terroristic aspect that the Protestant English do but rather as a man that fought for his
beliefs and was willing to pay for it with his life. Moore, well aware of the differing opinions on
Guy Fawkes, capitalizes on that idea in order to prove his point. In a scene where V and Evey are
having a conversation, V tells her, Everybody is special. Everybody. Everybody is a hero, a
lover, a fool, a villain. Everybody. Everybody has their story to tell. Even Evey Hammond. I
should very much like to hear Evey Hammonds story (Moore 26). This is yet another scene
where the hero and villain dichotomy is proposed to be gray rather than black and white detailing
the instability of such a classification. Furthermore, another scene in the graphic novel Evey asks
V what an inscription on his wall means to which he replies, Its a quotation. A mottoVi veri
veniversum vivus vici. By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.
Latin (Moore 43). This phrase comes from Dr. Faustus a tragedy written by Christopher
Marlowe in which the titular character makes a deal with the devil that affords him control over
the demon Mephistophilis for the time period of twenty-four years in exchange for his soul. After
V iterates and translates the quotation for her Evey wants to make a deal with V to which he
declines; Evey persists, however, and the deal is struck ultimately. After they strike the deal,
Evey wants to know who originally said the quote, to which V replies, Nobody youd have
heard of. A German gentleman named Dr. John Faust. He made a deal, too (Moore 44). The
insertion of the quotation from Dr. Faustus and the deal that is struck between Evey and V is
all too reminiscent of plot of Marlowes tragedy. Moore referenced this to complicate the image

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of V as the hero and a devil, a point that is driven home through the mise en scene when V kills
Bishop Lilliman in the graphic novel. The bottom left frame on page fifty-four features V in the
center of the frame introducing himself to the twisted clergyman and he clearly has horns
portraying him as a literal devil. The horns looks as though they are the sheen of his hair
reflecting against the light, however, the placement is undoubtedly for the effect of a horned and
devilish hero. Again, Moore alters the image of a hero through V for Vendetta.
Moore continues the complication of his definition of a hero when V captures Evey,
imprisons her, and makes her believe that she is in the most dire of situations. He tortures her
regularly, mentally and physically, in the novel and the adaptation. Evey doesnt give in to the
torture and the audience is entirely unaware of Vs implication in the maltreatment of Evey as
well. Both Evey and the reader discover that V was the warden of the prison at the exact same
moment creating a severe disgust for V as a character, also making it difficult to perceive him as
heroic at all. V staged the entire prison, ever the slave to melodramatics, and tortured Evey so
that she could truly be free. V explains, Youre in a prison, Evey. You were born in a prison.
Youve been in a prison so long you no longer believe theres a world outside (Moore 170). V
imprisoned Evey and brought her to the ultimatum of the death of her principles and the physical
death, she chose the latter which showed the content of her character. Vs image becomes ugly to
the audience for his callousness toward Evey, however, she is eventually able to understand. In a
very poignant scene, Evey kisses V (the mask of Fawkes) and forgives him, V? Thank you.
Thank you for what youve done for me (Moore 174). Evey is able to forgive V, and this fact
brings the audience to the same state of forgiveness toward the hero.
Alan Moores V for Vendetta and James McTeigues adaptation of the popular story both
reconfigure the concrete definition of a hero. V performs heroic acts such as the rescue of Evey

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and the avenging of the evils committed against Valerie Page. Also, he catalyzes reformation in
England through his destruction of the corrupt government. Moore associates V with notable
villains such as Guy Fawkes and Macbeth, which complicates his status as a hero. The morality
of the Macbeth and Guy Fawkes is in question. Moore realizes this, however, and seeks to
educate the reader that heroes are always considered as such. Guy Fawkes is a well-known
terrorist that sought to blow up parliament and commit regicide, paying for his treason with his
life. Upon closer examination of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators, however, it is obvious that
they were fighting for religious freedoms and to stop the persecution of practicing Catholics in
England. In fact, depending upon where you are, the visage of Guy Fawkes does change from
terrorist to religious martyr. Sinead Cusack, the Irish actress that played the role of Delia
Surridge, was well aware of the Gunpowder Plot in addition to the different perspective that
many Irish share on the matter. She recalled seeing a placard in a bar in Ireland that read, Guy
Fawkes, the only man to enter the Houses of Parliament with honest intentions (McTeigue).
Additionally, the associations between Shakespeare and V are inserted into the narrative to
provide cultural capital for the audience allowing them to assess V as the hero of a revenge
tragedy. Shakespeare is prevalent throughout the mise en scene and the dialogue depicting V as
another Hamlet seeking retribution against an authority figure whose own crimes render him
unfit for his office. V is avenging a surrogate family member his use of violence threatens to loer
him to the moral standards of his enemy necessitating his death so that justice may be appeased
on all fronts. Moore and McTeigue both employ their respective mediums to prove that the moral
aspect that defines a hero is so subjective that a hero may at times appear as a villain. Through
their efforts we can see that those perceived and branded as villains such as Guy Fawkes and
perhaps even brave Macbeth, could be heroes rather than terrorists.

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Works Cited
Friedman, Michael D. Shakespeare and the Catholic Revenger: V for Vendetta. Literature
Film Quarterly 38.2 (2000): 117-133. Web. 5 December 2015.
Lamm, Spencer, and Sharon Bray, eds. V for Vendetta: From Script to Film. New York:
Universe, 2006. Print.
McCall, Jessica. V for Vendetta: A Graphic Retelling of Macbeth. Popular Culture Review
20.1 (2009): 45-60. Web. 5 December 2015.
McTeigue, James dir. V for Vendetta. DVD Two-Disc Special Edition. Warner Brothers, 2006.
Moore, Alan. V for Vendetta. New York: DC Comics, 2005. Print.
Morris, Tom and matt, ed. Superheroes and Philosophy. Chicago: Opencourt, 2005.
Ostriker, Alicia. Stealing the Language. Boston: Beacon Press, 1986. Print.
Parker, Robert Dale. How To Interpret Literature: Critical Theory for Literary and Cultural
Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2015. Print.
Wills, Garry. Witches and Jesuits: Shakespeares Macbeth. New York: Oxford University Press,
1995.