The Dark Lady is a stock character in fiction. Her darkness is either literal, meaning that she has a dark skin, or metaphorical in that she is a tragic, doomed figure. The two may go together, with one being an allegory for the other. The Dark Lady is not usually seen to be married to a Dark Lord.
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare wrote of a Dark Lady in his sonnets. The woman is described as having both dark features and having a dark nature. There has been much speculation as to her true identity. He also created several, doomed dark ladies as characters in his plays such as Cleopatra and Lady Macbeth.
In American literature
In American media, she is often portrayed as Latina.
Notable Dark Ladies
- Jadis, the White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia.
- Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty and Kingdom Hearts.
See also
- Femme fatale
References
