The present article examines the concept of evil and the manifestation
of the so-called intimate enemy in literature. The demonstration of evil
will be investigated within the novel, The Rebel Angels (1981) by Canadian
author Robertson Davies (1913-1995). This is a Gothic novel set within a
modern Canadian university with characters and setting that highlight the
traditional understanding of the nineteenth century Gothic. Curiously,
it is not the main characters that establish the atmosphere, but rather a
secondary character, John Parlabane, who becomes the focal point of the
work through his devious machinations, which manifest in the notable
figure of the Machiavellian villain. Elaine Pagels defines this figure as
the “intimate enemy”, the morality plays of the Middle Ages name it the
Vice, while in Shakespearean drama this is the devious Machiavel, who
tortures, murders, and entertains itself by cheating, lying, and creating
havoc within its own milieu. Whether the “intimate enemy”, the Vice
and the Machiavel are the same manifestation, but with a different name
will be the focus of the present paper.
