| Sweeney Todd | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Unknown |
|
First Appearance |
The String of Pearls (1846-1847) |
|
Original Publisher |
Edward Lloyd |
|
Created by |
James Malcolm Rymer (Possibly) Thomas Peckett Prest (Possibly) |
Origin[]
Sweeney Todd is the main antagonist of the penny dreadful The String of Pearls. He is a barber and serial killer that murders his clients and gives their bodies to his neighbor and accomplice Mrs. Lovett, who makes them into meat pies. Originally, his main modus operandi was sending his victims into a pit with a booby-trapped barber's chair, resulting in them breaking their necks or skulls open on the stone floor, and then cutting their throats with his straight razor if they survive. Most versions however, instead have him killing them with his razor in the first place. The original version had no backstory or redeeming qualities, simply being a villain only motivated by profit and sadism. However, later stories, such as in the play by Chritopher Bond or the Musical by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, usually turn him into a tragic figure. The story, along with early adaptations of it, also claimed that it was based real events, though this is thought to fabrication.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The String of Pearls (1846-1847)
Public Domain Theatrical Appearances[]
- The String of Pearls, or The Fiend of Fleet Street (1847)
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- Sweeney Todd (1928)
Triva[]
- In the musical, his real name is Benjamin Barker. However, he does not have any alternative name in the original story.