A Look at Judges in Fiction

A Look at Judges in Fiction

Judges are not only found in reality, but they are also found in different mediums. Such people can be found in books, in plays, in television shows and of course, in films. The portrayal of the fictional individual in this profession has the tendency to vary greatly, depending on the settings these characters find themselves in. It can range from being highly accurate to slightly exaggerated and then there are those that are downright inaccurate.

Here are a few examples of fictional judges and how they are portrayed within their medium:

* Judge Turpin (Sweeney Todd) - Judge Turpin serves as the primary antagonist in the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Abusing his power as a judge, Turpin wrongfully sentences an innocent barber, Benjamin Barker, to life imprisonment so that he could have an affair with Barker's wife. Later on, he adopts Barker's daughter as his ward, but lusts after her the same way he lusted after her mother.

Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin

Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin
Source: wikipedia.org

* Judge Constance Harm and Judge Snyder (Simpsons) - These two are characters from the extremely popular and long running sitcom, The Simpsons. Of the two, Judge Constance Harm is the harsher one. As a frightening disciplinarian, she enjoys devising cruel punishments for criminals in her court. In contrast, Judge Snyder is friendlier, more lenient and is a firm believer in 'boys will be boys.'

Judge Constance Harm Source: simpsons.wikia.com
Judge Constance Harm
Source: simpsons.wikia.com
Judge Snyder from The Simpsons Source: simpsons.wikia
Judge Snyder from The Simpsons
Source: simpsons.wikia
* Judge Dredd (Judge Dredd) - Nothing about this character suggests that he is a judge in the typical definition. Rather, this character is from a dystopian future where 'street judges' patrol Mega-City One. These judges have the power to instantly convict, sentence and execute any and all offenders. Dredd is the most famous of them and is notorious for never revealing the full extent of his face. Due to his trademark mask, only his jaw is ever seen.
"I AM THE LAW!" - Judge Dredd Source: brokenfrontier.com
"I AM THE LAW!" - Judge Dredd
Source: brokenfrontier.com
As seen by these examples, the portrayal of fictional judges have the tendency to vary greatly. Quite a few of these characters have gone on to have memorable tenures in their respective mediums. Some have even become cultural icons, to be seen or read about by numerous generations to come. Others are not so fortunate and slip into obscurity.
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