There is so much foreshadowing and so many parallels throughout the book and if I pointed them all out, I think this post would verge on Les Mis territory, so I’ll just be pointing out some of my favorite moments! Something that I think Rio did particularly well was using the four main Shakespeare plays mentioned in the book - Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and King Lear - as mirrors and foreshadowing for the events of the book, which is what I am going to be discussing and analyzing! One of my favorite things about the book is how seamlessly his works and language are woven into the story.

Shakespeare has an immense influence on If We Were Villains, and really, he is the most important character in the book. This post is basically all spoilers - I can’t really get into the nitty gritty parallels, influences, and foreshadowing without doing so - so if you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend reading it and then checking this post! Okay, it’s gonna be a long one, friends, so get comfy, grab some tea, and let’s get started!

I also thought this was the perfect time to do so because I’ve (unintentionally) reread If We Were Villains on September 14th for the last two years - so it made sense to do a reread and re-annotation this month! I did annotate a copy of If We Were Villains earlier this year, but I did so before I really started to develop my process for annotating, so, I wanted to try again with my more specific and detailed system. Happy Wednesday, everyone! I hope that you’re doing well and staying safe! This week, I’m bringing you another Annotate with Me post, and this time I’m highlighting my favorite book - If We Were Villains by M.L.

We were villains