he plays the role of the duplicitous knave who tries to foil the play's hero
Recent Examples on the WebHowever, having dispensed with the knave who was for a while also their ace, the Tories now must find a leader who can revive an electoral coalition that only Boris could ever have built. The Editors, National Review, 8 July 2022 But as Karl suggests, Trump was a knave, not a fool.Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2021 The supporting cast includes knaves and villans such as outlaw John Wesley Hardin, Mexican General Santa Anna and swindler Billy Sol Estes. John Maccormack, ExpressNews.com, 27 May 2020 Identifying Figueras as a fellow-knave, Cassidy gives him a delicate sin to commit. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2020 Anybody who makes firm predictions now is a fool or a knave. John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2020 The Founding Fathers were not unaware of the possibility that a demagogue or a knave might win the presidency. Ezra Klein, Vox, 6 Sep. 2018 Anyone who has observed both major parties over the decades knows that each party has its share of fools, knaves, and outright crooks. John Fund, National Review, 8 Oct. 2017 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English cnafa; akin to Old High German knabo boy
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Time Traveler
The first known use of knave was before the 12th century