Uriah Heep

array(1) { [0]=> array(4) { ["title"]=> string(10) "Uriah Heep" ["timestamp"]=> string(20) "2010-08-27T10:39:45Z" ["text"]=> string(7436) ":''This article is about the Dickens character. For the musical band of the same name, see [[Uriah Heep (band)]].'' [[File:Fred Barnard07.jpg|thumb|right|Drawing by Fred Barnard]] '''Uriah Heep''' is a [[fictional character]] created by [[Charles Dickens]] in his novel ''[[David Copperfield (novel)|David Copperfield]]''. The character is notable for his cloying humility, obsequiousness, and insincerity, making frequent references to his own "'umbleness". His name has become synonymous with being a [[Assistant#Yes man|yes man]].''[http://dws-sketch.uk.oup.com/cgi-bin/onlineOde/print_entry.cgi?id=Y000213991&match_point=2&lemma=&right_column_mode=synonyms&caption_style=short&search_type=simple Oxford English Dictionary]''. He is the central [[antagonist]] of the later part of the book. [[David Copperfield (character)|David]] first meets the 15-year-old Heep when he is living with [[David Copperfield (novel)#Characters in David Copperfield|Mr. Wickfield]] and his daughter Agnes, in chapter 15: :''[Uriah's face] was quite as cadaverous as it had looked in the window, though in the grain of it there was that tinge of red which is sometimes to be observed in the skins of red-haired people. It belonged to a red-haired person—a youth of fifteen, as I take it now, but looking much older—whose hair was cropped as close as the closest stubble; who had hardly any eyebrows, and no eyelashes, and eyes of a red-brown, so unsheltered and unshaded, that I remember wondering how he went to sleep. He was high-shouldered and bony; dressed in decent black, with a white wisp of a neckcloth; buttoned up to the throat; and had a long, lank, skeleton hand, which particularly attracted my attention, as he stood at the pony's head, rubbing his chin with it, and looking up at us in the chaise.'' Uriah has been employed as clerk to Wickfield for four years, since he was eleven. Uriah's father, who instilled him with the need to be humble, died when Uriah was ten, and for the first part of the novel he lives alone with his mother in their "umble abode". Copperfield takes an immediate and permanent dislike to Uriah, in spite of the latter's persistent, if insincere attempts to win his friendship. Uriah addresses Copperfield as “Master Copperfield� well into their adulthood, an indication of his true patronising view. Uriah is repeatedly mentioned as ugly and repulsive, even in his youth - tall, lank and pale with red hair and lashless eyes. He may be [[albino]], according to frequent mentions of his pale skin and red eyes, though this is never clearly stated. Dickens negatively emphasizes Uriah's movements as well, described as jerking and writhing; this leads some literary scholars {{cite web |url=http://www.wisegeek.com/who-is-uriah-heep.htm |title=''WiseGeek: Who is Uriah Heep?'' |accessdate = 2009-10-01 }} to believe Dickens is describing a form of [[dystonia]], a muscular disorder, to increase Uriah's snakelike character. Uriah explains in another part of the book that his ambition and greed are fueled by resentment from the double-standard of his schooling and from his treatment as a child, and by encouragement from his parents. As Uriah works for Wickfield for the next five or so years, he teaches himself law at night, and by blackmailing Mr. Wickfield, gains control over his business. He eventually succeeds in having himself made a full partner in the business. His eventual ambition is to marry Agnes and gain control of the Wickfield fortune. Like most of Dickens’ villains, greed is his main motivation. Heep is eventually stymied by [[Wilkins Micawber|Mr. Micawber]] and Tommy Traddles, with help from David and Agnes. Once his fraud and treachery are unmasked, he persists in hounding Micawber and Copperfield. Towards the end of the novel, he is last seen in Mr. Creakle’s prison where we find that he has returned to his “umble� ways, and puts himself forward as a model prisoner. He is said to be sentenced for transportation for life, which likely means he will eventually be sent to the penal colony Australia. ==Origins== Much of David Copperfield is autobiographical and some scholars[http://books.google.com/books?id=Af6ChENaR9cC&dq=who%27s+who+in+dickens&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=d3mgioHMox&sig=q_tUplsMUVbN7OlqtGyAnVt3Gg0&hl=en&ei=gcrESrS9G8np8Qa4rNE3&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CA0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=uriah%20heep&f=false "Who's who in Dickens"], by Donald Hawes. Thursday 1 Oct 2009. {{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/archive/programs/davidcopperfield/ |title=''Masterpiece Theatre: David Copperfield'' |accessdate = 2009-10-01 }} believe Heep's mannerisms and physical attributes to be based on [[Hans Christian Andersen]] whom Dickens met shortly before writing the novel. Uriah Heep's schemes and behavior are more likely based on Thomas Powell{{cite web |url=http://www.charlesdickensonline.com/Gallery/g322.htm |title=''The Extraordinary Life of Charles Dickens'' |accessdate = 2009-09-02 }}, employer to a friend of Dickens, Thomas Chapman. Powell "...ingratiated himself into the Dickens household" and was discovered to be a forger and a thief, having embezzled 10,000 pounds from his employer. He later attacked Dickens in pamphlets, calling particular attention to Dickens' social class and background. Powell was later deemed a lunatic. The characteristics of grasping manipulation and insincerity can lead to a person being labelled “a Uriah Heep� as [[Lyndon B. Johnson|Lyndon Johnson]] is called in [[Robert Caro]]’s biography. Seymour Fleming, a character in the play [[Babes in Arms]], is also called thus. {{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} Author [[Norman Mailer]] once compared [[President Richard Nixon]] to Uriah Heep.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} ==Film and television== In film and television adaptations, the character has been played by, amongst others, [[Roland Young]] (1935), [[Colin Jeavons]] (1966), [[Ron Moody]] (1970), [[Martin Jarvis (actor)|Martin Jarvis]] (1974), [[Paul Brightwell]] (1986), [[Nicholas Lyndhurst]] (1999), and [[Frank MacCusker]] (2000) and [[Simon Pegg]] (2009) {{cite web |url=http://velvetoctopus.com/copperfield |title=''Velvet Octopus Distribution: David Copperfield'' |publisher=www.velvetoctopus.com | accessdate = 2009-07-08}}. ==Cultural references== The British rock band [[Uriah Heep (band)|Uriah Heep]] is named after the character{{cite web |url=http://www.uriah-heep.com/newa/heepstory1.php |title=''Uriah Heep Story'' |author=Kirk Blows |publisher=www.uriah-heep.com | accessdate = 2007-03-15}}. In the [[BBC]] television series [[Blake's 7]], the computer character [[Scorpio (Blake's 7)#Slave|Slave]] was described by [[Peter Tuddenham]], who voiced it, as "...a Uriah Heep type of character...".{{cite book |title = Blake's 7: The Programme Guide |author = Tony Attwood et al |publisher = Virgin Books |year = 1994 |location = London |page = 225}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[http://how-serendipitous.webs.com/copperfield Information, Illustrations, Analysis, Select Resources on the novel] [[Category:David Copperfield characters|Heep]] [[Category:Fictional businesspeople|Heep]] [[fr:Uriah Heep (personnage)]] [[it:Uriah Heep]] [[pl:Uriasz Heep]] [[sv:Uriah Heep (fiktiv person)]]" ["html"]=> string(7215) "

This article is about the Dickens character. For the musical band of the same name, see Uriah Heep .

thumb|right|Drawing by Fred Barnard

Uriah Heep is a fictional character created by Charles Dickens in his novel David Copperfield.

The character is notable for his cloying humility, obsequiousness, and insincerity, making frequent references to his own "'umbleness". His name has become synonymous with being a yes man. Oxford English Dictionary. He is the central antagonist of the later part of the book. David first meets the 15-year-old Heep when he is living with Mr. Wickfield and his daughter Agnes, in chapter 15:

face was quite as cadaverous as it had looked in the window, though in the grain of it there was that tinge of red which is sometimes to be observed in the skins of red-haired people. It belonged to a red-haired person—a youth of fifteen, as I take it now, but looking much older—whose hair was cropped as close as the closest stubble; who had hardly any eyebrows, and no eyelashes, and eyes of a red-brown, so unsheltered and unshaded, that I remember wondering how he went to sleep. He was high-shouldered and bony; dressed in decent black, with a white wisp of a neckcloth; buttoned up to the throat; and had a long, lank, skeleton hand, which particularly attracted my attention, as he stood at the pony's head, rubbing his chin with it, and looking up at us in the chaise.

Uriah has been employed as clerk to Wickfield for four years, since he was eleven. Uriah's father, who instilled him with the need to be humble, died when Uriah was ten, and for the first part of the novel he lives alone with his mother in their "umble abode". Copperfield takes an immediate and permanent dislike to Uriah, in spite of the latter's persistent, if insincere attempts to win his friendship. Uriah addresses Copperfield as “Master Copperfield� well into their adulthood, an indication of his true patronising view.

Uriah is repeatedly mentioned as ugly and repulsive, even in his youth - tall, lank and pale with red hair and lashless eyes. He may be albino, according to frequent mentions of his pale skin and red eyes, though this is never clearly stated. Dickens negatively emphasizes Uriah's movements as well, described as jerking and writhing; this leads some literary scholars{{cite web|url=http://www.wisegeek.com/who-is-uriah-heep.htm|title=WiseGeek: Who is Uriah Heep?|accessdate = 2009-10-01}}to believe Dickens is describing a form of dystonia, a muscular disorder, to increase Uriah's snakelike character. Uriah explains in another part of the book that his ambition and greed are fueled by resentment from the double-standard of his schooling and from his treatment as a child, and by encouragement from his parents. As Uriah works for Wickfield for the next five or so years, he teaches himself law at night, and by blackmailing Mr. Wickfield, gains control over his business.

He eventually succeeds in having himself made a full partner in the business. His eventual ambition is to marry Agnes and gain control of the Wickfield fortune. Like most of Dickens’ villains, greed is his main motivation. Heep is eventually stymied by Mr. Micawber and Tommy Traddles, with help from David and Agnes. Once his fraud and treachery are unmasked, he persists in hounding Micawber and Copperfield. Towards the end of the novel, he is last seen in Mr. Creakle’s prison where we find that he has returned to his “umble� ways, and puts himself forward as a model prisoner. He is said to be sentenced for transportation for life, which likely means he will eventually be sent to the penal colony Australia.

Origins

Much of David Copperfield is autobiographical and some scholars "Who's who in Dickens", by Donald Hawes. Thursday 1 Oct 2009.

{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/archive/programs/davidcopperfield/|title=Masterpiece Theatre: David Copperfield|accessdate = 2009-10-01}} believe Heep's mannerisms and physical attributes to be based on Hans Christian Andersen whom Dickens met shortly before writing the novel. Uriah Heep's schemes and behavior are more likely based on Thomas Powell{{cite web|url=http://www.charlesdickensonline.com/Gallery/g322.htm|title=The Extraordinary Life of Charles Dickens|accessdate = 2009-09-02}}, employer to a friend of Dickens, Thomas Chapman. Powell "...ingratiated himself into the Dickens household" and was discovered to be a forger and a thief, having embezzled 10,000 pounds from his employer. He later attacked Dickens in pamphlets, calling particular attention to Dickens' social class and background. Powell was later deemed a lunatic.

The characteristics of grasping manipulation and insincerity can lead to a person being labelled “a Uriah Heep� as Lyndon Johnson is called in Robert Caro’s biography. Seymour Fleming, a character in the play Babes in Arms, is also called thus. Author Norman Mailer once compared President Richard Nixon to Uriah Heep.

Film and television

In film and television adaptations, the character has been played by, amongst others, Roland Young (1935), Colin Jeavons (1966), Ron Moody (1970), Martin Jarvis (1974), Paul Brightwell (1986), Nicholas Lyndhurst (1999), and Frank MacCusker (2000) and Simon Pegg (2009) {{cite web|url=http://velvetoctopus.com/copperfield|title=Velvet Octopus Distribution: David Copperfield|publisher=www.velvetoctopus.com| accessdate = 2009-07-08}}.

Cultural references

The British rock band Uriah Heep is named after the character{{cite web|url=http://www.uriah-heep.com/newa/heepstory1.php|title=Uriah Heep Story|author=Kirk Blows|publisher=www.uriah-heep.com| accessdate = 2007-03-15}}.

In the BBC television series Blake's 7, the computer character Slave was described by Peter Tuddenham, who voiced it, as "...a Uriah Heep type of character...".{{cite book|title = Blake's 7: The Programme Guide|author = Tony Attwood et al|publisher = Virgin Books|year = 1994|location = London|page = 225}}

References

External links

• Information, Illustrations, Analysis, Select Resources on the novel

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