Hart is a freelance writer and author of several books. In this essay, Hart explores the complexities of protagonist Alexa Vere de Vere, finding personality traits in Alexa that mirror those of her so-called victims.

Beane's play As Bees in Honey Drown has a female villain who could almost outrank Cruella DeVil from the classic 101 Dalmatians. Although similarly coldhearted, Alexa Vere de Vere, however, is not quite as flat a character as Cruella. The 101 Dalmatians villain is a stereotypical character who represents evil personified. She has, in other words, no saving graces. Beane's Alexa Vere de Vere, in contrast, is more real, more complex, or to put it more simply, she is more human. And when looked at even more closely, she is not very different from her fellow characters in the play, her so-called victims.

One of the first things about Alexa that stands out is...