Judge William Turpin is the main antagonist in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Biography[]
Judge Turpin first appeared when he had Benjamin Barker arrested, due to his infatuation with Barker's wife Lucy. He exiles Barker to Australia on false charges. Lucy is heartbroken, and becomes a recluse, never coming down from her home. Judge Turpin continuously pursues her, sending her flowers each day. He sends his right-hand Beadle Bamford to summon her to his home, "blaming himself for her dreadful plight". At his house, during a masque ball, he drugs and rapes Lucy, who tries to kill herself by drinking poison, though she actually survives and is driven insane before being reduced to begging in the street.
Turpin then takes Barker's infant daughter Johanna, and raises her as his ward. He keeps her locked away from the world and spies on her through a peephole in her wall. When Johanna turns 16, Turpin offers her his hand in marriage. She refuses, to which he seems baffled. When he spots Anthony Hope with Johanna, he threatens to kill him if he ever returns. Turpin is later seen sentencing a child to be hanged for petty crimes.
On Bamford's advice, he goes for a shave at Sweeney Todd's barbershop, in order to impress Johanna, unaware that Todd is in fact Barker, returned from Australia and hell-bent on revenge. Todd is about to cut Turpin's throat when he is interrupted by Anthony, who reveals Johanna's plan to escape. Turpin promptly leaves, renouncing Todd's business. Turpin returns home and commits Johanna to an insane asylum, telling the owner Jonas Fogg that she is mad.
Death[]
Turpin receives a letter claiming that Johanna has repented, and only wants his love. He is delighted and, following the direction of the letter, goes to Todd's shop, where he is persuaded to have a shave. Turpin soon realizes Todd's true identity, and Todd savagely stabs him in the neck before slitting his throat. He then drops Turpin down the chute. Before he bleeds to death, Turpin grabs at Todd's accomplice Mrs. Lovett when she discovers him lying on her cellar floor.
Judge Turpin's Death
His death won the Golden Chainsaw award because of how graphic it was.
Trivia[]
- He was played by the late Alan Rickman who also played Severus Tobias Snape in the Harry Potter franchise, The Blue Caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland and it's 2016 sequel, The Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Joe in A Fish Tale and Hans Gruber in Die Hard.