Brigid O'Shaughnessy

WARNING: This character article contains major spoilers for the novel The Maltese Falcon, and its 1941 film adaptation! Mentioning nearly anything about this character (sometimes even their name) will often reveal spoilers about the work they feature in, which predictably makes talking about it difficult. You can still read this character page, just know that there will be some major plot points revealed from the character's work. We hold no responsibility for any negative effects these facts may have on your enjoyment of said media should you continue. You've been warned.

Brigid O'Shaughnessy
"Oh, I'm - I'm so tired, so tired of lying and making up lies, not knowing what is a lie and what's the truth. I wish"
Appearances
First Appearance	The Maltese Falcon (novel)
Physical Description
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Actors
English	Mary Astor (1941 film)
Alignment and Traits
Alignments	Bad

Brigid O'Shaughnessy is the central antagonist of the 1929 Dashiell Hammett novel The Maltese Falcon, and its 1941 film adaptation of the same name. She's a femme fatale who uses her charms and good looks to manipulate the main hero.

Why She Rocks

1. She's one of first examples of a typical femme fatale in fiction.
2. Her 1941 version is nearly completely faithful to her original novel version.
3. She's an excellent liar and manipulator towards Sam Spade and everyone else around her. She even managed to get Spade developed actual feelings for her a one point, and she tricked Miles into trusting her, so he could get killed.
4. She's shown to be just as clever and smart --if not more so -- than Gutman's criminal trio. Had Spade not had her level of intelligence, maybe she would have gotten away with killing his partner, Miles.
5. She always knows when to pull off a "damsel of distress" act, and manages to seem like a pretty trusting woman. Even when she's exposed from her true nature, she still tries to win the hero over by acting helpless.