What are the character traits of Roger Chillingworth in "The Scarlet Letter"?

Roger Chillingworth is highly cultured, intelligent and educated, but he lacks empathy. Roger Chillingworth, a character in "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is one of the most infamous antagonists in the history of American literature.

In the beginning, Chillingworth seems to be civilized, and his background as a doctor shows him to be intelligent, peaceful and gentle. Hawthorne describes Chillingworth as a scholar. However, during the course of events in the novel, Chillingworth grows more cold and vicious, and he becomes obsessed with vengeance. This transformation makes him a complex character, and his destructive nature eventually drives him mad.