Ravana, adharma, and hindu perceptions of good and evil

During my preparations for my midterm sharing, I decided to read into Ravana, the character that I had to impersonate for the dance. Of course, we know Ravana as the antagonist of the Hindu epic: The Ramayana. He was described as the king of Lanka, leader of the Rakshasa, and the person who kidnapped Sita, creating one of the main conflicts in The Ramayana.

Although we have all be led to antagonize Ravana, I was surprised to find that he was a devout follower of Shiva, the surpreme god. He also wrote the Ravana Sanhita, a book on Hindu Astrology. There are even Ravana Temples where he is worshipped! This struck me as a strange idea - that the wicked antagonist of a Hindu epic would be revered. However, I then thought back to Dharma, Ravana's actions, and its connection to Karma (humorously explained by The Simpsons below)

In short, it explains that actions, good or bad, do not necessarily determine the 'goodness' or 'evil-ness' of a person. Good and Bad are only labels placed on otherwise neutral actions (as viewed by the cosmos or supreme being). Ravana's actions, although viewed as evil by some, are not viewed as evil by another. This is similar to the case of Rama killing the Rakshashas. Sita states that what he is doing may be viewed as acting with Adharma. The Rakshashas have done nothing to Rama, and therefore his fighting them would be viewed as a wicked act. Likewise, Ravana's kidnap of Sita could be viewed as a slip from Dharma. He tried to 'do the right thing' by avenging his sister, but the act returned to him, resulting in his death.

Some Scholars have also rationalized Ravana's actions as an act of necessity. In their opinion, Ravana, being a brilliant man, would have knew that Rama was an Avatar of Lord Vishnu in human form. Therefore, they have rationalized that Ravana willingly provided a way for Vishnu to 'ascend' his humanity. Ravana "cultivated wanton wickeness, violence, and hatred" and invited Rama to kill him (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravana#Arguments_in_favour_of_Ravana)
In this way, Ravana selflessly sacrifices himself for the good of Vishnu, and for the good of Karma.