A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether an historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. Evil, in many cultures is used to describe acts or thoughts which are contrary to some particular religion History is the study of the past particularly the written record Those who study history as a Profession are called Historians Etymology Fiction is the telling of stories which are not real More specifically fiction is an imaginative form of Narrative, one of the four basic Rhetorical modes. The villain usually is the bad guy, the character who fights against the hero. A hero (from Greek grc ἥρως hērōs) in Greek mythology and Folklore, was originally a Demigod, the offspring of a mortal and A female villain is sometimes called a villainess. Random House Unabridged Dictionary defines villain as "a cruelly malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime; scoundrel; or a character in a play, novel, or the like, who constitutes an important evil agency in the plot. "[1]
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Word origin
The etymology of the word is probably Middle English villein from Old French villain, in turn from Late Latin villanus, meaning serf or peasant, someone who is bound to the soil of a villa, which is to say, worked on the equivalent of a plantation in late Antiquity, in Italy or Gaul. Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time Middle English is the name given by Historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of Old French was the Romance Dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. A peasant is an agricultural worker who subsists by working a small plot of ground Fundamentally a plantation is usually a large Farm or estate, especially in a tropical or semitropical country on which Cotton, Tobacco [2] Consequently, it meant a person of less than knightly status, and so came to mean a person who was not chivalrous; because many unchivalrous acts, such as treachery or rape, are villainous in the modern sense, and because the word was used as a term of abuse, it took on its modern meaning. Chivalric order Chivalry is a term related to the Medieval institution of Knighthood. [3]
Folk and fairy tales
Vladimir Propp, in his analysis of the Russian fairy tales, concluded that a fairy tale had only eight dramatis personae, of which one was the villain,[4] and his analysis has been widely applied to non-Russian tales. Baba Yaga (Ба́ба-Яга́ Баба Рога Баба Яга Баба Рога Polish, Czech, Baba Jaga Baba Roga is in Slavic folklore, a witch-like Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp (Владимир Яковлевич Пропп &mdash 22 August 1970) was a Russian formalist scholar who A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional Story that may feature folkloric characters (such as fairies, enchantments]] often involving Dramatis personæ is a Latin phrase (literally 'the masks of the drama' used to refer collectively to the characters in a dramatic work—-commonly employed The actions that fell into a villain's sphere were:
- a story-initiating villainy, where the villain caused harm to the hero or his family,
- a conflict between the hero and the villain, either a fight or other competition
- pursuing the hero after he has succeeding in winning the fight or obtaining something from the villain.
None of these acts must necessarily occur in a fairy tale, but when they occurred, the character that performed them was the villain. The villain therefore could appear twice: once in the opening of the story, and a second time as the person sought out by the hero. [5]
When a character performed only these acts, the character was a pure villain. Various villains also perform other functions in a fairy tale; a witch who fought the hero and ran away, which let the hero follow her, was also performing the task of "guidance" and thus acting as a helper. [6]
The functions could also be spread out among several characters. If a dragon acted as the villain but was killed by the hero, another character -- such as the dragon's sisters -- might take on the role of the villain and pursue the hero. [7]
Two other characters could appear in roles that are villainous in the more general sense. One is the false hero; this character is always villainous, presenting a false claim to be the hero that must be rebutted for the happy ending. The false hero is a Stock character in Fairy tales and sometimes also in Ballads The character appears near the end of a story in order to claim to be the [8] Among these characters are Cinderella's stepsisters, chopping off parts of their feet to fit on the shoe. Cinderella ( French: Cendrillon, Slovak: Popoluška, German: Aschenputtel, Spanish: Cenicienta [9] Another character, the dispatcher, sends a hero on his quest. This may be an innocent request, to fulfill a legitimate need, but the dispatcher may also, villainously, lie to send a character on a quest in hopes of being rid of him. [10]
The villainous foil
In fiction, villains commonly function in the dual role of adversary & foil to the story's heroes. In their role as adversary, the villain serves as an obstacle the hero must struggle to overcome. In their role as foil, the villain exemplifies characteristics that are diametrically opposed to those of the hero, creating a contrast distinguishing heroic traits from villainous ones.
Others point out that many acts of villains have a hint of wish-fulfillment fantasy, which makes some people identify with them as characters more strongly than with the heroes. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Because of this, a convincing villain must be given a characterization that makes his or her motive for doing wrong convincing, as well as being a worthy adversary to the hero. UserScottandrewhutchins: http//enwikipediaorg/w/indexphp?title=Characterization&diff=next&oldid=157919139 --> Characterization is a process of conveying Motivation is the reason or reasons for engaging in a particular behavior especially Human behavior as studied in Philosophy, Conflict, Economics As put by film critic Roger Ebert: "Each film is only as good as its villain. Roger Joseph Ebert (iːbɝt born June 18, 1942) is an American film critic and Screenwriter. Since the heroes and the gimmicks tend to repeat from film to film, only a great villain can transform a good try into a triumph. "[11]
The Evil Genius villain
The Evil Genius is an archetype or even a caricature that is a recurring staple in certain genres of fiction, particularly comic books, spy fiction, video games, action films and cartoons. The evil demon, sometimes referred to as the evil genius, is a concept in Cartesian Philosophy. An archetype ( pronounced: /ˈɑːkɪtaɪp/ (Brit or /ˈɑrkɪtaɪp/ (Amer A caricature is either a Portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness or in literature a description A genre (ˈʒɑːnrə also /ˈdʒɑːnrə/ from French "kind" or "sort" from Latin: genus (stem gener-) is a loose set A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative The Genre of spy fiction —sometimes called political thriller or spy thriller or sometimes shortened simply to Spy-fi —arose before A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. Action movies are a Film genre where action sequences such as fights, Shootouts Stunts Car chases or explosions either take precedence The word cartoon has various meanings based on several very different forms of Visual art and Illustration. The evil genius serves as a common adversary and foil of the hero. A hero (from Greek grc ἥρως hērōs) in Greek mythology and Folklore, was originally a Demigod, the offspring of a mortal and
As the term suggests, evil geniuses are characters of great intelligence who choose to use their knowledge for antisocial ends. Their schemes often hinge on mundane details that heroes can exploit, foiling their plots at the climax of the story. A hero (from Greek grc ἥρως hērōs) in Greek mythology and Folklore, was originally a Demigod, the offspring of a mortal and
Origins
Evil geniuses have commonly had difficult childhoods. Normally, this is used to compare them to superheroes. It implies that the villain and hero have followed similar paths, only to deviate at key points. Evil geniuses often come from poor or impoverished backgrounds but have fought their way to the top and put on an aura of sophistication so that no one will suspect their humble beginnings.
Characteristics
The evil genius is different from the mad scientist, in that the mad scientist tends to be amoral, rather than evil. An Evil Genius is generally a clever schemer, while the Mad Scientist typically pursues scientific knowledge with no regard for the consequences. A mad scientist might create an army of zombies, just to see if it is possible, but an evil genius would have a diabolical use for this army, and a plan to escape the town without being killed (a reason for which mad scientists are often found in the employ or working in concert with an evil genius, and as such will be killed or left for dead by the evil genius).
Hubris is a common characteristic among evil geniuses, so much so that they often boast of their grand designs to their adversary, or otherwise compromise their plots in a moment of overconfidence. Hubris, sometimes spelled hybris ( Ancient Greek ὕβρις is a term used in modern English to indicate overweening Pride, self-confidence
Other types of villain
Note that, as mentioned above, a villain's disposition towards evil distinguishes them from an antagonist. An antagonist (from Greek ανταγωνιστής - antagonistes, "opponent competitor rival" is a character or For example, Javert in Les Miserables is an antagonist: he opposes the hero, but does so by such means and under such pretexts as not to become entirely odious to the reader. Les Misérables (pronounced /le miːzeʁabl(ə translated variously from French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched Note also that a villain may repent, be redeemed, or become in league with the hero. Sometimes, a villain may even appear as the protagonist of a story, while the hero who opposes them may be the antagonist.
- Anti-villain – Basically the opposite of an anti-hero. While the anti-hero often fights on the protagonist's team, but with selfish motives, the anti-villain plays a villain's game, but for what's at least in his eyes a noble cause. They may be personally more noble or heroic than an anti-hero but the means to achieve their ends are often considered immoral, unjust, even evil. Sometimes they may simply be a villain with gentlemanly qualities or a code of honor or some sense of justice. Anti-villains will occasionally side with their rivals (usually the protagonist) if a greater threat than himself comes or it is in both of their best interests. Often also considered "grey" characters due to their moral ambiguity. Examples of popular anti-villains include Magneto, Benjamin Linus, the Jigsaw Killer, Francis Hummel, Kane from Command & Conquer and The Operative from the film Serenity. Benjamin "Ben" Linus is a fictional character portrayed by Michael Emerson on the ABC television series Lost. Appearances in film Saw The Jigsaw Killer character was introduced in the 2004 film Saw through the character Dr Within the fictional Alternate history universe of Westwood Studios ' and Electronic Arts ' ''Command & Conquer'' Real-time strategy video games Command & Conquer (often abbreviated as C&C or CNC) is a Video game franchise, mostly of the This article is about characters in the television series Firefly. Serenity is a 2005 space western Film written and directed by Joss Whedon.
- Archenemy – The principal enemy of the hero. An archenemy, archfoe, archvillain or archnemesis (sometimes spelled arch-enemy, arch-foe, arch-villain or The reason why the particular villain stands out more than the rest varies; they may be the hero's strongest enemy, have strong connections with their hero's past, pose the greatest threat , or may be the most recurring villain. Examples of Archenemy: The Joker, Agent Smith, Agamemnon, Ghostface, & Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII
- Dark Lord – a villain of near-omnipotence in his realm, who seeks to utterly dominate the world; he is often depicted as a diabolical force, and may, indeed, be more a force than a personality, and often personifies evil itself. The Joker is a fictional character appearing in Comic books published by DC Comics. Agent Smith (later merely " Smith " is a Fictional character featured in the ''Matrix'' film series and multimedia franchise played by actor Agamemnon is a Fictional character in the Marvel Universe. Fictional character biography Agamemnon is a half-human and half- Asgardian Identity In the first film the killer is in fact two people Billy Loomis ( Skeet Ulrich) and Stu Macher ( Matthew Lillard) is a Fictional character and recurring villain in Square 's (now Square Enix) role-playing game Final Fantasy VII. is a Console role-playing game developed by Square (now Square Enix) and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the There are many elements that show up throughout the fantasy genre in different guises [12] The effects of his rule often assert malign effects on the land as well as his subjects. Besides his usual magical abilities, he often controls great armies. Most Dark Lords are male, except in parody. [12] Example of popular Dark Lords: Sauron, Lord Voldemort, Emperor Palpatine, Lord Cutler Beckett, Darkseid , The Vizier from Prince of Persia Trilogy , and Ganon from the Legend of Zelda. Sauron (ˈsaʊrɒn Quenya: /sawrɔn/ literal meaning "Abhorred") is the title character and the principal Antagonist of the Fantasy Lord Voldemort (ˈvoʊldəmɔrt or ˈvoʊldəmɔr is a Fictional character and the main antagonist in the Harry Potter novel series written Palpatine is a Fictional character in George Lucas 's Science fiction saga Star Wars. See " East India Trading Co " for the fictitious association of which this character is chairman Darkseid is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics. This is a list of enemies from the Prince of Persia series of video games Prince of Persia is an action-adventure Video game series created by Jordan Mechner.
- Evil twin – a character which is identical or almost identical to the hero, but is evil instead of good. Evil twins are antagonists found in many different Fictional Genres They are physical copies of Protagonists but with radically inverted Examples of Evil Twin: Venom, Wario & Liquid Snake. Venom is a Fictional character, a symbiote life form in the Marvel Comics universe. is a fictional Nintendo video game character created by Gunpei Yokoi. Don't add images FU images are not allowed in featured lists This is a featured list
- Femme fatale – a beautiful, seductive but ultimately villainous woman who uses the malign power of her sexuality in order to ensnare the hapless hero into danger. A femme fatale (plural femmes fatales) is an alluring and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire often leading them into Examples of femme fatale: Delilah, Catwoman & Brides of Dracula. Delilah ( דלילה - D+*uL+iJ+L+oH+, Standard Hebrew meaning " who weakened or uprooted or impoverished" from the root dal meaning Catwoman is a Fictional character associated with DC Comics ' Batman franchise. For the 1960 Hammer film see The Brides of Dracula The Brides of Dracula are three seductive female Vampires who make their first appearance in
- Mad scientist – a scientist-villain or villain-scientist. Can easily be confused with Evil Genius. Examples of Mad scientists: Dr. Victor Frankenstein, Doctor Octopus & Professor Hojo. Victor Frankenstein is a Fictional character, the Protagonist of the 1818 novel Frankenstein, written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Doctor Octopus is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Square 's Final Fantasy VII was one of the first major Console role-playing games released for the Sony PlayStation and was Square's largest game
- Supervillain – a villain who displays special powers, skills or equipment powerful enough to be a typically serious challenge to a superhero. A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the Villain character type commonly found in Comic books, Action movies and A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a Fictional character "of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derring-do Example of supervillain: Green Goblin, Mr. Freeze. The Green Goblin is a name shared by several fictional Supervillains that appear in Comic books published by Marvel Comics. Mr Freeze, real name Dr Victor Fries (pronounced as Victor "Frees" or "Freeze" is a DC Comics Supervillain, an enemy of
- Tragic villain – a character who, although acting for primarily "evil" or selfish goals, is either not in full control of their actions or emotions and the reader can sympathize for due to them not being evil by choice, but rather by them being a victim of circumstance. A tragic villain is a character usually an Antagonist, that does not truly intend to be a Villain. These villains can face a crisis of conscience in which they submit to doing evil. These villains often have confused morals believing that they are doing moral when in fact they are doing evil. Examples of these include Norman Bates in the movie Psycho, Jericho (comics) in the comic book series The New Teen Titans, Travis Bickle in the movie Taxi Driver who attempts to murder a presidential candidate but is unable to and then goes and violently murders a pimp and other criminals in the belief that he is saving a young prostitute, and Anakin Skywalker in the movie Star Wars when he turns to the Dark Side of the Force when he is told that the powers of the dark side will save his wife from impending death. Fictional character biography Both the novel and Alfred Hitchcock 's 1960 film adaptation explain that Bates suffered severe emotional Abuse Psycho is a suspense / Horror film directed by auteur Alfred Hitchcock, from the Screenplay by Joseph Jericho ( Joseph William Wilson) is a Fictional character, a Superhero who was a member of the Teen Titans in the acclaimed 1980s period For the animated TV series based on this comic see Teen Titans (TV series. Taxi Driver is a film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader. Taxi Driver is a film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader. See also Darth Vader Anakin Skywalker (often called Ani by his friends and loved ones is the main Protagonist / Antagonist and Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and At World's End due to a relationship turned bad by his lover Calypso. See " Dead Man's Chest ", for the fictional chest which plays a major role in Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest. Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 Adventure film of the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' series, the sequel to the 2003 Pirates of the Caribbean At World's End is a 2007 Adventure film, the third film in the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' series. And Big Boss from the Metal Gear Solid series. is a stealth-action Video game directed by Hideo Kojima. The game was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and first published
- Trickster – often more of an annoying nuisance than a fearsome or dangerous enemy, a trickster may take many forms, from a con man to a mischievous imp. In Mythology, and in the study of Folklore and Religion, a trickster is a God, Goddess, spirit, man woman or anthropomorphic A confidence trick or confidence game (also known as a bunko, con, flim flam, gaffle, grift, scam, scheme An imp is a mythological being similar to a Fairy or Demon, frequently described in Folklore and Superstition. Adventures with trickster type villains tend to be light and comedy oriented and the hero typically finds a way to defeat them non-violently. Sometimes there may be a lesson learned from the trickster, even if unintentional. Best example of such character is Mister Mxyzptlk, who torments the heroes of the DC Comics Universe, especially Superman. Mr Mxyzptlk ( pronounced mɪksˈjɛzpɪtˌlɪk or mɪksˈjɛzˌpɪtɫɪk) sometimes called Mxy, is a Fictional Supervillain who appears in Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Other examples of Trickster: The Trickster from Supernatural, Naraku. Supernatural is an American horror television series regarding the Paranormal. is the main Antagonist in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha.
- Lackey, henchman, minion, or toadie – a minor villain who takes orders. A lackey or lacquey is a term for a uniformed Manservant, in its original meaning (attested 1529 according to the OED) The word henchman (Germanic irregular plural hench men) referred originally to one who attended on a horse that is a Horse groom. Examples include Oddjob, Tiny Tiger, and Crabbe and Goyle. A list of henchmen from the 1964 James Bond film and novel Goldfinger from the List of James Bond henchmen. The following are supporting characters in the Harry Potter series written by J
- Secondary Villain – Often not very evil or competent. They are usually not as smart as they think they are and often are not ruthless enough to harm or murder or at least their schemes always fall short of harming anyone. They are typically motivated by greed or vanity and are often not taken very seriously as a threat. They are not always criminals and sometimes may be guilty of nothing more than trying to win by cheating. They may serve as placeholders until the true villain appears. They may also reform and join the hero as comic relief characters. Sometimes, they join with the hero when they need saving from their own out of control devices. They are often cowardly when the tables are turned against them and may try to talk their way out of trouble. Because they are physically non-threatening, they are perceived as more of a nuisance than villainous. Unlike other villains, they are almost never killed, but they often get left in undignified positions adding to their comic, bumbling nature. Examples include the Team Rocket (Jessie and James) in Pokemon, Harry Mudd and most of the Ferengi villains from Star Trek or the Meddling Monk from Doctor Who. If you came here to express your personal opinion about Pokémon please go somewhere else This is a list of minor characters from the Science fiction television series Star Trek The Original Series. The Ferengi (pronounced) are a Fictional extraterrestrial race from the Star Trek universe The Meddling Monk, or simply the Monk, is a Fictional character in the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who Funky Flashman from DC comics is another example as is the team of Dick Dastardly and Muttley. Funky Flashman is a Fictional character, an Entrepreneur in the DC Universe. Dick Dastardly is a Fictional character and Antagonist who appeared in various Animated series by Hanna-Barbera Productions Muttley is a Hanna-Barbera animated Fictional character created by Iwao Takamoto and originally voiced by Don Messick (who also voiced Scooby-Doo Such characters are popular villains in children's adventure stories where children frequently, often to the point of implausibility, outsmart adults.
See also
- Rogues gallery
- Mad scientist
- Supervillain
- List of James Bond villains
- Evil laugh
- Evil Overlord List
- Filmfare Best Villain Award. Not to be confused with Peanut gallery. For other uses see Rogues gallery (disambiguation. A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the Villain character type commonly found in Comic books, Action movies and The James Bond novels and films are notable for their memorably despicable Villains and henchmen. An evil laugh is a stock Manic Laugh by a Villain in Fiction. The Evil Overlord List, also known as If I Were An Evil Overlord, is one of several popular lists of planned actions for a competent Evil Overlord to avoid the well-known The Filmfare Best Villain Award is given by Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films Although the awards started in Since 1991, Bollywood recognizes the best actors portraying a villain.
- El caballo del malo
- List of villains
References
- ^ Random House Unabridged Dictionary Web Result
- ^ (1984) in David B. El caballo del malo is a Spanish expression which arrived during the period many Westerns were being filmed in Spain. Guralnik: Webster's New World Dictionary. New York: Simon and Schuster. Simon & Schuster Inc, a division of CBS Corporation, is a Publisher founded in New York in 1924 by Richard L
- ^ C. S. Lewis, Studies in Words, Cambridge University Press, [[{{{date}}}]]. Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963 Studies in Words is a secular work of linguistic scholarship written by Clive Staples Lewis and published by the Cambridge University Press in 1960 Cambridge University Press (known colloquially as CUP is a Publisher given a Royal Charter by Henry VIII in 1534
- ^ Vladimir Propp, Morphology of the Folk Tale, p 79 ISBN 0-292-78376-0
- ^ Vladimir Propp, Morphology of the Folk Tale, p 84 ISBN 0-292-78376-0
- ^ Vladimir Propp, Morphology of the Folk Tale, p 81 ISBN 0-292-78376-0
- ^ Vladimir Propp, Morphology of the Folk Tale, p 81 ISBN 0-292-78376-0
- ^ Vladimir Propp, Morphology of the Folktale, p60, ISBN 0-292-78376-0
- ^ Maria Tatar, The Annotated Brothers Grimm, p 136 ISBN 0-393-05848-4
- ^ Vladimir Propp, Morphology of the Folktale, p77, ISBN 0-292-78376-0
- ^ Review of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan by Roger Ebert. Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan is the second feature film based on the Star Trek Science fiction Television series, following Roger Joseph Ebert (iːbɝt born June 18, 1942) is an American film critic and Screenwriter.
- ^ a b John Grant and John Clute, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, "Dark Lord", p 250 ISBN 0-312-19869-8
Further reading
- Zawacki's humorous look at the concept of a villain:
- Neil Zawacki (2001). So You've Decided to be Evil. Dark Sites.
- Neil Zawacki (2003). How to Be a Villain: Evil Laughs, Secret Lairs, Master Plans, and More!!!. Chronicle Books. ISBN 0811846660.
- Neil Zawacki (2004). The Villain's Guide to Better Living. Chronicle Books. ISBN 0811856666.
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