Villain
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| - | A '''villain''' is an "[[evil]]" character in a story, whether an [[history|historical]] narrative or, especially, a work of [[fiction]]. The villain is the '''[[bad guy]]''' or '''heavy''', the characters who fight against the [[hero]]. A female villain is sometimes called a '''[[villainess]]'''. | + | A '''villain''' (also known as, "'''[[wikt:black hat|black hat]]'''", '''[[villainess]]''' in its feminine form) is a [[Character (arts)|fictional character]], whether based on a historical narrative or one of [[literary fiction]]. ''[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary|Random House Unabridged Dictionary]]'' defines such a character as "a [[Cruelty|cruelly]] [[Malice (law)|malicious]] person who is involved in or devoted to [[wickedness]] or [[crime]]; scoundrel; or a character in a [[Play (theatre)|play]], [[novel]], or the like, who constitutes an important evil [[wikt:agency|agency]] in the plot". |
| - | A villain's disposition towards evil distinguishes him from an [[antagonist]]. For example, [[Javert]] in ''[[Les Misérables]]'' 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; he may, in fact, even repent, be redeemed, or become a "good guy" in the end. (A villain is virtually always an antagonist, but an antagonist is not always a villain.) The villain is also distinct from the [[anti-hero]], a character who violates the law or the prevailing social standards, but who nevertheless has the audience's sympathy (and may be or become good-hearted), and is therefore the real hero of the story. | + | Its structural purpose is to serve as the opposition of the hero character and their motives or evil actions drive a plot along. In contrast to the [[hero]], who is defined by their feats of [[ingenuity]] and [[bravery]] and their pursuit of [[justice]] and the greater good, a villain is often defined by their acts of selfishness, stupidity, evilness, craziness, cruelty, [[wikt:cunning|cunning]] and displays [[Immorality|immoral]] behavior that can oppose or pervert [[justice]]. The [[antonym]] of a villain is a hero. |
| - | In spite of being the target of the audience's hatred, the villain is an almost inevitable [[plot device]] and often – perhaps more than the hero – the central theme of the [[Plot (narrative)|plot]]. Villains are also often criticized as being [[melodrama]]tic. | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| * [[Rogues gallery]] | * [[Rogues gallery]] | ||
Revision as of 21:08, 2 January 2021
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A villain (also known as, "black hat", villainess in its feminine form) is a fictional character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. Random House Unabridged Dictionary defines such a character 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".
Its structural purpose is to serve as the opposition of the hero character and their motives or evil actions drive a plot along. In contrast to the hero, who is defined by their feats of ingenuity and bravery and their pursuit of justice and the greater good, a villain is often defined by their acts of selfishness, stupidity, evilness, craziness, cruelty, cunning and displays immoral behavior that can oppose or pervert justice. The antonym of a villain is a hero.
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