THE POWER OF VILLAINS
Fictions et Réalités
How has the representation of villains evolved throughout time?
INTRODUCTION
→ What should a fictional hero / heroine be like? List the qualities, abilities and causes they fight for / against. A fictional hero / heroine should be … He / She fights for… A hero / heroine believes in … → Choose 2 to 3 heroes / heroines. Do they fit the different characteristics?
The traditional myth of hero / heroine by J. Campbell 1. What the video and pick out the 12 steps of a hero’s or heroine’s journey. Add details when you can.
The traditional myth of hero / heroine by J. Campbell 2. Now, if you’ve seen one of the three movies mentioned at the beginning of the video (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, The Hunger Games, The Lord of the Rings 1, 2 and 3) associate each stage of the hero’s or heroine’s journey to what happens to either Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen or Frodo Baggins.
If you haven’t seen any of those movies, answer the question using the hero’s / heroine’s journey from your favourite book or movie.
- J. Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949)
- simplified 12-step journey
- 17 steps
- “the Meeting with the Goddess” / “Woman as Temptress”
→ What are the origins of the word “villain”?
→ Come up with a modern definition of “villain”.
→ What is the link between the modern definition of “villain” and its former definitions?
I. VILLAINS a. Archetypal villains
→ Choose 3 of the worst old-fashioned villains you can think of according to each category: Disney, literature and cinema. What are their common characteristics? What is their role in the diegesis?
In the Bible: the Antichrist
The Preaching of the Antichrist (La predicazione dell'Anticristo), Luca Signorelli (1500-1504)
In the Bible: the Devil / Satan
illustration of the Devil in Codex Gigas, 13th century illustration of Satan, Hans Memling’s Triptych of Earthly Vanity and Divine Salvation, 1485
In the Bible: the Devil / Satan
illustration of the Devil in Codex Gigas, 13th century illustration of Satan, Hans Memling’s Triptych of Earthly Vanity and Divine Salvation, 1485 Adam and Eve, Guido Reni, 1620
In the Bible: Cain
Cain Slaying Abel, Peter Paul Rubens, 1600
In Disney
The Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty (1959) Scar from The Lion King (1994) Cruella de Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
In literature and cinema
Sauron, character from The Lord of the Rings (written by J.R.R. Tolkien, published in 1954. Movie The Fellowship of the Ring released in 2001, directed by Peter Jackson.
In literature and cinema
Dracula, character from Dracula (written by Bram Stoker, published in 1897). Portrayed by Christopher Lee as Dracula in Dracula (Terence Fisher, 1958). Portrayed by Max Schreck as Count Orlock / Nosferatu in Nosferatu: a Symphony of Horror (Friedrick Wilhelm Murnau, 1922)
In literature and cinema
Hannibal Lecter, character from Red Dragon (written by Thomas Harry, published in 1981). Portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs (directed Jonathan Demme, released in 1991).
I. VILLAINS b. Villains or antiheroes
Video: Why antiheroes aren’t villains – Tale Foundry, Youtube 1. Watch the video. Pick out the main differences between a hero and a antihero.
2. Read the text. What is the difference between a villain and a antihero?
II. THE REHABILITATION OF THE VILLAIN a. The end of Manichaean representations
1. Read the text and explain why we tend to prefer antiheroes to heroes nowadays. 2. Pick out the similarities between antiheroes’ lives and our own lives and personalities.
Oral expression: → Choose a villain that was granted her / his own movie and has thus become a antiheroine / antihero. Explain their backstory and why you like them.
→ What is the main difference between those representations of Satan?
Oral expression: → In your opinion, is beauty one of the factors which explain why we now love antiheroes better than before?
Oral expression: → Antiheroes / Antiheroines often display selfishness, manipulation and sometimes even violence et… Can appreciating these characters encourage spectators to develop, normalise or even mimic these behaviours?
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Transcript
THE POWER OF VILLAINS
Fictions et Réalités
How has the representation of villains evolved throughout time?
INTRODUCTION
→ What should a fictional hero / heroine be like? List the qualities, abilities and causes they fight for / against. A fictional hero / heroine should be … He / She fights for… A hero / heroine believes in … → Choose 2 to 3 heroes / heroines. Do they fit the different characteristics?
The traditional myth of hero / heroine by J. Campbell 1. What the video and pick out the 12 steps of a hero’s or heroine’s journey. Add details when you can.
The traditional myth of hero / heroine by J. Campbell 2. Now, if you’ve seen one of the three movies mentioned at the beginning of the video (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, The Hunger Games, The Lord of the Rings 1, 2 and 3) associate each stage of the hero’s or heroine’s journey to what happens to either Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen or Frodo Baggins.
If you haven’t seen any of those movies, answer the question using the hero’s / heroine’s journey from your favourite book or movie.
→ What are the origins of the word “villain”?
→ Come up with a modern definition of “villain”.
→ What is the link between the modern definition of “villain” and its former definitions?
I. VILLAINS a. Archetypal villains
→ Choose 3 of the worst old-fashioned villains you can think of according to each category: Disney, literature and cinema. What are their common characteristics? What is their role in the diegesis?
In the Bible: the Antichrist
The Preaching of the Antichrist (La predicazione dell'Anticristo), Luca Signorelli (1500-1504)
In the Bible: the Devil / Satan
illustration of the Devil in Codex Gigas, 13th century illustration of Satan, Hans Memling’s Triptych of Earthly Vanity and Divine Salvation, 1485
In the Bible: the Devil / Satan
illustration of the Devil in Codex Gigas, 13th century illustration of Satan, Hans Memling’s Triptych of Earthly Vanity and Divine Salvation, 1485 Adam and Eve, Guido Reni, 1620
In the Bible: Cain
Cain Slaying Abel, Peter Paul Rubens, 1600
In Disney
The Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty (1959) Scar from The Lion King (1994) Cruella de Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
In literature and cinema
Sauron, character from The Lord of the Rings (written by J.R.R. Tolkien, published in 1954. Movie The Fellowship of the Ring released in 2001, directed by Peter Jackson.
In literature and cinema
Dracula, character from Dracula (written by Bram Stoker, published in 1897). Portrayed by Christopher Lee as Dracula in Dracula (Terence Fisher, 1958). Portrayed by Max Schreck as Count Orlock / Nosferatu in Nosferatu: a Symphony of Horror (Friedrick Wilhelm Murnau, 1922)
In literature and cinema
Hannibal Lecter, character from Red Dragon (written by Thomas Harry, published in 1981). Portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs (directed Jonathan Demme, released in 1991).
I. VILLAINS b. Villains or antiheroes
Video: Why antiheroes aren’t villains – Tale Foundry, Youtube 1. Watch the video. Pick out the main differences between a hero and a antihero.
2. Read the text. What is the difference between a villain and a antihero?
II. THE REHABILITATION OF THE VILLAIN a. The end of Manichaean representations
1. Read the text and explain why we tend to prefer antiheroes to heroes nowadays. 2. Pick out the similarities between antiheroes’ lives and our own lives and personalities.
Oral expression: → Choose a villain that was granted her / his own movie and has thus become a antiheroine / antihero. Explain their backstory and why you like them.
→ What is the main difference between those representations of Satan?
Oral expression: → In your opinion, is beauty one of the factors which explain why we now love antiheroes better than before?
Oral expression: → Antiheroes / Antiheroines often display selfishness, manipulation and sometimes even violence et… Can appreciating these characters encourage spectators to develop, normalise or even mimic these behaviours?