Tricksters+and+Villains

Ariel Thomas, Madison Szathmary, Betsey Bergquist

=__Tricksters__=

Definition:
a super natural figure appearing in various guises and typically engaging in mischievous activities, important in the folklore and mythology of many primitive peoples and usually conceived as a culture hero.

Common Characteristics:

 * Clever, mischievous
 * Entertaining
 * Stock characters
 * Cause of others' embarrassment and misfortune
 * Trickster himself is not usually harmed

“[T]rickster is both subhuman and superhuman, a bestial and divine being, whose most alarming characteristic is his unconsciousness. . . . He is so unconscious of himself that his body is not a unity, and his two hands fight each other” (Carl Jung in Paul Rodin's “Trickster” 203)

Examples:

 * Brer Rabbit (African American slave trickster)
 * Hermes (Messenger God)
 * Loki (Norse mythology)
 * Puss in Boots
 * Jack Sparrow
 * Wile E. Coyote & Road Runner

Bugs Bunny: a typical trickster media type="custom" key="10564434"

Puck, from "Midsummer Nights Dream" ___ Captain Jack Sparrow =__Villains__=

Definition:
1. a cruelly malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime; scoundrel. 2. a character in a play,novel,or the like, who constitutes an important evil agency in the plot.

Common Characteristics:

 * Charisma
 * Wit
 * Charm
 * Eloquence
 * Influence over others
 * Generally evil

Examples:

 * Satan (Paradise Lost)
 * The White Witch (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)
 * Voldemort (Harry Potter)
 * Cruella de Vil (101 Dalmations)
 * Hannibal Lector
 * Dracula
 * The Joker (Batman) -Trickster/Villain
 * Captain Hook (Peter Pan)
 * Shere Khan (The Jungle Book)

Lord Voldermort "Harry Potter" ﻿ The Joker "The Dark Knight" _ Cruella De vil "101 Dalmations"

__Why are they important?__
A villain or trickster is usually the character that ignites the conflict. They are a dramatic foil to the traditionally "good" protagonist, and are necessary to forward the struggle of the protagonist towards the climax of the plot.