Monday, August 22, 2005
Antagonists and Villains as Mentors
Villains and antagonists perform the Shadow function in stories. They reflect the impulses and drives within the protagonist he tries to suppress and avoid dealing with directly. For example: ambition, fear, anger, etc. Externalizing these "shadows" of the hero's psychological makeup as villains and antagonists helps focus the protagonist's character arc.
(Antagonists and villains share a ruthless opposition to the protagonist's goal, but differ in one key aspect. Antagonists recognize certain moral boundaries. Villains do not. Antagonists often rationalize their opposition in altruistic terms, whereas villains don't care if they hurt people or not and may even prefer inflicting pain. For example, in The Fugitive U.S. Marshall Sam Gerard is an antagonist and Dr. Nichols is a villain, but both function as Shadows.)
Almost any story benefits from the energy derived from the Shadow character's opposition to the protagonist's goals. This energy is multiplied when the character shares the powerful function of Mentor.
Darth Vader, one of the most famous villains in movie history, ruthlessly plagues Luke Skywalker and the heroic Rebellion forces in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. His role blossoms with startling new dimensions in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back when he determines to mentor Luke in the Force's Dark Side. Though the two characters don't really meet until the end of the movie, the implied threat to Luke's character growth is relentless and severe. When Darth Vader finally reveals his and Luke's true relationship at the end, the enormous potential of Vader as a Mentor is realized. Threat becomes reality, poised over Luke's soul like the blade of a guillotine. Eventually, but only after great sacrifice, Luke is able in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi to lead his evil Mentor to redemption.
In Sleepless in Seattle, the protagonist's young son is both Mentor and antagonist. He shoves Sam into the plot by putting him on the radio with the therapist. Then throughout Act Two he functions as a well-intentioned antagonist, actively resisting Sam's misguided dating efforts. In Act Three, his antagonist and mentor functions meld in one rebellious act, simultaneously foiling Sam's erroneous goal of a weekend getaway and thrusting his father toward the story's memorable resolution.
(Antagonists and villains share a ruthless opposition to the protagonist's goal, but differ in one key aspect. Antagonists recognize certain moral boundaries. Villains do not. Antagonists often rationalize their opposition in altruistic terms, whereas villains don't care if they hurt people or not and may even prefer inflicting pain. For example, in The Fugitive U.S. Marshall Sam Gerard is an antagonist and Dr. Nichols is a villain, but both function as Shadows.)
Almost any story benefits from the energy derived from the Shadow character's opposition to the protagonist's goals. This energy is multiplied when the character shares the powerful function of Mentor.
Darth Vader, one of the most famous villains in movie history, ruthlessly plagues Luke Skywalker and the heroic Rebellion forces in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. His role blossoms with startling new dimensions in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back when he determines to mentor Luke in the Force's Dark Side. Though the two characters don't really meet until the end of the movie, the implied threat to Luke's character growth is relentless and severe. When Darth Vader finally reveals his and Luke's true relationship at the end, the enormous potential of Vader as a Mentor is realized. Threat becomes reality, poised over Luke's soul like the blade of a guillotine. Eventually, but only after great sacrifice, Luke is able in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi to lead his evil Mentor to redemption.
In Sleepless in Seattle, the protagonist's young son is both Mentor and antagonist. He shoves Sam into the plot by putting him on the radio with the therapist. Then throughout Act Two he functions as a well-intentioned antagonist, actively resisting Sam's misguided dating efforts. In Act Three, his antagonist and mentor functions meld in one rebellious act, simultaneously foiling Sam's erroneous goal of a weekend getaway and thrusting his father toward the story's memorable resolution.
