WOW Session: Chillin

1
WOW SessionChillin with the Villain
Learning why being a villain is so much fun!
2
Lets Get Started! Brainstorm at your tables on
the following topics. Write down as many ideas as
your group can come up with.
Most Memorable Villains (in literature or film) Common Villainous Behaviors or Personality Traits
Common Physical Characteristics of Villains Common Goal/Purpose of Villains
3
It's So Good to be Bad
4
Etymology

• Think of the word villain and you may imagine
  criminals, pickpockets or fraudsters. But the
  association of the word with crime is relatively
  new. In fact the word originally referred to a
  particular class of people on the lower levels of
  feudal society.
• The word derives from the Latin villanus, meaning
  one attached to a villa or farmhouse.
• What it means now A person guilty or capable of
  a crime or wickedness.
• What it used to mean A farm worker
• Everybody is familiar with villainsthanks to
  over half a century of movies, we all know that
  the villain is the bad guy. Back in the 14th
  century though, villains were the backbone of
  agriculture. That is to say, they were the guys
  who worked on farms. The word villain is actually
  an old French word that pulls its roots from the
  word villa, Latin for country house.
• Over time, the meaning of the word gradually
  changed Farm workers were poor, practically
  peasants. Peasants, being poor, are
  untrustworthy. Untrustworthy people commit
  crimes. And eventually we ended up with the
  modern day definition of villain, which is a rich
  person who gets killed by James Bond.

5
Elements of a Strong Antagonists

• 1. A strong antagonist is trying to accomplish
  something.
• 2. A strong antagonist is acting on personal
  desires.
• 3. A strong antagonist is highly motivated to
  act. 
• 4. A strong antagonist is trying to avoid
  something. 
• 5. A strong antagonist is trying to gain
  something. 
• 6. A strong antagonist is willing to adapt. 
• 7. A strong antagonist is compelling in some
  way. 
• 8. A strong antagonist is flawed in relatable
  ways. 
• 9. A strong antagonist is hiding things.
• 10. A strong antagonist is in the path of the
  protagonists goal. 
•  

In other words, what makes a great bad guy!
6
Role of Villains in Literature oR Film

• They bring and drive the conflict in the story.
  Without conflict, a story wouldnt be worth
  reading nor a film worth watching! Can you think
  of at least four types of conflict you should be
  familiar with?
• Person vs. Person
• Person vs. Self
• Person vs. Nature
• Person vs. Society
• Person vs. Supernatural
• Their actions increase suspense. This what keeps
  a reader reading and viewer watching we want to
  know what happens next!
• They can make us sympathize with them.

7
References http//www.etymonline.com/index.php?t
ermvillain http//villains.wikia.com/wiki/Origin_
of_the_Word_22Villain22 http//www.writerswrite.
com/journal/jun98/how-to-create-a-character-profil
e-6986