British Literature

Carlos Quintero

Mrs. Hammond/P5

August 31, 2015

Compare and Contrast

VILLAINS VS. PHAROAHS

There are many archetypes of villains in the Bible, some of which include: Satan, Pharaoh, King Nebuchadnezzar, and King Saul. In the Bible, Pharaoh is characterized as a villain in his opposition to the protagonist, his determination to defeat that which is good, and his selfishness, which led him to his downfall.

To a child, a typical villain may be Zurg, The Green Goblin, or Lex Luthor. A villain is always seen as the opposition to the hero. One may become a villain by having an intent that is directly or indirectly caused by the hero. These “evil” forces always have a negative connotation, due to the fact that their motives are wrong and unjust. A villain is always in opposition to the antagonist, and can be seen in all stories, because where there is a hero, there must be a villain, or something that is evil, which the hero must correct. According to Dictionary.com, a villain means “ a character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot.” Determination is key for a villain, because it is his drive, or his motivation. Without determination, a villain would not want to defeat that which is good, because there would be motive. An ironic example of this would be if Superman was merely Superman, and had no opposition. Lex Luthor and Kryptonite would not exist, and that would merely make Superman a gifted human being, not a hero, because there would be nothing to restore or save. Thus, a villain is essential for there to be a hero. Selfishness is also a huge part of the villain, because it is the essential characteristic that makes the villain want to defeat the hero. Without his selfishness, he would not want to benefit only himself, or get his own way. According to Dictionary.com, selfish means, “devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others.”

In the Bible, Pharaoh exemplifies all the attributes of a villain, as his personal goal is to benefit himself and hurt others. Pharoah can be clearly seen as the opposition the hero, in this case, Moses. Pharaoh and Moses loved each other, as they grew up being step brothers, but one of Moses’ actions of led Pharaoh to hate him, as he professed that Pharaoh was not God, rather that God was the God of Israel. Moses was sent from God to demand Pharaoh to let his people go, but Pharaoh did not listen, and thus received various amounts of consequences for his actions. These consequences can be seen in Exodus 7:14-11:10, which include: water to blood, frogs, lice, flies, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and death of firstborn. These events caused him to hate Moses, to the extent in which he wished