Odysseus: What makes a Villain?

In every story there are villains, evildoers who must be vanquished or defeated in order for order and goodness to reign once more. Often the villain is an unexplored character in the narrative, and more attention is given to the hero or heroine. Stories focus deeply on the protagonists struggles, challenges, and setbacks on the road to championing their relatable cause. Less often do we delve into the villain's journey into their moral failure and eventual defeat or destruction. We all believe ourselves to be the heroes and heroines of our own story, and we can list our good intentions easily, even in the face of our biggest mistakes.

In Odysseus, the villains are the suitors. About fifty young men who squat in Odysseus’ home in his absence, court his wife against her will, and eat away at his flocks and resources. As we walk through the saga, we see a number of moments where the suitors are challenged to look at their behavior and to reconsider their actions. We see each time the suitors fail to take stock of their behavior and introspect. Some moments they bring out rationalizations to defend themselves, other times they lash out with violence when confronted.

This is the essence of the villain trope. The inability to self correct. Thus we see the true narcissistic fragility of the villain. They are incapable of tolerating the possibility that they are wrong, and so they hide that awareness from themselves. Once this happens, these characters lose the sympathy of their audience and corrective force, even lethal force, no longer becomes abhorrent to us. In fact it often feels pleasant to watch these characters defeated, as justice is then served.

Warnings are necessary then, for the making of the villain. Warnings can come in many forms. Our laws are warnings, other people letting us know when we cause them pain are warnings, and our inner conscience offers us warnings. We ignore each of these at our own peril. No one wants to be told that they are acting like a jerk, but in that moment we stand at an important precipice. Can we look inward, and really consider whether we approve of our own choices? Are we willing to take into account that quiet voice of challenge that tells us we have strayed from our own values?

We have a plethora or words to describe the phenomena of avoiding being present to the impact we have on those around us: Gaslighting, toxic, narcissistic and more. We are all susceptible to this type of behavior, which is why a good villain is so important for a good story. If we can see the moments where the person fails to take into account their actions, we see the moments when we all fall into villainy and need more forceful correction from others or the universe.

In Odysseus, the suitors are taken to a public gathering, and Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, boldly calls out the suitors wrongdoings. As he does so, two eagles fly off of a nearby mountaintop, symbols of Zeus’ impending justice. The great birds of prey that will correct any threat to civilization and order through swift violence. That which does not bend, breaks. Thus we see the tragedy of the villain in myth, they remain so fragile in the face of their calls to integrity that they must be broken, often violently, along with the people who associate with them through silent complicity.