6. Trickery: Villain attempts to deceive victim

Disciplines > Storytelling > Propp's Morphology of the Folk Tale > 6. Trickery: Villain attempts to deceive victim

Description | Discussion | See also

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Description

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The villain now presses further, often using the information gained in seeking to deceive the hero or victim in some way, perhaps appearing in disguise. This may include capture of the victim and coercion, getting the hero to give the villain something or persuading them that the villain is actually a friend and thereby gaining collaboration.

Example

In Star Wars, Grand Moff Tarkin interrogates Leia

Discussion

Deception and the betrayal of trust is one of the worst social crimes, short of physical abuse. This action cements the position of the villain as clearly bad. It also raises the tension further as we fear for the hero or victim who is being deceived.