History Main / EmbodimentOfVice

Note that this trope deals with ''moral'' vices, not [[ObsessionTropes habitual vices]], although a moral vice may certainly also be habitual.

* In ''KeysToTheKingdom'', the seven Trustees, [[BrilliantButLazy Mister Monday]], [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Grim Tuesday]], [[HorrorHunger Drowned Wednesday]], [[BloodKnight Sir Thursday]], [[SenseFreak Lady Friday]], [[TheStarscream Superior Saturday, and [[AGodAmI Lord Sunday]], are representations of Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, Wrath, Lust, Envy, and Pride respectively (along with [[DayOfTheWeekName another obvious theme]]).

* In ''KeysToTheKingdom'', the seven Trustees represent the Deadly Sins, as well as [[DayOfTheWeekName another obvious theme]]: Mister Monday is Sloth, he is extremely lazy, relies on other people, and never gets anything done. Grim Tuesday, who is obsessed with amassing a hoard of treasures and destroyed his domain by turning into a giant mine and industrial zone, is Greed. Drowned Wednesday is Gluttony, being cursed by turning into a giant whale and [[HorrorHunger eating anything that comes near her]]. Sir Thursday, a BloodKnight military commander who's always angry, is Wrath. Lady Friday, who steals memories from mortals and is effectively addicted to experience, is Lust. Superior Saturday, who will go to any lengths to overthrow her superior and become ruler of the House, is Envy. Finally, Lord Sunday, who believes himself to be the perfect and absolute ruler of the universe, is Pride.

** [[Disney/PeterPan Tinker Bell]] as ([[GreenEyedMonster Green With]])Envy

** Disney/SleepingBeauty as Sloth

* In ''PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'', the fallen angels Panty and Stocking represent the sin of Lust and Gluttony, respectively.

* ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'' features the Largo family: [[MagnificentBastard Rotti Largo]], the powerful businessman and his three children: Amber Sweet the surgery addicted, drug-addict wannabe singer, Luigi the raging, mass murdering {{sociopath}} and Pavi the effeminate, face-stealing TheCasanova. While all four are vain and greedy, Rotti in particular represents Envy and Greed, Amber is Sloth and Gluttony, while Luigi is Wrath ([[WordOfGod as the producer Darren Lynn Bousman has stated]]) and Pavi is Pride and Lust.

** The Wrathful are on the Third Terrace, where they walk constantly, blinded by acrid smoke.

*** The Proud, on the First (lowest) Terrace, walk carrying heavy stones on their backs, so that they cannot stand straight or look down on anyone else.
*** The Envious, on the Second Terrace of Purgatory have their eyes sewn shut. In life they envied what they saw; to purge their sin, they see nothing.
*** The Wrathful are on the Third Terrace, where they walk constantly, blinded by acrid smoke.
*** The Slothful are on the Fourth Terrace, being purged of their sin by constant running.
*** The Avaricious are on the Fifth Terrace, lying face down on the ground. This is generally considered a breaking point: the previous four sins were all about perverted or deficient love and are considered more severe, while this sin and the two that follow are all about excessive love for material things and are more excusable (although Dante thought it was a stupid sin to be guilty of).
*** The Gluttonous are on the Sixth Terrace and their penance is to pass through groves of fruit and by waterfalls of pure water without eating or drinking.
*** The Lustful are on the Seventh and last Terrace of the Mount of Purgatory, where their sin is purged from them in a wall of fire. They run through this in two directions: those who lusted after the opposite sex in one direction, those who lusted after the same sex in the other. (Yes. What?)

* The 2009 ''{{Batman}}'' annuals feature a group of seven villains who call themselves La Saglia (an [[FunWithAcronyms acronym]] of the Latin names of the sins), and seek to awaken the Eighth Sin. Any connection to the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man is unknown.

[[quoteright:259:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scrooge_5566.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:259:Scrooge is a classic personification of greed and at the same time a symbol of how vice can be overcome]]

In some works of fiction, [[VirtueViceCodification virtue]] is a central theme. Virtues usually constitute parts in a system, where the individual virtues are regarded as aspects of goodness, and no virtue alone is enough to form a good character. While they complement each other, they may also come into conflict with each other, leading to moral conundrums.

*** The Wrathful are on the Third Terrace, where the walk constantly, blinded by acrid smoke.

* Scrooge in Literature/AChristmasCarol is an obvious personification of greed.

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* There exists a really good HarryPotter [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5883676/1/bSeven_b_bDeadly_b_Sinners fanfiction]] that features several villains as the sins:

** In the GreenLantern lore, colors represent emotional qualities/states: Red and Orange represent the vices of Wrath, and Avarice respectively. Yellow represents Fear. Green for willpower, Blue for hope, Indigo for Compassion and Violet for Love.

* ''Webcomic/{{Sins}}'' has personifications of the seven heavenly virtues as some of the characters. In a subversion, they tend to suffer their virtues rather than embody them, and most are bitter about it (when not outright morally questionable).

In some works of fiction, virtue is a central theme. Virtues usually constitute parts in a system, where the individual virtues are regarded as aspects of goodness, and no virtue alone is enough to form a good character. While they complement each other, they may also come into conflict with each other, leading to moral conundrums.

Note that this trope deals with ''moral'' vices, not [[CompressedVice habitual vices]], although a moral vice may certainly also be habitual.

Note that this trope deals with ''moral'' vices, not [[CompressedVice ''habitual'' vices]], although a moral vice may certainly also be habitual.

In the case of ''literal'' personification of a moral ideal in the form of a character, we are speaking about an AnthropomorphicPersonification.

[[caption-width-right:259:Scrooge, a classic personification of greed]]

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The inversion of this trope is EmbodimentOfVirtue. One notable difference between the two tropes is that in the case of characters, the people involved usually are aware of their virtues, and strive to actively cultivate them. Characters that personify vices are usually either unaware of them or somehow [[ChronicVillainy unable to overcome them]]. For example, characters that actively strive to be honorable and courageous are extremely commonplace in fiction, but how many characters have you encountered that strive to be as greedy as possible, for the sake of greed in and of itself? Vice is nearly always motivated by something other than the desire to be vicious, unlike virtue. In the (at least in real life) rare cases where this is not the case, we are dealing with a villain who does evil simply ForTheEvulz.

The inversion of this trope is EmbodimentOfVirtue. One notable difference between the two tropes is that in the case of characters, the people involved usually are aware of their virtues, and strive to actively cultivate them. Characters that personify vices are usually either unaware of them or somehow unable to overcome them. For example, characters that actively strive to be honorable and courageous are extremely commonplace in fiction, but how many characters have you encountered that strive to be as greedy as possible, for the sake of greed in and of itself? Vice is nearly always motivated by something other than the desire to be vicious, unlike virtue. In the (at least in real life) rare cases where this is not the case, we are dealing with a villain who does evil simply ForTheEvulz.

The inversion of this trope is EmbodimentOfVirtue. One notable difference between the two tropes is that in the case of characters, the people involved usually are aware of their virtues, and strive to actively cultivate them. Characters that personify vices are usually either unaware of them or somehow unable to overcome them. For example, characters that actively strive to be honorable and courageous are extremely commonplace in fiction, but how many characters have you encountered that strive to be as greedy as possible, for the sake of greed in and of itself? Vice is nearly always motivated by something other than the desire to be vicious, unlike virtue.

The inversion of this trope is EmbodimentOfVirtue. One notable difference between the two tropes is that in the case of characters, the people involved usually are aware of their virtues, and strive to actively cultivate them. Characters that personify vices are usually either unaware of them or somehow unable to overcome them. For example, characters that actively strive to be honorable and courageous are extremely commonplace in fiction, but how many characters have you encountered that strive to be as greedy as possible, for the sake of greed in and of itself? Vice is nearly always motivated by something other than the desire to be vicious, unlike virtue.

The entity chosen to represent a particular vice needn't be a character, however. It can be an organization, or even an inanimate object or sign symbolizing an abstract ideal (with or without the magical powers one might imagine could go with such a coupling).