Line #22 Main/AllegoricalCharacter


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6	[[quoteright:350:[[Franchise/{{Godzilla}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/main_qimg_925e65c99e30da74959128e09ccd1445_lq.jpeg]]]]
7	[[caption-width-right:350:[[Music/RedVox I feel like an atom bomb.]]]]
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9	->''"We live in a world where even kings have vices. Well then we are the kings and we are your vice!"''
10	-->-- '''Rocky Romero''', ''[[ProfessionalWrestling Roppongi Vice]]''
11
12	While some fictional characters are only meant to represent themselves, others are meant to represent something larger than themselves in order to make a point. The author uses this character to represent X, whether X is "Women," "Christians," "Atheism," "Illegal Aliens," "The Bush Administration," or even "You." It's the difference between "Oh, Bob just tripped over the cat again; he is such an idiot" vs. "Bob just tripped over the cat again; [[AggressiveCategorism men are such idiots.]]"
13
14	Sometimes characters are created to be this. Other times, an existing character is (either temporarily or not) drafted into the role by being written as the voice/face/advocate of (topic) for an episode. This can even happen [[FanWork outside of the official canon]]; in fact, the more this is used outside of the original work, the stronger the case may be for the character being an effective symbol of X.
15
16	Please note that the character in question may be a perfectly well-rounded and very much individualized character, but he is so closely linked to a certain concept, that he is often used allegorically as a way of talking about that concept (e.g. Superman and idealism).
17
18	If ''all'' of the characters in the work are written this way, then you might just have a full-blown {{Allegory}} on your hands. It's also possible to have characters be this in-universe, particularly in a MentalWorld or in a WorldOfSymbolism-type of story.
19
20	When no extra meaning is intended by the creators, then it may be that you have EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory--although adherents to DeathOfTheAuthor would point out that just because the allegory wasn't intended, doesn't mean it isn't there.
21
22	A form of CharactersAsDevice. Compare ArchetypalCharacter.
23
24	----
25	!!{{Subtrope}}s:
26
27	[[index]]
28	[[folder:Necessarily Allegorical]]
29	* AliceAndBob -- These meta-characters represent participants in a generic situation.
30	* AnthropomorphicPersonification -- This character represents an abstract concept.
31	** AnthropomorphicVice -- This subtype personifies a form of addiction, consumable or otherwise.
32	** MoeAnthropomorphism: This subtype represents an abstract concept as a cute girl or boy, with the concept typically visualised through their clothing.
33	* AntiRoleModel -- This character represents the opposite of proper behavior.
34	* AudienceSurrogate -- This character represents you.
35	** NaiveNewcomer -- This character represents you because you are both new to the story.
36	** OnlySaneMan -- This character represents you because everyone else is crazy.
37	** ThisLoserIsYou -- This character represents you, you pathetic soul
38	** TheWatson -- This character represents you and asks the questions you would be asking.
39	* AuthorAvatar -- This character represents the author of the work.
40	* BobFromAccounting -- This character represents the generic coworker.
41	* CompositeCharacter -- This character represents multiple people or a whole group.
42	* TheEveryman -- This character represents default personhood.
43	* FunnyForeigner -- This character represents humorous stereotypes about a certain people.
44	* {{Herald}} -- This character represents the CallToAdventure.
45	* HomegrownHero -- This character represents people from the same country as you.
46	* HopeBringer -- This character represents the return of hope.
47	* IncorruptiblePurePureness -- This character represents the highest standard of moral purity.
48	* LadyInRed -- This character represents temptation and seduction.
49	* LivingMacGuffin -- This character represents the drive of the narrative.
50	* LongLostUncleAesop -- This bit character represents AnAesop.
51	* MoralityChain[=/=]MoralityPet -- This character represents the good of humanity at large to a particular person.
52	* NationsAsPeople -- These characters represent a countries/nations.
53	* NatureSpirit -- This character represents a natural phenomenon.
54	* TheParagon -- This character represents the ideal of heroism.
55	* PoweredByAForsakenChild -- This character represents the human cost of a new technology.
56	* SeriesMascot -- This (usually nonhuman) character represents the work they're from.
57	* StrawCritic -- This character represents criticisms of the work in which they appear.
58	* StrawFan -- This character represents fans of the work in which they appear.
59	* TheThreeFacesOfAdam -- This character represents a phase of life that men go through.
60	* TheThreeFacesOfEve -- This character represents a phase of life that women go through.
61	** TheHecateSisters -- These characters represent the three aspects of traditional femininity.
62	* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth -- This character represents tragic purity in a cruel world.
63	* TheWarOnStraw -- This character represents all members of an ideology the author disagrees with.
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Often Allegorical]]
67	* BigBad -- This character often represents everything wrong with the world.
68	* BigGood -- This character often represents everything right in the world.
69	* BlindJustice -- This character represents unclouded moral righteousness.
70	* TheCassandra -- This character represents ignored truths.
71	** IgnoredExpert -- This character represents ignored scientific truths.
72	* ChildSoldiers -- These characters often represent the human cost of war.
73	* TheConscience -- This character represents someone else's inner moral voice.
74	* CousinOliver -- This character often represents the younger generation in a mostly older cast.
75	* DamselInDistress -- This character represents everything the protagonist is fighting for.
76	* DarkLordOnLifeSupport -- This character often represents an empire in decline.
77	* FounderOfTheKingdom -- This character often represents the ethos of the place they founded.
78	* TheGhost -- This unseen character often represents an external force of some sort.
79	* GrandeDame -- This character often represents a bygone era.
80	* GreekChorus -- These pseudo-characters often represent the collective wisdom of a populace.
81	* TheIngenue -- This character often represents innocence and purity.
82	* TheLastDJ -- This character represents a dying field or way of life.
83	* LeadYouCanRelateTo -- This character represents people like the presumed viewer.
84	* MysteriousWaif -- This young female character often represents a larger theme within the work.
85	* NaiveEverygirl -- This character represents that default young woman.
86	* ObstructiveBureaucrat -- This character often represents a larger, obstructive system.
87	* TheOphelia -- This young, mad female character often represents societal decay and corrupted innocence.
88	* ThePollyanna -- This character often represents optimism and the never-give-up aesop.
89	* PresentAbsence -- This character, significantly absent for much of the narrative, often represents a similarly absent concept.
90	* PsychosexualHorror -- This character represents sexual development and sexual activities.
91	* SaveThisPersonSaveTheWorld -- Saving this character represents saving everything else. Often literal, but sometimes allegorical.
92	* TheSmurfettePrinciple -- This character often represents women in general.
93	* TokenBlackFriend -- This character often represents Black people in general.
94	* TragicMonster -- This character often represents some real-life emotional or physical problem.
95	* WhatIfGodWasOneOfUs -- This human character represents the divine.
96	[[/folder]]
97	[[/index]]
98
99	----
100	!!Example subpages:
101
102	[[index]]
103	* AllegoricalCharacter/FanWorks
104	* AllegoricalCharacter/VideoGames
105	** ''AllegoricalCharacter/{{Psychonauts}}''
106	* AllegoricalCharacter/WesternAnimation
107	[[/index]]
108
109	!!Other examples
110	[[foldercontrol]]
111
112	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
113	* ''Literature/ArifuretaFromCommonplaceToWorldsStrongest'': There's Kouki Amanogawa. In a DeliberateValuesDissonance way. Kouki's views of "justice" (in a GoodFeelsGood way), TheNeedsOfTheMany (i.e. thinking of the group besides one's own individuality), bullying, and the use of UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming aren't all that different from what most of Japanese society thinks and functions as, and showing the ugly sides of it.
114	* ''Manga/DeathNote'': [[Characters/DeathNoteLightYagami Light Yagami]] is a walking societal critique of Japan's Lost Generation, children who grew up during the late nineties and early 2000s to find that despite all their hard work, they find themselves in a world with few job opportunities and other cruel hardships, with some ending up joining in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_subway_sarin_attack Aum Shinrikyo terrorist attack]].
115	* ''Manga/RecordOfRagnarok'': Jack the Ripper represents the malice of humanity, best illustrated by the titles given to him by the announcer Heimdall (e.g., "The Darkest of Evils", "Humanity's Greatest Evil", etc.). The premise of Round 4 has him going against Heracles, whom the narrative clearly associates with justice. Lastly, the main character Brunhilde, besides describing Jack as "the most despicable scum in human history", has something to say about this.
116	-->'''Brunhilde''': Geir. What is the one thing that humanity excels above the gods in...? Do you know?\
117	''{{Beat}}''\
118	'''Brunhilde''': It is... '''malice'''. The personification of that endless abyss shall bore into the soul of the most righteous god...
119	* In ''Franchise/SailorMoon'':
120	** Helios/Pegasus represents the personification of dreams and faith. Chibiusa is content to befriend him and keep their dreams pure, despite being tempted to do more. This is in contrast to BigBad Nehellenia whose corrupted dreams include wanting to ''own'' him.
121	** Nehellenia can be seen as the embodiment of childish nihilism. Her entire motive in ''Stars'' is wanting to destroy Usagi's life, kidnap her friends and lover, and erase Usagi's daughter out of existence because she is deeply envious of the happiness Usagi has with her loved ones.
122	* ''{{Manga/Tomie}}'': Junji Ito has stated he wrote Tomie as a representation of his fears of emotionally manipulative women. She's also been noted as a stand-in for the cycle of abuse, representing a regenerating, cyclical force that was created as a result of her teacher committing statutory rape and getting her killed by accident. She haunts the world by relying on parasitic exploitation and driving innocents into either obsession or hatred, which both lead to their doom. Similar to real-life abusers, the most viable tactic for survival seems to be to ignore her.
123
124	[[/folder]]
125
126	[[folder:Art]]
127	* Charity was a popular character in {{paintings}} meant to be the AnthropomorphicPersonification of [[EmbodimentOfVirtue her namesake]]. Artists like Creator/WilliamAdolpheBouguereau made multiple portraits of the virtue, including [[Art/CharityBouguereau one]] that highlights the difficulties of the demands of love while still glorifying it.
128	* ''Art/CivicVirtueTriumphantOverUnrighteousness'':
129	** The male figure itself is "[[EmbodimentOfVirtue Civic Virtue]]".
130	** The two female figures lounging by Civic Virtue represents [[EmbodimentOfVice "vice" and "corruption,"]] being [[OurSirensAreDifferent sirens]] who attempt to capture Civic Virtue, [[MinionWithAnFInEvil only to get trapped in their own nets]].
131	* ''Art/{{Dawn\|Bouguereau}}'' (Creator/WilliamAdolpheBouguereau): The woman presented in the image is meant to represent the time of dawn.
132	* Creator/SandroBotticelli's ''[[Art/SevenVirtues Fortezza]]'' is a regal and armored woman as an allegory of fortitude (''"Fortezza"'' in Italian).
133	* ''Art/NueCouchee'': The {{sculpture\|s}} is a representation of the horrifying implications of the MaleGaze, of how it hurts women on so many levels. Specifically, by twisting their bodies in unnatural ways for the sole purpose of FanService; therefore dehumanizing women. Fitting, since the thing only barely looks like a person.
134	* Many of the non-human characters in Creator/NaudlinePierre's {{paintings}} are meant to act as {{Anthropomorphic Personification}}s of different aspects of the main character on her spiritual journey.
135	* ''Art/WorkerAndKolkhozWoman'': Two characters symbolizing the union of industrial and agricultural [[UsefulNotes/{{Socialism}} proletarians]].
136	[[/folder]]
137
138	[[folder:Comic Books]]
139	* ''ComicBook/AmericanBornChinese'': Chin-Kee represents Jin's frustration with his Chinese roots and how he perceives the way other people, namely his white peers, perceive him because of them. Every year, he comes to Danny's school and ruins his life. No matter what Danny (Jin) does, he can't escape him, because Chin-Kee is part of him whether he likes it or not.
140	* ''ComicBook/FlexMentallo'': In practice, the entire cast is allegorical to a variety of different concepts. The main ones are Flex Mentallo (who represents all that is pure and idealistic about superhero stories and innocent fantasies in general), Wally Sage (who stands for the many complexities of being both audience and author to art) and Lord Limbo (who stands for the enigmatic, transcendental nature of superhero fiction). Other prominent characters such as Lt. Harry (a all-purpose stand-in for the [[{{Muggles}} hapless citizens]] of superhero fiction and, by extension, regular humans outside of comics) and The Hoaxer (who gestures towards the impossibility of fully comprehending reality) are also examples, and it is part of the narrative's goal for the reader to navigate the allegories in the cast.
141	* Franchise/TheDCU:
142	** Franchise/{{Superman}} -- This Character is the pinnacle of humanity's ideals and faith in humanity.
143	** Franchise/{{Batman}} -- This Character is the determination to stand up to injustice and always doing the right thing no matter the cost.
144	** ComicBook/TheJoker -- This Character is the epitome of madness incarnate.
145	** ComicBook/HarleyQuinn -- This Character is the representation of a [[LoveMartyr toxic relationship]] and then breaking free of one.
146	** Franchise/WonderWoman -- This Character is Women's Strength & Courage (often associated with UsefulNotes/{{Feminism}}).
147	** [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Queen Atomia]] -- This Character is the dangers of nuclear experimentation.
148	** ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} -- This Character is the representation of tyranny and oppression.
149	* Franchise/MarvelUniverse:
150	** ComicBook/CaptainAmerica -- This Character is UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream (and often the Dream's disconnect from modern American politics and social trends.
151	** ComicBook/SpiderMan -- This Character is the will to overcome tragedy and strife.
152	** ComicBook/ThePunisher -- This Character symbolizes the will to kill criminals and other villains, despite the objections of the superhero community.
153	** [[Characters/MarvelComicsJeanGrey Jean Grey]] -- This Character is the representation of how absolute power can corrupt absolutely.
154	** ''ComicBook/TheSentry'': A recurring enemy of Sentry, even appearing more than the Void, in the ''Age of the Sentry'' mini is a villain named Cranio who has three brains. He always boasts of being three steps ahead of him and is a recurring figure in hallucinations. Given Sentry normally has three personalities in conflict with each other he might be a representation of Bob being his own greatest enemy and the greatest threat to others.
155	[[/folder]]
156
157	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
158	* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'': Peter B can be seen as a commentary on how it feels watching Peter's life get destroyed repeatedly as he never gets married to the woman he loves, and keeps dealing with the same problems as an adult that he did in his youth. It stops being as relatable as it did when he was in his teens or twenties, and starts just being depressing.
159	* ''Animation/SonOfTheWhiteHorse'': The three main dragons, representing the evil side effects of technological progress. Certain interpretations of the source tales also view Fanyűvő and his brothers under the same light, especially in the versions where they're villains. The movie obviously adopts a different approach to their portrayal, but they're still [[ArchetypalCharacter walking mythological symbols rather than individual, fleshed-out characters.]]
160	* ''Animation/TheKidnappingOfTheSunAndTheMoon'': The dragon can represent anything bad and the hero can symbolize humanity's strength to fight back and restore peace.
161	* ''WesternAnimation/Nimona2023'': The Director is the living personification of paranoia and the horrible things it drives people to do. [[spoiler:She seeks to destroy everything she doesn't understand or can't control because they scare her, and she's too scared to get close enough to learn how baseless her fears are.]]
162	* In ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'', the Wolf bounty hunter may appear to be symbolizing "death", as he gives an appearance usually associated with TheGrimReaper - he has sickles, a black poncho with a hood, and a face mark that resembles that of a skull. The Wolf's defeat of Puss after the cat learns he is on his last life of nine works as a symbolic reckoning with mortality after a life of reckless danger. [[spoiler:Defied when the Wolf reveals he ''is'' [[TheGrimReaper Death]]. Not metaphorically, rhetorically, poetically, theoretically, or any other fancy way. [[NotHyperbole He is Death straight up]], and he's here to reap Puss early because the cat [[AesopEnforcer didn't value any of his previous lives]].]]
163	* ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkJoiningThePanderverse'': Creator/KathleenKennedy is used as a representative for all of Disney and pretty much Hollywood in general [[{{Misblamed}} (since that's how people treat her)]], the amount of control she has over the company being ridiculously exaggerated, and Cartman represents all obnoxious fans who do nothing but complain about the things they allegedly love and insist that [[PoliticalCorrectnessIsEvil "wokeness is ruining movies"]], he was said to have been single-handedly responsible for every piece of hate mail Kennedy received. The BigBad was a [[CompositeCharacter fusion of the two]] to demonstrate the bitter cycle of doubling down the two create.
164	[[/folder]]
165
166	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
167	* ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'': [[Characters/ANightmareOnElmStreetFreddyKrueger Freddy Krueger]] is the embodiment of GenerationalTrauma. While Freddy was a child-killer when he was human, as a NightmareWeaver he had since become [[TownWithADarkSecret Springwood's Dark Secret]] and the adults of the town have since tried to suppress the truth of his existence rather than confront it. At best, the adults ignore or gaslight the kids into thinking that Freddy is nothing more than a figment of their collective imagination. At worst, the adults will arrest, drug and/or institutionalize the kids (as was the case in ''The Dream Warriors'' and ''Freddy vs. Jason''), doing everything they can to control the kids while leaving them all the more helpless against him.
168	* ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'':
169	** [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyTheJoker The Joker]] is practically the face of Terrorism after the 9/11 attacks. After taking control of organized crime and murdering many of the criminals involved, the Joker turns to large scale terrorism, with all law enforcement agencies taking action. Certainly, the level of State of Emergency during the film's climax is very evocative of the 9/11 attacks. In fact, some commentators and authors have compared the premise of the film to the [[UsefulNotes/WarOnTerror Global War on Terrorism]].
170	** [[Characters/TheDarkKnightTrilogyBane Bane]] from ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' seems to represent the idea of Revolution, particularly those that involve uprisings and armed rebellions. In fact, Bane's revolution in Gotham is explicitly designed to be evocative of UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution. Some commentators and authors have even noted parallels with UsefulNotes/TheArabSpring.
171	* ''Film/GameOfDeath'': The characters in the pagoda are this in the original version. One could ask if they spend all of their lives in the pagoda waiting for some challenger, however, they represent the formalized system of martial arts that Creator/BruceLee wanted to prove wrong. They are all beaten with some ease, however Kareem-Abdul Jabbar has an unknown fighting style that represents the highest level of martial arts.
172	* ''Film/{{Grimcutty}}'': The titular monster is a personification or parental worry (and to a degree, mistrust of their children). It appears to attack children whose parents are worried about, often cutting them or harming them in such a way that justifies the worries of the parents, which in turn makes it more likely to appear to hurt the children further. The first child to be afflicted with it has his mother become so paranoid with the idea of him getting hurt that she eventually locks him up in a padded room.
173	* ''Film/ManilaInTheClawsOfLight'': Julio is a metaphor for the hand-to-mouth Filipino poor, who are kept in hopeless situations by those in power and can only respond with either patience or small-scale violence.
174	* Franchise/{{Godzilla}} himself started in ''Film/Godzilla1954'' as an allegorical character representing the UsefulNotes/AtomicBombingsOfHiroshimaAndNagasaki and the destruction caused. His flesh was designed to resemble the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keloid keloid scarring]] of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibakusha hibakusha]], and footsteps were deliberately made to sound like explosions.
175	* The Three-headed Knight from ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' can be seen as a TakeThat towards bureaucracy. The body of the knight can only act once all three heads agree. But by that time, new developments have taken place that render their previous agreement useless. In this case, Sir Robin appeared, causing the Three Headed Knight to argue how to deal with him. But after reaching an agreement, Robin already left. Likewise, a large company or institution might run into trouble adapting to new technological advancements or other societal developments. When the administration of said company or institution finally decided how to deal with said developments, other developments have already taken place.
176	* In many films about the ''UsefulNotes/RMSTitanic'', a handful of named characters take up traits, quotes or actions of different people onboard, to avoid having to spend time with lots of characters. Sometimes fictional characters are used to avoid HistoricalVillainUpgrade.
177	* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'':
178	** Across the First Class trilogy, [[Characters/XMenFilmSeriesProfessorCharlesXavier Professor X]] represents empathy, and depending on the story, he can also be a figure of peace, hope or love. For ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', he's emblematic of serenity, and without his participation during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the planet would've plunged into WorldWarIII (no Charles = no peace). For ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'', his 1973 self must regain hope, otherwise by 2023, mutantkind is doomed to extinction (a hopeless past Xavier = a hopeless future for mutants). For ''Film/XMenApocalypse'', his love is the only thing that can conquer fear (Jean Grey's trepidation over her [[spoiler:Phoenix Force]] disappears when she senses the utmost trust the Professor has in her), hate and anger (the last two are felt by Magneto, but once he [[spoiler:recalls how much he loves his old friend, he betrays Apocalypse]]); in this case, Charles = ThePowerOfLove.
179	*** Furthermore, Xavier's emotional state is a metaphor for America's mindset during the time period these movies depict. In 1962, the character's optimism is an extension of the hopeful outlook President Kennedy's administration tended to exude, whereas Charles' melancholia in 1973 is not unlike the general malaise American citizens felt while under the shadow of UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar. Xavier's descent into despair began in 1963, which is the same year Kennedy was assassinated--the end of "Camelot"[[note]]Kennedy's presidency is sometimes called this[[/note]] parallels the end of Professor X's school. At least in the AlternateTimeline, Charles starts to piece himself together again shortly after the Paris Peace Accords are signed. The80s in the USA was an era of excess and materialism (both were regarded as not just acceptable, but ''desirable''), so Xavier's vanity is at its peak in 1983, and we get to see much more of his lavish estate and everything he owns within its boundaries. The combination of his smug demeanour, dressing like he had just stepped off the set of ''Series/MiamiVice'', and driving around in a gorgeous, well-maintained vintage car announces to everyone that "[[TheBeautifulElite I'm beautiful, I'm rich]], and I love it."
180	* ''Film/TheThief'': Toljan clearly symbolizes UsefulNotes/JosefStalin. The Stalin tattoo on his chest is the most obvious sign. Katya and Sanya represent the Russian people, looking for a father figure/protector, meekly submitting and accepting his crimes as the Russian people submitted to Stalin.
181	* ''Film/Oldboy2003'': Lee Woo-jin can be seen as an allegory to [[YouCantFightFate Fate]] itself; earlier in the film, while trying to find out who kidnapped him, Dae-su fills various notebooks with the names of people he's wronged and what slights he's committed against them, [[DramaticIrony only for none of them to have Woo-jin's name]]. [[spoiler: At the same time, anyone could have stumbled upon what Woo-jin and Soo-ah were doing in the classroom that day, and that person happened to be Dae-su]].
182	* ''Film/PansLabyrinth''
183	** Captain Vidal is fascism incarnate, in his obsessions with complete control of every aspect of his life, in securing a son only to carry on his name, and then dying a glorious death.
184	** According to del Toro, [[http://screenanarchy.com/2006/12/pans-labyrinthinterview-with-guillermo-del-toro.html the Pale Man represents the Catholic Church, which was highly complicit in Spanish fascism at the time the movie takes place.]] There is also the part about him sitting at a table loaded with all sorts of delicious food that he does not eat, but will kill and consume anyone who takes as much as an apple.
185	[[/folder]]
186
187	[[folder:Literature]]
188	* Bruno in ''Literature/TheBoyInTheStripedPyjamas'' is meant to represent a naive Germany unaware of the actions of Nazis.
189	* The Garden of Eden atop ''[[Literature/TheDivineComedy Dante's Purgatorio]]'' is littered with people who represent moral and religious concepts, some falling under AnthropomorphicPersonification and some being too weird to fall under a specific sub-trope:
190	** The twenty-four elders with wreaths on their head represent the books of the Old Testament of Literature/TheBible.
191	** The four green animals with six wings each and many eyes represent Literature/TheFourGospels.
192	** Two elders appear in together, one being a doctor to represent Luke's Literature/ActsOfTheApostles and the other a swordbearer to represent Saint Paul's letters.
193	** Four humble men who follow without comment represent the writers of the lesser epistles.
194	** At the end of the parade, an old man who looked as if he was asleep advances, representing the Literature/BookOfRevelation.
195	* ''Literature/NoliMeTangere'' and ''Literature/ElFilibusterismo'' has characters portraying the status of the UsefulNotes/{{Philippines}} and its people during its colonial era.
196	* {{Atlantis}} in the dialogues of Creator/{{Plato}}, ''Timaeus'' and ''Critias''. Atlantis was an empire that embodied everything Plato saw as flaws that an ideal nation state should avoid. This is why despite all of Atlantis' power it still ultimately is unable to overcome Athens and sinks beneath the seas.
197	[[/folder]]
198
199	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
200	* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In episode [[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S4E4HesAlive He's Alive]], Hitler is the literal manifestation of hatred and prejudice, with his return being only possible when Peter attempts to revive the Nazi movement in his city. Once Peter is killed at the end of the episode, Hitler simply returns to the shadows to seek out another Neo-Nazi. As Ron Serling puts it, Hitler is alive and immortal so long as [[HumansAreBastards people continue to practice hatred and prejudice]].
201	* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''[='s=] FreudianTrio:
202	** [[TheKirk Kirk]]: Leadership
203	** [[TheSpock Spock]]: Logic
204	** [[TheMcCoy McCoy]]: Emotion
205	* ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'': President Laira Rillak's a perfect representation of the problems that the Federation has always faced, in that she preaches about unity and goodwill in public, but in private she’s TheNeedsOfTheMany (even if JerkassHasAPoint about Michael’s trauma) and concerned with military prowess and getting everyone in under the Federation again.
206	* In ''Series/JessicaJones2015'', [[Characters/MCUKevinThompson Kilgrave]] is pretty much the personification of stereotypically masculine vices, often associated with rape, entitlement, and negative aggression.
207	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
208	** The Skithra from "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS38E4NikolaTeslasNightOfTerror Nikola Tesla's Night Of Terror]]" are a distillation of all of Thomas Edison's flaws with none of his redeeming qualities - They both exploit inventors like Tesla for their own benefit, but unlike the [[OvershadowedByAwesome merely-less-prolific]] Edison, the Skithra [[CreativeSterility don't create anything at all]].
209	** The Absorbaloff from "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E10LoveAndMonsters Love and Monsters]]" is an allegory for the darker aspects of fandom culture, specifically the "super-fans" who take Doctor Who too seriously and ruin the fun for everyone else through their obsession with the show.
210	* ''Series/TheBoys2019''
211	** [[Characters/TheBoys2019VoughtInternational Vought International]] is an allegory for modern-day commercialism. Vought International has no integrity and is content to turn a blind eye to Supe misdemeanors and outright deaths because the supes are too valuable and profitable an asset to see locked behind bars and will use corporate intervention to either silence witnesses or throw money at the problem to ensure it stays away. Vought will only publically condemn the problem to pay lip service and have no issues with ignoring the problem altogether behind closed doors. As shown with Compound-V and Soldier Boy, Vought has the power to make a difference but would rather use their power to make money than do anything practical.
212	** [[Characters/TheBoys2019Homelander Homelander]] embodies the dark underbelly of America by voicing its most controversial standpoints, i.e. the America First policy, hypermasculinity, religious fundamentalism, reproductive rights, and the war on terror. His name is based on Homeland Security, and he even wears a cape in the style of the American flag with eagle imagery on his costume, and while he is picky enough to curl up his cape when he sits so as not to sit on the American flag, it becomes drenched in the blood of his victims on more than one occasion.
213	** [[Characters/TheBoys2019SoldierBoy Soldier Boy]]’s pretty much the physical embodiment of toxic masculinity and the US military.
214	*** As the embodiment of toxic masculinity, Soldier Boy matches the criteria for the stereotypical ManlyMan, i.e. has a beard, hot-blooded, muscular, and stoic, but these traits are shown to be unhealthy. His hot-bloodedness makes him aggressive and abusive toward his teammates in Payback, he discriminates against the non-whites and non-heterosexuals, he's sexist and misogynistic, and his bottled-up emotions are now symbolically expressed through nuclear blasts whenever his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is triggered by a Russian song called "Escape".
215	*** As the embodiment of the US military, Soldier Boy is one of the most powerful and influential forces in the world, but he accidentally kills innocent people with nuclear explosions and then acts like he’s the good guy for the most part. Homelander's response to the danger he represents also mirrors the Trump Administration's "nothing to see here" response to the then-emerging COVID-19 pandemic.
216	** [[Characters/TheBoys2019Supes Supes]]: The supes in the series are used as a critique of celebrity culture, namely the greed for fame, how their egos outpace their capabilities, and how their misdeeds are usually covered up through corporate intervention.
217	** Blue Hawk's the embodiment of police brutality and his costume resembles a motorcycle police officer's uniform. While Blue Hawk insists that his actions aren't racially motivated, he displays police brutality by revealing that he's quick to anger, relies on lying to save himself from the consequences of his actions, and has no qualms using his powers on unarmed black civilians. He's also believed to be based on George Zimmerman.[[note]]A volunteer neighbourhood watch officer who killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, during a highly controversial confrontation in 2012.[[/note]]
218	** Todd, the new husband of the ex-wife of Mother's Milk, personifies people who peddle [[ConspiracyTheorist baseless conspiracy theories]] and blindly follow people with personality cults built around them. In Todd's case, he's an [[LoonyFan overzealous fan]] of Homelander who tries to push his beliefs onto his stepdaughter Janine, which disturbs her father Marvin who ''has'' seen what Homelander [[{{Sadist}} is really like]]. He also follows the baseless conspiracy theory that Starlight is sex trafficking children, which he got from the Homelander rally he brought his stepdaughter to, one that is reminiscent of Trump rallies. [[spoiler:Notably, at the end of the Season 3 finale, he has become so devoted to supporting Homelander that he is the first person who cheers after the supe executes a protestor in broad daylight]].
219	* ''Series/CobraKai'': Sensei Kim Da-Eun serves as a societal critique of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_parenting tiger parenting]], an authoritarian form of strict parenting to ensure the success of their children, which is common in East Asian countries. Being raised by a ruthless Tang Soo Do teacher, Da-Eun also inherits all of her grandfather's ruthlessness. Her treatment of Tory, a Westerner, borders on from emotional and psychological abuse to full-on maltreatment.
220	* ''Series/DontHugMeImScared'': Warren the Eagle's the embodiment of intrusive thoughts and insecurities. Warren feeds Yellow Guy's fears that Red Guy and Duck hate him and he literally crawls into Yellow Guy's brain and ruins his happy place. [[spoiler:After removing him from Yellow Guy's head, Red Guy and Duck sing about how everyone has a worm in their brain that tells them negative and upsetting things (such as how Red Guy can't wear denim and that Duck is responsible for many deaths after forging documents) and they should be ignored.]]
221	* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'': In episode [[Recap/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphiaS15E02TheGangMakesLethalWeapon7 The Gang Makes Lethal Weapon 7]] this is discussed, while trying to make a new villain, Dennis explains why they chose Karen White. According to Dennis, entitled white women are the only group they can vilify for their movie but the gang finds her too "cunty" for their movie and decide to switch Karen with a flood to avoid controversy. Instead, they now find the character unlikable and eventually make "Don Cheadle" the director, who turns the film into a documentary about white saviors.
222	* ''Series/JustBeyond'': In episode "[[Recap/JustBeyondS1E4MyMonster My Monster]]", The Squeember is a physical representation of stress and anxiety.
223	* ''Series/KamenRiderOutsiders'': The AI [[TheComputerIsYourFriend Zein]] serves as a societal critique of real life dictators and authoritarian leaders in recorded history, a cautionary tale on how democracies can easily deteriorate into authoritarianism so long the leader stays in power and silence any opposition by any means necessary. From a {{Hobbes\|WasRight}}ian perspective, it's widely believed that its autocratic mentality can be seen as a [[NecessarilyEvil necessary evil]] to pacify mankind's worst impulses, given that ''Kamen Rider'' runs on the theme of HumansAreTheRealMonsters.
224	[[/folder]]
225
226	[[folder:Music]]
227	* While at first Music/{{Eminem}}'s Slim Shady character was a way to express his HairTriggerTemper, [[SelfDeprecation self-loathing]] and [[{{Troll}} desire to say things to piss people off]], Eminem claimed that as time went on, he began to imagine Slim as the personification of his own fame. This is especially apparent in "When I'm Gone", where Slim kills himself in order to become Marshall again ([[RealitySubtext allegorising how Eminem needed to step out of the spotlight for the sake of his own mental health]]), and in his CareerResurrection album ''Relapse'', a ConceptAlbum where Slim's murder rampages serve as an allegory both for the life-destroying effects of fame, and for the way that fame pushes people into the clutches of drug addiction.
228	[[/folder]]
229
230	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
231	* In ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' the ancient sphinx Azor represents colonialism, specifically the conceit that it's done to benefit the colonized -- he travels between planes remaking their governance into what he considers to be perfect, orderly systems, and when chaos and suffering result because of his interventions he blames the people for failing to live up to his designs.
232	-->'''Azor:''' I '''''fixed''''' this plane--\
233	'''Vraska:''' This plane was never broken!
234	[[/folder]]
235
236	[[folder:Theater]]
237	* ''Theatre/CesareIlCreatoreCheHaDistrutto'' has Angelo, a Florentine commoner who befriends Cesare Borgia at school. As his name implies, he's angelic, and often represents a more pure view of the situation than what occurs to the other characters, who are used to the CrapsackWorld of politics in 15th-century Italy. As soon as Cesare hears his name, he sings a song about how it means "Angel", and that leads him to think about how far the Vatican is from the purity it should have. Angelo also isn't afraid to challenge upper-class characters on their views -- Cesare himself doesn't mind a little ''disputatio'' in the classroom, but others aren't so nice. [[DistressedDude Cesare ends up having to rescue Angelo quite a few times]] until the end where [[spoiler: Angelo returns the favor, stepping in front of a dagger for Cesare]].
238	* Medieval morality plays tended to feature a character called the Vice, who was a personification of a sin, such as Covetousness, Lust, or Gluttony. While originally played for drama, the Vice was eventually played for comedy and tended to be the most popular character in the play.
239	* In ''Theatre/AStreetCarNamedDesire'', Blanche is the classical antebellum south that's dying away, and Stanley is the new, more industrial south that's emerged since the then-recent end of World War 2. [[EvilVersusEvil Neither of them are exactly sympathetic.]]
240	[[/folder]]
241
242	[[folder:Web Comics]]
243	* In ''Webcomic/ThreeJaguars'', the three jaguars are in fact [[http://threejaguarscomic.net/?comic=introduction-page-1 personalities facets of the artist/writer]].
244	* In ''Webcomic/KoanOfTheDay'', every single one of the characters is allegorical.
245	[[/folder]]
246
247	[[folder:Web Original]]
248	* ''Literature/TheHomestuckEpilogues'': Fitting the fanfiction metaphor, the narrators for both timelines represent the kind of authors that write it:
249	** [[spoiler:Ultimate Dirk]] is the fan that writes DarkerAndEdgier and canon-compliant fics, mixing FanonDiscontinuity with StartMyOwn when the work they like heads in a direction they don't agree with.
250	** [[spoiler:Muse Calliope]] is the fan that enjoys writing fluff, AU, and shipping fics, even if the results are out of character. Despite being in control of a universe they "know" isn't the real deal, they still see it as just as living as the true universe.
251	* ''WebAnimation/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers'': Lawyer Kong acts as a living embodiment of Nintendo's [[ScrewedByTheLawyers obsessive compulsive enforcement of their copyrighted properties]]. He even goes so far as [[spoiler:erecting a firewall that separates Nintendo-owned characters from [=SMG4's=] characters alongside third-party characters and maintaining [[CrapsaccharineWorld the family-friendly facade]] by [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal force]].]]
252	[[/folder]]

Context Main / AllegoricalCharacter