Lovable rogue
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The lovable rogue is a fictional
Description
Character stereotypes
The lovable rogue is generally male and is often trying to "beat the system" and better himself, though not by ordinary or widely accepted means. If the protagonist of a story is also a lovable rogue, he is frequently deemed an
Motives and morality
Lovable rogues are not the standard paragons of virtue because they frequently break the law or seem to act for their own personal profit; however, they are charming or sympathetic enough to convince the audience to root for them. As with the case of George Wickham in Pride and Prejudice, authors may even intentionally write them that way in order to hide the fact that they are a villain from readers until this information becomes necessary to plot.[1]
Although they appear at first to act only for personal gain or to break the law needlessly, lovable rogues are often justified in these actions later on due to some ethical motivation that had not yet been revealed at the time or, at least, have the capacity to atone for their wrongdoings. Many lovable rogues are simply prone to being misled when making ethical decisions, while others who appear to act unethically actually maintain a flexible and complicated but legitimate code of ethics.
Despite his common external appearance of selfishness, foolhardiness, or emotional detachment, the lovable rogue may in fact strongly associate with a highly idealistic belief system and understand the concept of a code of honor so highly valued that it transcends normal social constraints such as conformity, tradition, or the law. This sense of an internalized, personal code is usually what makes the lovable rogue lovable, since it serves to confirm that he is moral whereas he may have appeared at first glance to be immoral. The lovable rogue, thus, is not a villain, because he has either a sincere, strong sense of morality (though he may be unwilling to expose it) or has the definite potential for establishing such a moral sense. In addition, his tendency to violate norms may be regarded as a positive trait—having a highly individualistic, creative, or self-reliant personality.
See also
Similar characters
- Outlaw (stock character)
- Social bandits
Rogue-related articles
- Eavesdrop
- Defector
- Sabotage
- Status symbol
- Bad boy (archetype)
- Rake (stock character)
References
- ^ Bell, Terena (2021-01-28). "Fiction Writing Lessons from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice". Medium. Retrieved 2021-02-02.