The Seven Deadly Sins have been part of Christian theology since at least the 6th Century, and authors have been borrowing and reinventing them ever since—Dante largely ordered his vision of Hell and Purgatory around the sins, and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales contains a lengthy treatise on ways to remedy them. Many modern authors and screenwriters, too, have had their fun with with the sins, especially with casts of characters meant to represent specific sins themselves. Whether giving audiences a fascinating insight into human nature or providing reliable antagonism, writers have mined this crew for centuries.
The Sin du Jour Affairs by Matt Wallace
Matt Wallace’s series of novellas feature chef pals Darren and Lena, two new members of the staff at Sin du Jour Catering & Events. But until their first day on the job, the two were unaware that Sin du Jour’s specializes in meals fit for a supernatural clientele, demons included. Whether its tracking down exotic ingredients (like angel-meat) or dealing with the chaos of a Goblin wedding, Lena and Darren roll with the punches of their new jobs—after all, they’re professionals, right? As the series progresses, the caterers are drawn deeper into the supernatural world bubbling beneath our own—they’ve come a long from from Envy of Angels to the explosive conclusion in Taste of Wrath…
Bedazzled (1967)
Though younger fans likely only remember the remake with Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley, the original Bedazzled starred the incomparable duo of Dudley Moore and Peter Cook as Stanley Moon and Satan (who goes by the name George Spiggott). Throughout the film, Stanley comes into contact with embodiments of the seven deadly sins—most notably Lust (above) and Greed—who work for the Devil and carry out acts of vandalism and so on. Though they are only tangental to the plot—where Moon agrees to sell his soul to Spiggott for seven wishes in an effort to get a waitress named Margaret Spencer to fall in love with him—the motley group provide a good portion of the film’s laughs.
Keys to the Kingdom Series by Garth Nix
The Keys to the Kingdom series has a different villain for each book, and they’re all named after different days of the week! These books follow the doings of The House, which used to be under the power of “The Architect” who disappears. Despite the Architect’s Will dictating that the House should be run by a mortal from the Secondary Realms, the seven most powerful beings of The House decide to imprison the Will and keep the Keys to the Kingdom for themselves. The system stays in place for 10,000 years until one part of the Will escapes and tricks one of them into handing their key over to the Rightful Heir—Arthur Penhaligon. The boy realizes that he has to defeat this group and reclaim all of the keys in order to put the House to rights. Unsurprisingly, the trustee who hands over his key without thought is Monday, the embodiment of Sloth.
Gilligan’s Island
What is this doing here, you ask? Turns out, the show’s creator wrote a book called Inside Gilligan’s Island where he suggested that each of the castaways embodied a different sin. That seems an odd burden to saddle your shipwrecked central characters with, but it’s also a sharp way of ensuring conflict—if you’ve got someone who’s always Wrathful (Skipper) bouncing off of someone who’s always Slothful (Gilligan) you’re bound to come up with shenanigans. It probably helped a lot in sketching out scripts, just by keeping that as a constant reminder.
The Hannibal Lecter Series by Tom Harris
It has been said that each of the main figures in Harris’s series centered on Hannibal Lector and Clarice Starling represent one of the seven sins: Clarice and Hannibal themselves are Pride and Gluttony respectively. The other central antagonists of the series make up Envy (Jame Gumb), Lust (Francis Dolarhyde), and Wrath (Mason Verger). The detective Pazzi is said to be Greed (likely for agreeing to take the bounty on Hannibal for Verger), and Dr. Frederick Chilton becomes Sloth, using others to further his research while refusing to do the hard work himself. It is uncertain whether or not this was the interpretation that Harris intended, but the characters do seem to match up in a succinct manner.
Charmed — “Sin Francisco”
The show’s sister trio (and friends) got slammed with massive doses of sin… infections? That’s the easiest way of describing what happened when a demon came to town wielding very specific power. Leo got hit with Sloth while sisters Prue, Piper, and Phoebe got hit with Pride, Gluttony, and Lust respectively. Each person had to purge the sin by defying it, which on paper doesn’t seem all that clever. This episode wins points for putting an interesting spin on how the sin of “Pride” works, however; Prue couldn’t get rid of Pride so easily because doing so always turned into a show of how brave and selfless she was being—which is basically the embodiment of Pride.
Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical History of The Life and Death of Doctor Faustus features a parade of the Seven Deadly Sins. In this classic Elizabethan take on the story, Faustus sells his soul with the sensible goal of gaining knowledge forbidden to man. Mephistopheles, in a twist that Faust really should have seen coming, instead wastes his time, doesn’t teach him anything, and simply tries to tempt him with Earthly delights and distractions. Faustus spends the play whipsawing between repentance and gleeful sin, while a pair of angels goad him on. At one point he finally comes within a few heartfelt words of asking God to take him back, but Mephistopheles can’t let that stand, so he pops down to Hell and comes back with all Seven Sins in tow. They parade around Faust, who’s so excited to finally see some supernatural action that he misses the warning they represent.
They’re all pretty hilarious, but favorites go to Gluttony, who asks Faustus if he can stay for supper, and Sloth, who sighs, “I was begotten on a sunny bank, where I have lain ever since; and you have done me great injury to bring me from thence: let me be carried thither again by Gluttony and Lechery. I’ll not speak another word for a king’s ransom.” But naturally the best line goes to Lust (the only sin represented by a woman) who summarizes her Tinder profile for Faustus, saying, “I am one that loves an inch of raw mutton better than an ell of fried stockfish; and the first letter of my name begins with Lechery.”
There are plenty more examples, of course, from the obvious (Seven) to the not-so-obvious (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, maybe?). Let us know your favorites in the comments!
Originally published in January 2017.
The Professor = Pride
Maryann = Envy
Ginger = Lust
Mr. Howell = Greed
Mrs. Howell = Sloth
The Skipper = Anger & Gluttony
Who keeps them trapped on that island?
Gilligan.
Gilligan = Satan
Heh. People representing one of the Seven Deadly Sins was the enter point of Se7en. Which is either brilliant or idiotic, depending on who you ask.
I disagree that Gilligan was Sloth. He seemed to work a lot compared to the others.
Gilligan was Satan, as #1 said.
Gilligan was God.
You re-post, I’ll re-paste, because I love this trope.
KEYS TO THE KINGDOM YES YES YES.
I’ve been obsessed with this little-discussed series since I read it in 2014. This obsession is largely thanks to the titular villains. They do embody the Sins, in a way. But most of them were normal people (for that world’s non-human standards of “normal”) before they each became afflicted with a Sin which makes them suffer greatly even as it drives them to devastate their domains. I kind of hated them while reading the books,* as one should. But in retrospect, admittedly encouraged by fanfiction, I found them increasingly sympathetic, relatable, and bizarrely lovable in my twisty mind. It helps that the story’s corresponding embodiments of the Seven Virtues are quite obnoxious in their own ways, and I utterly hated them after they (rollover for a big spoiler) //DESTROYED THE HOUSE AND THE UNIVERSE///.
My libraries only have the first three Sin du Jour novellas, but I hope they’ll get the later ones eventually. Though the Goodreads reviews for Gluttony Bay say it’s largely devoted to “setting up the endgame.” What the Seven Hells, people. In a series revolving around food, the Gluttony installment should be the crowning glory! Sigh.
*Except Wednesday, who I have always adored beyond all reason. I consider her the patron goddess of House Manderly.
For a while now, I’ve been discussing a frequent problem with anthropomorphic portrayals of the Seven Deadly Sins: six of them will be drawn to elicit disgust… except for Lust, who’ll be a bodacious babe. It’s like, “Yes, straight male audience, here are the parts of yourself you should fear. Except that one, who is totally the fault of evil wimminz.”
Which: no, guys, you can’t have it both ways. Either portray ALL of them as tempting, or ALL of them as horrible warnings. And if you’re going with the latter, then Lust ought to be a man in a dirty raincoat, lurking outside a schoolyard. (Or possibly a pick-up artist. They’re about as disgusting.)
(Credit where it’s due: Edmund Spenser, way back in the sixteenth century, portrayed Lust as a gross dude in The Faerie Queene.)
My favourite portrayal of all seven sins as alluring figures is this set of portraits by Marta Dahlig.
Keys to the Kingdom dodges the issue of having Lust in a childrens’ story by making the afflicted Trustee addicted to consuming and “experiencing” the memories of mortals, a not-outwardly-sexual sensory obsession in a series utterly devoid of anything sexual (except in fanfiction, natch). Apparently a thinly-veiled metaphor for drug addiction was deemed more age-appropriate, go figure. She and most of the other Trustees are beautiful or handsome by conventional standards. Only the Gluttony-afflicted one is designed to elicit disgust, and ironically she’s the one I adore because I’m several kinds of weird.
Full Metal Alchemist, of course!
In this one, I think Greed is more akin to the Buddhist idea of desire. Desire is what keeps mortals from achieving Nirvana but it can be desire for the things people normally desire in life. Greed, for example, is ultimately dominated for his desire for friendship/connection to others. It also helps him learn about the duties and obligations that come with this.
While I allow some of the representations of Lust as female are logical (if you assume a predominantly male, heterosexual audience, it’s not unreasonable to present Lust as a figure who might incite lust [although, I’d say sexism is still at the core of it]), but it doesn’t make much sense in FMA. In that all the sins turn out to be parts of the villain’s soul he has discarded. So, Lust should be male (or some of the other sins should be female, if we’re assuming anima/animus soul stuff).
It was pointed out to me some time ago that Lust from FMA might be bloodlust rather than carnal lust. She does do everything she can to cause death and pain while still carrying out Father’s orders.
It’s been suggested that C.S. Lewis incorporated a Seven Deadly Sin framework into his seven “Chronicles of Narnia.” There’s lots of sinning of all types (suitable for children’s eyes, anyway) going on in all those books, but each highlights a particular sin:
TLTWTW – Edmund’s Gluttony
Prince Caspian- Miraz’s “Lust” for power and wealth
Dawn Treader – Eustace’s Greed
Silver Chair – Jill’s Sloth/apathy
Horse and His Boy – everyone’s Pride
Magician’s Nephew – Jadis’, Diggory’s and even Polly’s Wrath
Last Battle – Shift’s Envy
Additionally, you can look at The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, with its seven missing lords, as throwing all seven sins into one story. But there’s less agreement about which sin goes to which chapter/lord/island; I’ve seen a couple of different interpretations.
Thank you for mentioning the 1967 Dudley Moore-Peter Cooke Bedazzled, one of the funniest movies ever made (and for those who have only seen the Brendan Foster abomination you MUST watch the original).
I will point out for those who are young and have yet to get off my lawn that Lust (technically Lillian Lust: The Babe With The Bust, as the Devil introduces her) was played by Raquel Welch, who was the quintessential movie sex symbol of the 1960’s. Casting her as Lust was a well-known inside joke…
Fullmetal Alchemist should also get points for the sin-specific powers (Envy as a shapeshifter is brilliant), and the effective introduction and ensuing drama: as soon as we meet the initial party of Lust, Envy, and Gluttony, we-the-audience know that there must be four more, and it simply becomes a matter of identifying them as they turn up.
I also like the irony of Sloth being the most physically powerful of the group, rendered harmless through laziness.
@6 nice take on lust always being presented as a hot babe. In point of fact Lust does not have to be sexual at all, as in Lust for Power.
I find it interesting that we have to so clearly define them. Its like we can avoid punishment/incrimination by adhering to the letter of the law instead of the intent, when we discus morality.
Good and interesting points all around.
@13 The problem is that Lust is supposed to be the sexual kind, at least if you’re adhering to biblical standards. Otherwise it just becomes another form of greed/avarice (to desire something strongly). I get altering the idea of Lust for children’s programming (FMA and the other examples noted), however to say that Lust is not intended to be sexual desire is completely missing the point.
However, I do completely agree that all anthropomorphic portrayals of Lust do not need to be so inherently sexist or double-standard-y.
The Dark Crystal. According to Jim Henson, they had the Seven Deadly Sins in mind when designing individual characters for the Skeksis. It’s not a perfect example, since there are ten Skeksis in the movie (plus more in the prequel comics), and Henson admits they either used some sins twice or came up with new ones. You can still see a few obvious ones, though:
SkekAyuk the Gourmand = Gluttony
SkekEkt the Ornamentalist = Vanity/Pride
SkekUng the General = Wrath
SkekSil the Chamberlain = Envy
SkekShod the Treasurer = Greed
The Eighth Deadly Sin is, of course, Stupidity.
Nobody talks about it because it’s too common.
I remember people in the commentary for the SpongeBob episode “Plankton!” talking about how the characters were originally supposed to be representations of the seven deadly sins (with jokes about how Sandy is the sin of karate.)
Major Brandon Sanderson spoilers–please don’t read if you haven’t read through Oathbringer //You could make a strong argument that Brandon Sanderson is going for a variant on the Deadly Sins in The Stormlight Archive with the introduction of the Unmade. Fairly straightforward so far are Ashertmarn (both Gluttony and Lust), and Nergaoul (Wrath). While this won’t map right onto the traditional Sins, since there are more than seven Unmade, the basic idea seems to still be there. And to play quite well with the nontraditional subdivision of the aspects of God represented by the Shards.//
@14: Strictly speaking the Seven Deadly Sins, as a category, aren’t Biblical at all (of course the Bible has a lot to say about various kinds of sinfulness, but the list as we know it was a later development).
Lust is related to Greed, the desire for an excess of material possessions, but not quite the same thing.
Lust in the theological sense means an inordinate desire without consideration of the morality of the desire or its effect on the desired object. As Granny Weatherwax might say, Lust gains satisfaction from treating people like things. Obviously, sexually is one way in which people have been known to use other people like objects, but it’s not the only way.
@18 HEY YES! I noticed that and thought I just totally made it up… glad to see somebody else has noticed that! Also, about the Charlie & the Chocolate Factory thing, hmm…
Augustus = Gluttony
Veruca = Greed (or maybe Envy)
Mike = Sloth maybe?
Violet = Pride?
I dunno, not a perfect fit, but some interesting trend thingies there.
@20: I think Mike would represent Wrath, given his demonstrated love for guns and TV portrayals of violence, though TV-watching is more generally considered a Slothful habit.
My pet peeve is the conflation of Greed and Gluttony, which to me seem very different people things. Greed is the desire to possess in excess, Gluttony the desire to consume in excess. In Keys to the Kingdom, the Greedy trustee hoards treasure in a glass pyramid while destroying his domain with ruthless mining and industry in pursuit of more wealth. The Gluttonous one mindlessly swallows sunken treasure as she swims through the ocean as a ginormous whale eating everything in her path; little knowing or caring that it’s gathered and hoarded by the pirates living in her stomach.
OK, Hayao Miyazaki and Terry Pratchett have made them, and others, interchangeable on occasion. I’m still going to gripe about it.
That said, in general terms, there are many overlaps between the Seven Sins. Envy is the desire to possess or consume something someone else has. Lust is the desire for excessive…sensory experience, not quite the same as possessing or consuming? Can Wrath be motivated by Lust for feelings of pleasure from causing pain or destruction? Is Sloth an excessive lack of desire for anything? I dunno. /ramble
I immediately thought of Fullmetal as well. And while Lust is a bodacious babe, only gluttony and sloth are drawn as repellent. I don’t want to go to much into their appearances because guessing who the rest of the sins are is such a huge part of the viewing experience . . .
Also lust is never trying to seduce anyone in the show. Instead she is usually the thinker of her little troika of sins and pierces her victims with extendable fingers.
In fact, there are only a few instances in the show’s entire run where the sins are trying to tempt someone. For the most part, their sin is their power used to combat humanity.
Envy – shapeshifting
Gluttony – consumption
Wrath – Berserker attack
Lust – Piercing
Greed – Changes his body to diamond
Sloth – Huge, immovable, strong (weakest connection to me)
Pride – Attacks with his shadow (Shining bright lights on him then disarm him of course – Self-examination kills pride)
@6:
Its been discussed and debated a lot elsewhere, but I’ll just mention again that in Se7en, the prostitute is not the target/embodiment/victim. Its the John. I think part of it is that the form the sin takes is “obviously” attractive to the person who abuses is it, but what it turns them in to is disgusting. The “bodacious babe” as you call it, is the same as a big meaty sandwich, or a $100 bill. She’s the temptation, not the result.
I always theory as a kid was that the SpongeBob characters were based sea creatures doing different drugs:
Spongebob = Esctasy/MDMA
Patrick – Weed
Squidward – Antidepressants
Mr. Crab – Speed/Meth
Sandy – Cocaine
Gary – Xanax
Planton – nothing, which is why he’s always so angry