hypocritical character theme
There is a character who does the opposite of what they themself preaches, to a notable degree.
Examples
In "Measure for Measure" (1604), Angelo has condemned Claudio to death for the offense of extramarital fornication, even though it was with a woman he loved, that loved him, and whom he intended to marry. When petitioned for leniency, Angelo orated at length about the importance of enforcing the law. Simultaneously, he used his office to pressure a young nun for extramarital sex himself.
7 total · 3 major · 4 minor
| Story | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| play: Measure for Measure (1604) | major | Angelo was outrageously hypocritical in condemning Claudio for extramarital fornication while Angelo himself used his office to pressure a young nun for sex |
| rd1988e3x04 | major | The Rimmer admonished Lister to take care of his health, but once in possession on Lister's body he overindulged himself to the extreme. |
| theamericanshortstory12 | major | Hadleyburg's most upstanding citizens were outrageously hypocritical in trumpeting their morally incorruptibility while conniving to get their hands on $40,000 in gold. Edward and Mary Richards lamented the fact that they had done as the stranger instructed and put out an ad about the gold. Afterwards, Mary wondered plaintively why they "didn't let themselves be overcome by it" even though at first they both agreed that they must do the right thing. |
| ahp2x05 | minor | Seymour uttered a disdain for squabbling about money, yet was clearly obsessed with getting it. |
| movie: The Life of Emile Zola (1937) | minor | A man pocketed a copy of Emile's scandalous new novel Nana before hypocritically rebuffing a lady for showing interest in such an improper tome. |
| play: Phormio (161 BC) | minor | Nausistrata called out Chremes for blaming his son for keeping a mistress when Chremes himself had done the very same thing. |
| play: The Self-Tormentor (163 BC) | minor | At the conclusion of the story is that Chremes was hypocritical and about to treat his own son in the way Chremes had chastised Menedemus for treating Menedemus' son. |