Lesson video

Hello and welcome to today's lesson.

My name is Mr. Young, and it's so lovely to see you again on another lesson in this malevolent character's fiction writing sequence.

So today's lesson is going to be a fantastic one indeed where we are going to be creating our own malevolent characters.

So, shall we get started? So today's lesson will have a very clear learning outcome, so let's take a quick look at what it is.

So by the end of today's lesson, everybody should be able to explain and use the key conventions a writer uses to craft a malevolent character.

And just as in any lesson, we have some very important words, our key words.

So I do encourage you just to pause the video, jot these down and their definitions, particularly if they are new to you, because we are going to be using them quite a bit today.

So let's take a quick look at what our keywords are.

So firstly, malevolent, having or showing a wish to do evil to others.

So we could describe a villain in a story as a malevolent character, for example.

A convention, a way in which something is usually done or a key feature.

So malevolent characters will have their own conventions, which we'll explore later in the lesson.

Malicious, the desire to harm others.

And finally, craft, the deliberate and skillful process of creating a written piece of communication.

So today's lesson will have two very clear learning cycles, and I'm super excited to be going through both of them with you today.

So our first one is going to be all about looking at famous and fantastic malevolent characters throughout literature, and we are going to focus on one in particular.

And then we are going to move on to looking at Dracula, the character of Dracula, that fantastic vampire character which has been seen across literature and across centuries.

And we are going to really analyse that character and really unpick how it's been crafted as such a malevolent character.

So let's get started with learning cycle one.

So a malevolent character in literature is a fictional character who shows strong intentions or actions that are deliberately harmful, malicious, or evil in nature.

They're often seen as the villains of the story, and one famous example in literature is Count Dracula.

So a quick discussion question for me then, please.

A really nice question to get started today.

Can you think of any malevolent characters from a book you've read, or television programmes, or films you've watched, and what made them malevolent? So hit that pause button, have a quick discussion or jot down some ideas if you're working independently, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, my goodness, what a fantastic start to today's lesson.

It is absolutely lovely to hear you bringing your existing knowledge or things you've seen and read to this lesson, and I'm hearing some really fantastic discussions.

And what I'm liking most is that you are able to kind of articulate exactly what makes that character malevolent.

So you may have seen it in a film or read it in a book and you're saying, well, they did this thing or they had this characteristic, and that is really what made them malevolent to me.

That is a really, really good piece of analysis, so well done.

Let's keep that energy going throughout today's lesson.

So one famous example of a malevolent character in literature is Count Dracula, a vampire from Bram Stoker's Gothic novel "Dracula." So again, another quick discussion question for me.

What do you already know about Dracula which may make him a malevolent character? Again, hit that pause button, have a quick discussion, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, once again, it's fantastic to hear all of the fantastic things you already know about Dracula.

I'm hearing some really kind of key plot themes from the novel.

Some people have seen the story before, some people have read the story before, which is fantastic, and other people are kind of relying on what they know about vampires as well.

You know, perhaps the way that they have been portrayed historically as malevolent as well and bringing that to the discussion.

Really, really fantastic job on that.

So some of the things we could have said are as follows.

So we may have said he's a vampire and a supernatural creature who is evil.

So that is a really clear indication of why he might be malevolent.

We've got the idea that he hurts innocent victims to feed, just like vampires do in many stories.

And finally, he is a cold blooded killer.

So if you know anything about the story of "Dracula" at all, you know it doesn't end well for some people.

There are many victims of Dracula in that story.

So let's read an extract taken from "Dracula" itself, this fantastic novel by Bram Stoker.

And in this extract, a visitor meets Count Dracula for the first time.

And you can find this extract in the additional materials.

So as we read, I want you to consider your first impressions of Count Dracula, and you could think about the following things: the physical description given of Dracula, how Dracula speaks, and the way the narrator interacts with Dracula.

So turn to your additional materials and let's read that fantastic extract now.

Okay, fantastic focus on that.

I really hope you enjoyed that extract just as much as I did as we read through that brilliant introduction of Dracula.

So a quick check for understanding for me then, please.

Which statement best summarises the extract from "Dracula," that extract that we've just read? Is it A, Dracula is a mysterious character who invites a visitor to his home? Is it B, Dracula is a welcoming character who has a visitor arriving? Or is it C, Dracula and his visitor are both malevolent characters? So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, excellent work to everybody who identified it as A.

I think it's definitely A, isn't it? Dracula is quite a mysterious character.

He's quite guarded, he's presented in a very strange way.

We wouldn't say he's welcoming, even though he does kind of technically welcome his guest in.

There seems to be this kind of much more sinister undertone running through it.

So really well done if you picked up on that.

So writers will often craft malevolent characters using key conventions or features to show the reader that they are malicious or have bad intentions.

So based on our reading of the Dracula extract and your knowledge of malevolent characters, discuss what you think some of these conventions might be.

So hit that pause button now, have a quick discussion, think about what we just read and how is Dracula potentially presented as a malicious and malevolent character, particularly at the beginning there.

So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to proceed.

Okay, fantastic work there.

I'm hearing some really lovely discussions that are really taking into account the key kind of quotations and clues that you're given in that extract, so really well done there.

So we might have said the following: the physical descriptions of the character are scary or unsettling.

So you know, particularly how Dracula is described with these kind of teeth that seem quite malicious and vicious, that could certainly indicate to us he's quite malevolent.

We've also got the dialogue and actions, which might be unusual or unexpected.

And finally, we also have the negative reactions to him from other characters.

This visitor seems to find Dracula particularly unnerving and unsettling, so really well done if you picked up on that in your own discussions.

So quick discussion question for me then, which is going to be our first practise task.

So our question is as follows, so how can Dracula be seen as a malevolent character in that extract? So I would like you to consider the following things.

So firstly, the words and phrases Stoker uses to describe Dracula's appearance and actions.

Also, the dialogue Stoker uses, so what does Dracula say and how does he say it? And finally, the way the narrator responds to Dracula, how does he respond to him? And I've given you already a little bit of a clue on this one.

And you've got some sentence starters there to help you.

So we've got the opener, Stoker described Dracula as being blank.

Dracula says, which suggests.

And finally, when Dracula, the narrator, which illustrates.

To give your ideas some kind of support and some scaffolding.

So really excited to see how you get on this one, so hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to see a little bit of feedback.

Okay, fantastic work on that task.

It's absolutely lovely to see you kind of reading this extract for the first time and then already being able to kind of develop these really kind of insightful and intelligent comments in response to it, so really, really well done.

So we might have discussed the following things, and these things certainly kind of really stuck out to me.

You don't have to put these exactly, but these are certainly some things you could have spoken about.

So firstly, we've got the lack of colour in Stoker's descriptions of Dracula, and how exaggerated or sharp his features are.

I think this kind of simultaneously makes Dracula look really lifeless, but also really kind of violent as well, so well done if you picked up on that.

We've also got this idea of how Dracula appears welcoming, yet the narrator does not feel welcome.

It definitely puts this kind of uneasiness into the extract, doesn't it? And finally, how the narrator feels a sense of unease in Dracula's presence and shudders when touched by Dracula.

You know, this isn't a normal way for people to react to somebody new, to an acquaintance, to a friend.

So the fact that he's reacting in this way maybe suggests something sinister is going on.

Really, really well done for your hard work on the first practise task of today's lesson.

Let's now proceed into learning cycle two.

Okay then, so now we have read that fantastic extract from "Dracula," and we have been introduced to this really kind of interesting, malevolent character of Dracula.

What we are going to do in this learning cycle is kind of unpick and analyse all of those kind of things that Bram Stoker does to create and craft such a fantastic malevolent character.

So let's get started.

So let's take a closer look at how Stoker uses key conventions to craft Dracula as a malevolent character.

So we have this small part here from the extract that we read in learning cycle one.

So here, Stoker crafts Count Dracula to present him as a malevolent character through his physical description.

Let's just remind ourselves of that description.

So firstly, "The mouth, as far as I could see it under the heavy moustache, was fixed and rather cruel-looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth.

These protruded over the lips, whose remarkable ruddiness showed astonishing vitality in a man of his years." So my questions for you are as follows.

So firstly, how is Dracula's appearance described here? And secondly, what is the effect of contrasting the red ruddiness of Dracula's lips with his general paleness? So really excited to see how you got on this one.

So hit that pause button, have a quick discussion or jot down some ideas if you're working independently, and then do push play when you'd like to see a little bit of feedback.

Okay, once again, fantastic effort on that task.

It is once again really lovely to see that kind of energy and enthusiasm which you are bringing to this lesson, so let's keep that going.

So you might have said the following things.

I mean, these really kind of stuck out to me.

So firstly, we would speak about the sharpness of his teeth.

This has real kind of animalistic connotations, doesn't it? These peculiarly sharp white teeth.

It's almost like he's being described as like a lion, a tiger or a predator of some kind.

And then we've also got the idea that Dracula's lips are contrastingly red against his pallor, which is his paleness, and their ruddiness indicates he looks strong for a man of his age.

So in particular, this is quite a kind of confusing presentation to us.

On the one hand, he looks kind of pale and sick, but on the other one, he looks kind of quite vital and strong as well.

And this creates kind of confusion and uneasiness in us as a reader.

So really well done if you picked up on anything similar in your own discussions.

So now let's consider how Stoker uses dialogue in the extract to craft a malevolent character.

So though there is very little dialogue, at the beginning of the extract, Dracula greets his visitor, and he does so in the following way.

He says, "'Welcome to my house, enter freely and of your own free will.

' He made no motion of stepping to meet me, but stood like a statue as though his gesture of welcome had fixed him into stone." So again, my questions for you are as follows.

So do you notice anything unusual about his speech? Is there anything here that kind of strikes you as being a bit strange? And secondly, could his speech suggest something more sinister about his character? And there's a little bit of a clue here, the kind of highlighted phrases and words should really help you in your answers to these questions.

So once again, really excited to see how you get on with this discussion task.

So hit that pause button, have a quick discussion, and then do push play when you'd like to proceed.

Okay, once again, some really excellent conversations taking place across the classroom today, so really, really well done for all your hard work so far.

And I'm really kind of enjoying all those conversations, all those comments that are really leaning into the kind of specific things in the text that have been highlighted.

So we could have said the following things.

We could have said that Dracula is both welcoming and uninviting, and that means he kind of comes across as quite an unsettling character.

He's asking you to welcome, but he's also kind of referencing your free will, which is a very strange thing to do, isn't it? And again, we've also got this idea that his words are polite on the surface, but the atmosphere they create, along with his statue-like stillness, suggests underlying motives.

He's finding it hard, he's finding it hard to find the right words here, again, which certainly puts the narrator in a kind of strange position, doesn't it? So quick check for understanding for me then, please.

True or false, Dracula can't be a malevolent character 'cause he's so welcoming to his guest in that extract? Is that true or is that false? Hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to see which is correct.

Okay, well done everybody who identified it as false.

It is absolutely false.

It does not necessarily mean he isn't a malevolent character just because he's welcoming, but why? How could we justify that statement? So once again, hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to proceed.

Okay, well, we could justify it in the following way, couldn't we? We could say, well, the contrast between the welcoming dialogue and his actions, for example, standing like a statue suggests that there's more beneath the surface of Dracula's hospitality.

So I think we can definitely say this is the kind of the beginnings of a malevolent character, can't we? So the final convention we'll be focusing on is the other character's reactions to count Dracula.

So quick discussion question for me then, please.

How does Stoker show malevolence through the narrator's response to Dracula? What does the narrator do in response to Dracula that maybe starts to present him as a malevolent character? So once again, hit that pause button, have a quick discussion, jot down some ideas if you're working independently, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, excellent work on that.

And yeah, I totally agree, there's lots of things going on, isn't there, that kind of indicates to us that Dracula might be malevolent from the narrator's reactions to him.

So let's take a look at some of these in a bit more detail.

So we've got this extract here.

"As the Count leaned over me and his hands touched me, I could not repress a shudder." So there's quite a lot going on here, isn't there? Well, firstly, Dracula invades the narrator's personal space.

Dracula is also seen as having more power.

The fact that he's kind of leaning over him, it's quite intimidating, it certainly puts the narrator at unease.

Again, we've also got this idea that the narrator's reaction is instinctive and he can't stop himself.

It might feel like he's in danger.

When people shudder, it usually means they feel uncomfortable in some way.

It's almost like the narrator cannot control this reaction to Dracula.

And finally, we've also got this idea that this is seemingly a harmless act when Dracula touches him.

But Dracula manipulates everyday interactions and they feel menacing.

So just kind of brushing against the narrator immediately makes the narrator feel uneasy and on edge.

So again, all of these things, all of these kind of reactions to Dracula certainly start to suggest to us as a reader that Dracula might be a slightly malevolent character.

So my practise task for you then is as follows: to use the key conventions of malevolent characters we have explored to create your own sentences describing a malevolent character.

So the conventions are as follows: so physical description, so cold, mysterious, unusual.

Dialogue versus actions, so things your character says and does.

And finally, other characters' reactions to them.

So I would like you to kind of take these conventions and create your own sentence for your own malevolent character.

So super excited to see these characters, to see what you create.

So hit that pause button, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, fantastic work on that.

I personally really, really kind of enjoy tasks like that where I get to kind of read these kind of inspiring pieces of literature, and then kind of have a go at creating my own character, trying to replicate what great writers like Bram Stoker have done.

So really, really well done for your hard work on that.

So you may have written something like this.

So key convention, physical description being cold, mysterious or unusual.

We could say, "His skin was as pale as moonlight, and his eyes cold and unblinking, seemed to pierce through the fog like twin shards of ice." And then we've got dialogue and actions, things that your character can do and say.

"'You're safe now,' she said with a sweet voice, as she discreetly locked the door behind them." And finally, other characters' reactions to them.

So, "Whenever he entered the room, whispers fell silent and eyes turned away." So I hope you enjoyed those examples, and I really kind of enjoyed watching you create your own.

So really well done on this practise task.

Okay then we have reached the end of today's lesson and it has been an absolute pleasure to teach you on this fantastic lesson all about creating malevolent characters.

So let's just recap all of those fantastic things that we have learned today.

So firstly, a writer can use conventions to craft a malevolent character in their writing.

These conventions include physical description, dialogue, and other characters' reactions.

The contrast between dialogue and action can be used to imply a character is malevolent subtly.

And finally, Bram Stoker's Count Dracula is a classic malevolent character.

It's been an absolute pleasure to teach you today, and I really look forward to teaching you on another lesson in this sequence.

So thank you very much and goodbye.