Why do you like that villain in your favorite TV show or favorite novel? Why do you admire that hero or heroine? How did you even first learn that a particular character was a hero or a villain? Those are the questions that will help us understand foil as a literary device.

The definition of foil

Foil is a literary device in which a writer illustrates or shows the traits, values, among other details about one character through the comparison and contrast of another character. A foil character (who is often but not always the villain) draws the attention of the audience to the qualities and traits of the protagonist, (who is often the hero). The traits of the foil character are usually completely contrasting to the protagonist’s traits, and they assume the format of positive and negative. This implies that if the foil character has a certain negative trait, then the protagonist should have a contrasting but positive trait in relation to that of the foil character.

Examples of foil traits are:

Arrogant and humble

Thoughtful and inconsiderate

Stingy/ selfish and generous

Ambitious and content

Wise and foolish

Rude and kind

Compassionate/ caring and insensitive

intelligent and retarded/ foolish

Here are some of the examples of foil characters in popular TV shows

Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter series)

Harry Potter and Voldemort (Harry Potter series)

Luke Skywalker and Han Solo (Star Wars series)

Edward Cullen and Jacob Black (Twighlight series)

Gaston and LeFou (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast)

Examples of foil characters in literature

In Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are examples of character foils. Mr. Hyde is portrayed as an egotistical, violent, and ruthless man. On the other hand, Dr. Jekyll is portrayed as a kind, respected, and dignified gentleman. The two contrasting traits also serve to show the complex struggle of opposing desires that one man can experience.

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, we meet Romeo and Mercutio. Mercutio is the complete contrast of Romeo. Romeo is compassionate, a caring lover. Mercutio, on the other hand, is skeptical about love. Mercutio does not seem to understand or acknowledge (if he understands) the importance of deep feelings such as love. Mercutio’s traits serve to illustrate the depth of Romeo’s emotions or feelings.

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, we are introduced to Hamlet and Claudius. Claudius is the foil character in Hamlet. Claudius kills Hamlet’s father and marries Hamlet’s mother to keep Hamlet away from the throne. Claudius is a unique foil character because he exposes Hamlet's imperfections and flaws to the readers.

The difference between a foil character and an antagonist

A foil character usually has opposing and contrasting traits to the protagonist. A foil character is meant to highlight or show the good traits of the protagonist without necessarily creating a conflict or opposition to the protagonist.

An antagonist creates conflicts and poses opposition to the main character. The antagonist is more of a piece of a story that progresses the story rather than highlights or draws attention to the protagonist’s traits.

What you need to know about a foil character

A foil character highlights the opposing or contrasting traits of the protagonist.

A foil character is not always the antagonist.

There can be multiple foil characters.

Sources

https://writingexplained.org/grammar-dictionary/foil
https://literarydevices.net/foil