On July 11, 2026, Kasie and Rex were reunited for an episode on Sin, launching our semi-annual summer series. Here are the show notes:

Topic: Seven Deadly Sins

Agenda:

• Quick catch up
• What are the 7 deadly sins
• Why do we do this every summer?
• How will the series proceed?

Segment 1

We’ve done the seven deadly sins for the last few summers. It’s a good way to dive deep into character motivation and talk about specific works that engage specific “sins” as catalysts for protagonists and antagonists alike.

So today we’ll introduce the series and then over the next few weeks we’ll do some dedicated episodes on each of the sins.

This blog gives a quick summary of all seven sins and some examples of how to use them. 

The Seven Deadly Sins (this link) in Roman Catholic theology, are the seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory I (the Great) in the 6th century and elaborated in the 13th century by St. Thomas Aquinas.

The sins are:

• Pride
• Greed
• Lust
• Envy
• Gluttony
• Wrath
• Sloth

You can find the previous series here:

2021 – Pride, Greed, Wrath, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth 

2024 – Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, Sloth

So a slightly different order in 2024, but it has been two years since we worked this series so let’s see what has changed and where we stand on these as classic motivations.

Segment 2

Let’s start with some examples. This great article has seven Disney villains who represent the sins:

1. Envy – the evil queen from Snow White
2. Wrath – the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland (add Heartless by Marisa Meyer)
3. Gluttony – Cruella deVille
4. Greed – Madam Medusa from The Rescuers or the scheming butler from The Aristocats
5. Pride – Gaston from Beauty and the Beast
6. Lust – Judge Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame
7. Sloth – Hans from Frozen

We can see wrath in The Godfather, Harry Potter, Othello, Moby Dick. We can see gluttony in Beauty and the Beast, Star Wars, Henry V. Envy shows up in Cinderella, Snow White, Harry Potter, Great Expectations. Lust is part of Lolita, Phantom of the Opera, Aladdin. Greed and materialism manifests in any story where characters strive for riches, compete for glory, or horde their own wealth such as A Christmas Carol. Pride shows up in The House of Sand and Fog, Death of a Salesman, A Streetcar Named Desire.

Segment 3

Why do the seven deadly sins provide such great storytelling? What is it about them that makes them universal?

Universality – we all feel these things at one time or another

They are in opposition to virtue – mutually exclusive

There is no cure except repentance

Is it a character flaw or learned behavior?

Let’s riff on the ease with which characters can take on these sins and how writers can wrap their character’s actions in them.

Segment 4

So how do you do it? How do you write a sinful character? Is it best to be subtle or forthright? Should they get what’s coming to them or should they win or succeed? Must the repent in order to win?

Do all sins get punished?

Does the punishment fit the sin?