ABSTRACT

To explore the representation of evil we must first try to say what we mean by 'represent'. Evil can be represented only in perceivable things. We can represent evil symbolically even in primitive artefacts, and we can depict its personification and more generally its objectification along with its effects in language and art. We can represent evil artistically in at least two main ways. By human or supernatural personifications of evil moral character, agency, intention, and will; or by the effects of moral or natural evil, reflected in depictions of human misery and suffering, as in the aftermath of crime, war, natural injuries, and fatal disasters. Different concepts, and different theories of evil, can coexist within the same culture. We can say something definite about artistic representations of evil that focuses not on the doers of evil but on the effects of moral and natural evil in the world.