In the Book of Proverbs 6:16-19, it states that the Lord specifically regards "six things the Lord hateth, and seven that are an abomination unto Him." The Vampire Diaries has many characters and plot lines that adhere to the Seven Deadly Sins that are believed in religious faiths. As with the topic of vampirism and witchcraft, there is a lot of opportunity for evil, and this television show does not lack in that category. Below are examples of each Sin being represented in The Vampire Diaries through characters, relationships, and situations.
WRATH
Wrath, in its simplest form, is described as uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger. It is associated with self-destructiveness, violence, and hate, and is
portrayed numerous times throughout the television series. One instance of wrath reflected in The Vampires Diaries is the infamous Christmas episode, where Klaus seeks revenge and slaughters his followers (0:25) as well as Tyler Lockwood's mother (3:20). His anger takes complete control of his emotions, and he becomes blinded by revenge. This wrath results in mass deaths, in particular the death of one of the show's most innocent characters, Carol Lockwood.
portrayed numerous times throughout the television series. One instance of wrath reflected in The Vampires Diaries is the infamous Christmas episode, where Klaus seeks revenge and slaughters his followers (0:25) as well as Tyler Lockwood's mother (3:20). His anger takes complete control of his emotions, and he becomes blinded by revenge. This wrath results in mass deaths, in particular the death of one of the show's most innocent characters, Carol Lockwood.
GREED
Greed, like lust and gluttony, a sin of excess. It is known as a sin against God as it is an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs, especially with respect to material needs. In The Vampire Diaries, the idea of Greed is presented in numerous situations, such as the mansion that Tyler Lockwood lives in, or the amount of wealth that Damon utilizes to get what he wants. However, there are two other portrayals of Greed in this show that I would like to focus on. The first one is in season two, as the majority of the characters were after
the Moonstone with each character wanting it for their own personal benefit. In this video, one of the evil characters, Katherine, steals the moonstone from Damon's bedroom. She wants to use the moonstone to secure her freedom from Klaus, despite knowing that it will kill the other characters. If Damon has the moonstone, he will be more powerful than Katherine. Thus, Katherine searches the privacy of Damon's bedroom in an attempt to possess something that he has--and she succeeds.
Another example of Greed in The Vampire Diaries is evident in the season four story line that is widely recognized as the "Search for the Cure." After years of exponential vampirism, the characters find out that there is indeed a cure that will turn them back into humans. The catch? There is just one dose. With each character planning to use the cure for different reasons (either on themselves, on another character to kill them, or to hold as leverage), Greed is an underlying theme within this season. Damon wants to destroy the cure, so his one true love cannot take it and can then remain a vampire with him. Elena, Rebekah, and Stefan want the cure to become human. Klaus wants the cure so he can hold all the power. Bonnie wants the cure so she can perform a witch ritual. Katherine wants the cure to hold as leverage against Klaus. Along they are looking for it together, there is tension in the air as each individual knows they must beat the others when finally presented with the cure. Below is a slideshow of the different characters in the episode where they are working together to find the cure, but are also fighting each other to find it first. You can see through these pictures that it is indeed every man for himself, and nobody is backing down on the hunt for the cure.
SLOTH
While Sloth is sometimes defined as physical laziness, spiritual laziness is emphasized in relation to this sin. The Christian belief is that failing to develop spiritually (such as maturing to accept emotions) is key to becoming guilty of sloth. "Sloths" reject God, as well as rejecting the responsibility of feeling sentiments. One of the abilities a vampire has The Vampire Diaries is the ability to "shut
off their emotions." With emotional apathy being a central notion of this sin, the following videos tell the story of what caused Elena to turn off her humanity, as well as the impact that this had on her character. After the death of her brother, Elena cannot handle the grief that comes with loss, and attempts to burn down her house. Damon tells her to shut off her emotions so she cannot feel them, and she does exactly that. Without the ability to feel, she was not empathetic in killing people, was not sad when discussing the death of her brother, and did not have feelings for her love interest in the show.
PRIDE
Pride is considered the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins, and the source of the others. It is identified as believing that one is essentially better than others, as well as excessive admiration of the self. Within the more antagonist characters, this sin is greatly portrayed. The character of Kai has an inflated sense of
himself, with the example of the Twin Merge to demonstrate his excessive hubris.
In order to become leader of his coven, Kai must challenge his twin to battle him
with magic. The winner becomes the leader, and the loser is killed. Kai's need to find his sister (who is hiding from him) to battle her (knowing that he will
win) showcases his overwhelming sense of pride. Another example of pride on The Vampire Diaries is reflected in character of Damon Salvatore, as he is primarily known on this show as the
arrogant, overly-confident brother. Numerous times throughout the series, he refers to himself as a God, stating that his good looks and brilliance are above all of the others on the show. Below are two videos that demonstrate this: The first one is of Jo, Kai's sister, describing how he needs her to perform the Twin Merge with him so he can win and have full power over his coven (0:55). The second video is a fanmade video of Damon Salvatore that include snippets of dialogue where he says he has "good looks," as well as scenes that showcase his overconfidence.
LUST
Lust is described as an intense desire, specifically for things such as money, power, and sex. As this is a television series that is played on The CW Network (a company that targets young adults), there are many scenes and full story lines that focus on the idea of lust and the consequences that come along with it. The underlying plotline of this series is the love triangle that
happens between Stefan and Damon Salvatore, and the main protagonist, Elena
Gilbert. Due to the fact that Elena is with Stefan, the lust that Damon has for his brother's girlfriend is a long and emotional journey. This occurred throughout the first four
seasons of the show, and there are multiple occasions in which he went too far
with his lust and the audience once again questions his morality. The following video shows a scene in which Damon is mad at Elena because she does not want to kiss him, and due to her rejection, he retaliates by killing her brother.
ENVY
Envy, in its purest form, is described as an insatiable desire. It relates to the Ten Commandments, as one specifically states "[n]either shall you desire... anything that belongs to your neighbour." To have greed is to have a desire to deprive others of something, thus gaining pleasure for achieving what they do not have. The character of Caroline Forbes is perhaps the most envious
character that is on any television series, and for this category, the video below demonstrates her sense of envy in terms of her boyfriend, Tyler, and his friendship with a new
werewolf named Hayley. In television shows that target young adults, there are always dramatic teenage story lines that involve relationships, such as the "jealous girlfriend" character. However, Caroline's character has been self-conscious from the very beginning of the show, and now that she is a vampire and her senses are heightened, she is extremely envious of Tyler's new female friend. This video is when Caroline first meets Hayley (0:45), and attempts to intimidate her.
GLUTTONY
Gluttony is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of anything to the point of waste. For example, in the Christian faith, it is considered a sin if the excessive desire for food causes it to be withheld from the needy. There are many examples of over-indulgence in this series, but
for this, I will focus on one of the main story lines that existed in the television
series, which is Stefan Salvatore's addiction to human blood, and being called "The Ripper." Typically, Stefan does not succumb to his natural vampire impulses, and refrains from drinking blood from humans. Instead, he chooses to drink the blood of animals. However, when he does have human blood, he over-indulges and cannot stop once he begins, resulting in
mass deaths. Below is a scene in which Klaus forces Stefan to drink human blood. Due to the fact that Stefan has a problem with over-indulgence, he begins to drink her blood, not stopping and thus resulting in her death.