Sacrificial Lamb - in The Arts

In The Arts

In cinema and literature, the term sacrificial lamb refers to a supporting character whose sole dramatic purpose is to die, thus galvanizing the protagonist to action and simultaneously demonstrating how evil the villain is. Very often, the sacrificial lamb is a family member, partner, or "old buddy" of the protagonist, with whom he or she has an assumed intimacy, thus requiring no real character development. The term is almost always used critically, with the implication that the character was used transparently as a plot device.

An example of this in early literature is Macaria in Heracleidae by Euripides. More modern examples include Anthony Edwards' character, "Goose", in Top Gun, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s character in David Fincher’s serial killer film Se7en.