AbstractsLanguage, Literature & Linguistics

Characterizing Evil: Writing Richard Speck in A Night Among the Dead

by Eugenia Hannon




Institution: Savannah College of Art and Design
Department: Dramatic Writing
Degree: M.F.A.
Year: 2015
Keywords: Thesis (M.F.A.)  – Dramatic Writing; Savannah College of Art and Design  – Department of Dramatic Writing
Record ID: 2062169
Full text PDF: http://ecollections.scad.edu/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external?sp=1002734


Abstract

The following paper is intended to illustrate how I developed the antagonist, Richard Speck, in my thesis screenplay, A Night Among the Dead. My ultimate goal was to write a character that remained inherently connected with the real Richard Speck—meaning, however evil his actions were, it was important for me to show that this evil was varied, complex, and altogether human. My story does not make Richard a victim, nor does it excuse his actions; instead, it serves to show the depth of pain within the psychopath, and how that pain is capable of transforming a person. There is no doubt that Richard Speck ended up an evil man—but how did he get there? That’s where my paper starts. A Night Among the Dead, my screenplay about Richard Speck, is attached as an appendix. Keywords: Richard Speck, evil, characterization, screenwriting, antagonist, villian Contains screenplay "A Night Among the Dead."