Can a character be good and evil at the same time?

[oddler]

Since this character was a good person before the "supernatural something" made him evil - is he now both good and evil at the same time?

My opinion: the affected character retains their previous personality while "possessed"; therefore, they're still "good", they're simply a puppet to the actual "evil".

I agree with others that have said that walking the line between good and evil is really what makes a good character or story.

[Greatermaximus]

Is fiction real? We know the answer to that. It depends on the story and 'you' define evil. Typically you can write a character who is kind to an old lady in a crowded room but will suddenly take out their weapon to assasinate someone else in particular.

[Shoeberto]

If you didn't add in the supernatural stipulation, I'd say Dexter is a good example of someone who is good and evil at the same time.

Yep, Dexter's the first thing that came to mind here. Though what he does isn't completely evil, I suppose - it's not ruthless and random - he is constantly walking the line between the two ends of the spectrum of good and evil.

[blackmage_nuke]

[Laddy]

Hello, Mr. James Sawyer Ford.

[BG-57]

My view is that everyone contains both good and evil, it is simply our actions that determines who we are overall.

Agreed about Delita, he's one of the most morally ambivalent characters in any FF. It's arguable that he wouldn't have been as ruthless had he not (SPOILER)lost Teta so traumatically.

In a similar vein, Jowy in Suikoden II goes through many of the same events, despite being the hero's best friend. He (SPOILER)assassinates the mayor of Muse and arranges for the death of most of royal family of Highland, eventually taking over the Kingdom and becoming King himself. All along he's clearly conflicted about the lives he's taken, but the his Sword rune drives him to fight the hero's Shield rune.

A movie with great ambivalent characters is In Bruges, where the two main characters are hitmen and their boss is a ruthless gang lord. Yet they agonize over lives that they have taken, and go out of their way to avoid drawing innocent bystanders into their conflicts. The scene where an innkeeper refuses to allow two of them to have a shootout in her hotel is a masterpiece of tension and comedy. Even the most villanous of the characters has a strict code of honor.

[Mirage]

They could do things that are considered good, but for evil reasons.