Every great story has a villain and a trickster. Sometimes these two come together and create a super-villain dynamic. These are the trickster traits created by William Hynes and Lewis Hyde that explain the motivation behind their actions. Hynes divides his traits into six categories while Hyde maintains only one. Hynes believes that tricksters are defined by an ambiguous and abnormal nature, actions of deception and trickery, shape-shifting, situation reversal, tinkering, and impersonation of the gods. Hyde argues that all tricksters are motivated by hunger, whether for food or otherwise. When we think of these traits, the many incarnations of James Moriarty come to mind, but none truly resonate with all of them like the one played by Andrew Scott in the BBC series Sherlock. In this recent adaptation, Moriarty is driven by an insatiable need to beat Sherlock Holmes through a series of clever competitions designed by Moriarty himself. Moriarty is able to become a true trickster using his will to beat Sherlock Holmes and publicly disgrace him through situation-reversal, shape-shifting, tinkering powers and an abnormal nature that becomes so convincing that the audience, and the hero, are never sure. what will be his next step. Hynes' theory of ambiguity and anomaly characterizes Moriarty because his every move has a sense of drama, acting outside of social and cultural norms and promoting only his own agenda. Moriarty is not afraid to kill, tame, and torture others emotionally and physically to fulfill his desire to beat Sherlock Holmes. Acting as a "criminal consultant", Moriarty is responsible for most of the series' crimes as a sponsor, informant or mastermind. Moriarty is a psychopath with dark tendencies who appears... middle of paper ...... he personifies the "dark side" of Sherlock Holmes; while Holmes created the position of "consulting detective", Moriarty became a "consulting criminal". While tricksters are most often evil pranksters, Moriarty plays the crucial role of motivating the hero. He pushes Holmes to solve the mystery and search for the reason. Moriarty is a real trickster in the way he plays his games and sets his traps. For Moriarty, everything is a game and every move has a reason. Works Cited Hyde, Lewis. Trickster creates this world: mischief, myth and art. 1997. Web. Hynes, William. "Trickster makes the world". Web.Crossley-Holland, Kevin. Nordic myths. New York: Pantheon, 1980. Print. Martin, Richard P. Myths of the Ancient Greeks. New York: New American Library, 2003. Print. Moffat, Steven, ed. “The Great Game, The Fall of Reichenbach.” Sherlock. BBC: July 25, 2010. Television.