1. Plotting and Scheming:
- The villain often masterminded elaborate schemes to achieve their evil goals, such as stealing inheritances, breaking up happy couples, or acquiring power through deception.
2. Kidnapping and Imprisonment:
- Villains frequently resorted to kidnapping and imprisoning innocent characters, often heroes or heroines, to further their plans or gain leverage.
3. Blackmail and Extortion:
- They used blackmail and extortion to manipulate and control others, threatening to reveal secrets or cause harm unless their demands were met.
4. Physical Violence:
- Villains often resorted to violence, including duels, sword fights, and even murder, to achieve their objectives or eliminate obstacles.
5. Disguises and False Identities:
- To deceive and carry out their schemes, villains often employed disguises and assumed false identities, making them harder to identify.
6. Corrupting Influence:
- Some villains aimed to corrupt others, leading them astray from virtue or morality to serve their own selfish purposes.
7. Exploiting Vulnerabilities:
- Villains frequently preyed on the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of others, such as financial desperation or emotional distress, to manipulate them.
8. Manipulating Relationships:
- They might disrupt relationships, sow discord, or turn loved ones against each other to create emotional turmoil.
9. Treachery and Betrayal:
- Villains often resorted to treachery and betrayal, betraying the trust of those who had shown kindness or allegiance to them.
10. Sabotage and Destruction:
- In pursuit of their goals, villains might engage in sabotage or destructive acts to hinder the protagonists' efforts.
11. Mocking and Taunting:
- They added to the dramatic tension by mocking and taunting the heroes and heroines, reveling in their distress.
12. Symbolic Villainy:
- Victorian melodrama villains often represented broader social or moral issues, embodying traits like greed, selfishness, and cunning.
These actions allowed villains to drive the plot forward, create conflict, and heighten the dramatic impact of Victorian melodrama.