Conflict between good and evil

The conflict between good and evil is one of the precepts of the Zoroastrian faith, first enshrined by Zoroaster over 3000 years ago. It is also one of the most common conventional themes in literature, and is sometimes considered to be one of universal parts of the human condition. There are several variations on this conflict, one being the battle between individuals or ideologies, with one side Good, the other Evil. Another variation is the inner struggle in characters (and by extension, humans in reality) between good and evil. Joseph Conrad defined all humans as having an "inner evil" or Heart of Darkness in his novella of the same name.

The form of tragedy described as best by Aristotle and exemplified by Oedipus Rex is, properly, concerned more with the tragic operations of fate than with a thematized conflict between good and evil. Nevertheless, the conflict between the good and the flawed aspects of the tragic hero form an important part of tragic catharsis in Aristotle's theory. There is, moreover, the form of tragedy with a happy ending that, although denigrated from Aristotle, was quite common in antiquity. This form, perhaps best exemplified by the Alcestis of Euripides, ends with a hero or god decisively beating an evil character. Northrop Frye has suggested that this form of "tragedy" is, in fact, the basic template for melodrama.

Jesus, the central figure of Christianity, is commonly associated as the ultimate good - opposite Satan, the personification of evil.

Heracles, later known as Hercules, was the greatest of the Greek heroes. Defending the Olympian order against chthonic monsters.

Joan of Arc is a folk heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. Cultural depictions of Joan of Arc have continued in film, theatre, television, video games, music, and performances to this day.

...
Wikipedia