CHARACTER TYPES

The following terms can be usedto discuss characters in a poem,story, or drama.

PROTAGONIST

The Protagonist is the main character– ‘pro’ means for– ‘agonist’ means a competitor, as in

a sport or contest– So the protagonist is who the

audience knows best

ANTAGONIST The Antagonist is the opponent, the

villain, or the source of conflict– The antagonist could be the ‘bad

guy’ or it could be anything that the protagonist must struggle against like bad weather such as deep snow, a bad social system like severe poverty, or a bad habit

MAJOR CHARACTERA Major Character is a main

character but not necessarily the main character.

MINOR CHARACTERA Minor Character is a supporting,

less important character

ROUND CHARACTERA Round Character is well

developed or complex and has motivations that can be empathized with (empathy is understanding or being sensitive to the feelings or experiences of another.

The reader is able to see ALL sides of a round character.

FLAT CHARACTERA Flat Character is a stereotyped

or stock character.This character has one trait or

very few traits. We often only see one side of this character.

DYNAMIC CHARACTERA Dynamic Character is a

character that changes or experiences a “character arc”:– This is an experience in the

story that gives the character insight and causes him to change (or grow) by the end of the story

STATIC CHARACTERThis is a character that does not

experience change throughout the story.

Often (not all the time) these characters are flat characters.

FOIL CHARACTERA Foil Character is a character that can be used as a contrast to the main character

FLAWA Flaw is a trait; it may be a

weakness or a defect that causes failure

To analyze character (and therefore to get deeper insight into the theme) look for character flaws

DIRECT VS. INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION

Direct: the writer makes direct statements about a character's personality and tells what the character is like.

Indirect: the writer reveals information about a character and his personality through that character's thoughts, words, and actions, along with how other characters respond to that character, including what they think and say about him.

WHAT TYPE? Julie owned a multitude of outfits and accessories,

and it always took her forever to decide which combination might impress Trent. As usual, she called her sister several times for advice. After doing so, Julie decided to give the navy blue skirt with the white sweater a try.

WHAT TYPE? Julie owned a multitude of outfits and accessories,

and it always took her forever to decide which combination might impress Trent. As usual, she called her sister several times for advice. After doing so, Julie decided to give the navy blue skirt with the white sweater a try.