Transcript Character Types - TurpinEnglishClass

Character Types
The following terms can be used to discuss characters in a
poem, story, or drama.
Protagonist
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The Protagonist is the main character, the hero
– ‘pro’ means for
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– ‘agonist’ means a competitor, as in a sport or contest
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– So the protagonist is who the audience roots for
Examples:
Ponyboy-The Outsiders
Bella-Twilight
Harry Potter
Dorothy-”Wizard of Oz”
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Antagonist
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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 hero must struggle against like bad
weather such as deep snow, a bad social system like
severe poverty, or a bad habit
Examples:
Jacob or Edward
Lord Voldemort
Wicked Witch of the West
Major Character
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A Major Character is a main character but not necessarily
the main character (the hero).
Major characters tends to be Round.
Examples:
Hermione-Harry Potter
Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion-”Wizard of Oz”
Darrel, SodaPop, Dallas-The Outsiders
Round Character
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A Round Character is well developed or complex and has
motivations that can be empathized with
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(empathy is understanding or being sensitive to the
feelings or experiences of another)
Minor Character
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A Minor Character is a supporting, less important
character
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Minor Characters tend to be Flat
Examples:
Auntie Em-”The Wizard of Oz”
Luchesi-The Cask of Amontillado
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Flat Characters
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A Flat Character is a stereotyped or stock character
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has one trait or very few traits,
he is what he does,
he is usually static, meaning unchanging
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(a static character does not learn orchange over the
course of the story)
Foil Character
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A Foil Character is a character that can be used as a
contrast to the main character
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Hans Solo-”Star Wars
Robin-Batman and Robin
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A Dynamic Character
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A Dynamic Character is a character that changes or
experiences a “character arc”:
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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.
Ebeneezer Scrooge-A Christmas Carol
Flaw
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A Flaw is a trait; it may be a weakness or a defect that
causes failure
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To analyze character (and therefore to get deeper insight
into the theme) look for character flaws