Character Types

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

Protagonist The Protagonist is the main character, the hero – ‘pro’ means for

– ‘agonist’ means a competitor, as in a sport or contest

– So the protagonist is who the audience roots forExamples:Ponyboy-The OutsidersBella-TwilightHarry PotterDorothy-”Wizard of Oz”

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 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 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 A 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)

Minor Character A Minor Character is a supporting, less

important character

Minor Characters tend to be Flat

Examples:Auntie Em-”The Wizard of Oz”Luchesi-The Cask of Amontillado

Flat Characters A Flat Character is a stereotyped or stock

character

has one trait or very few traits, he is what he does, he is usually static, meaning unchanging

(a static character does not learn orchange over the course of the story)

Foil Character A Foil Character is a character that can be

used as a contrast to the main character

Hans Solo-”Star Wars Robin-Batman and Robin

A Dynamic Character A 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.

Ebeneezer Scrooge-A Christmas Carol

Flaw A 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