Minor Character

In What Are Minor Characters?, Riddle defines a minor character as a crucial part of a story that aids the plot, influences the main character in either a negative or positive light, and helps build the world around the main character.

Minor characters can fill different roles in literature and, therefore can be separated into different groups depending on their function. Some of the well-known examples are:

the comic relief, a character that lightens the mood of the story,
the guide, who relays information to the main character in order to move the plot, or perhaps
the foreshadower, a character that builds suspense and hints at future events.

lomehir. (n.d.). Tom Bombadil. devianart. Retrieved October 7, 2024, from https://www.deviantart.com/lomehir/art/Tom-Bombadil-78921654.

For example, a significant minor character would be Tom Bombadil from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Though his role isn’t crucial to the plot, he adds an interesting element to Tolkien’s story. Bombadil is the first entity the main characters encounter on their journey to ultimately destroy the Ring of power. He is portrayed as a comical figure, prone to burst out in a song, he proves to be more than a simple comical relief. Tom is one of the strangers the Fellowship encounters in the unknown, and by saving Frodo, Sam, Pippin and Merry from certain peril, he is a symbol of the goodness that prevails even in the face of great evil.

Another important figure is Mercutio in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Mercutio is Romeo's witty, sarcastic and playful friend. He embodies the transition from the lighter beginning of the play to the dark ending - his death at Tybalt’s hand, with the famous quote: “A plague o’ both your houses!” (Act 3, Scene 1) is the turning point after which the conflict between Capulets and Montagues becomes gravely serious.

works cited

Woloch, Alex. The One vs. the Many: Minor Characters and the Space of the Protagonist in the Realist Novel. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 2004. Print. Riddle, Holly. “What Are Minor Characters? With Tips on Writing Them.” Scribophile. Scribophile, 4 Apr. 2023. Web. 07 Oct. 2024.