Character

A character is a person, animal, being, creature, or thing in a story. Writers use characters to perform the actions and speak dialogue, moving the story along a plot line. A story can have only one character (protagonist) and still be a complete story. This character’s conflict may be an inner one (within him/herself), or a conflict with something natural, such as climbing a mountain. Most stories have multiple characters interacting, with one of them as the antagonist, causing a conflict for the protagonist. (Character)

TYPES OF CHARACTER

• ANTAGONIST

An antagonist is a bad guy, or an opponent of the protagonist or the main character. The action in the story arises from a conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist. The antagonist can be a person, an inanimate object, an animal, or nature itself.

• PROTAGONIST

Every story has a protagonist, the main character, who creates the action of the plot and engages readers, arousing their empathy and interest. The protagonist is often a hero or heroine of the story, as the whole plot moves around him or her.

• OTHER TYPES

Round character, Flat character, Stock Character, dynamic character, static character...

EXAMPLES

• Hedda Gabbler (by Henrik Ibsen) - Hedda Gabler is manipulative, cold, and “demonic,” even though she is the title character – the focus of the play. She is the most complex and psychologically compelling character, the reason that she is a dynamic character.

• Macbeth (by William Shakespeare) - He is a tragic hero​, meaning he starts out in a position of glory and success, but falls from grace due to an error in judgement of his own making. Every tragic hero has a fatal flaw, or hamartia​: Macbeth’s is his unchecked ambition​. He can’t restrain himself from going after what he wants, regardless of moral consequence.

(Character 2)