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Character Types

character types

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9 views

Character Types

character types

Uploaded by

floyda
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Character Types

By: Jennie Mons


Introduction

 This lesson is about the different


types of characters found in
literature. The different types I will
cover in this lesson are the
protagonist, antagonist, round, flat,
static, and dynamic characters. I will
explain what each of these entail so
that you can identify types of
characters in stories that you read.
Protagonist/Antagonist
 It is easiest to think of the
protagonist and antagonist
characters as the "good guy"
and the "bad guy" respectively.
In order to understand
protagonist and antagonist,
you can think of the
protagonist as the hero and the
antagonist as the villain. To
remember which is which,
remember that the prefix pro
means good, or positive, and
the prefix ant means bad, or
negative. Now let's discuss the
real meanings of protagonist
and antagonist more in depth
and more literary correct.
Protagonist

 The protagonist is the central character of


a story. The protagonist can be male or
female, and is written as being "good" most
of the time, but in some instances can be
"bad." The plot of the story is often written
in the protagonist's point of view. Consider
the story The Three Little Pigs. In the
original story, the three pigs are the
protagonists and the wolf is the antagonist.
A new book titled The Real Story of The
Three Little Pigs is written in the wolf's
point of view and he becomes the
protagonist and the pigs are the
Antagonist
 The character that causes or leads
the conflict against the protagonist is
called the antagonist. The
antagonist is not always human, but
can be a group or force as well. The
antagonist is the mirror of the
protagonist. Whatever the protagonist
does that is good, the antagonist will
work to counteract. Usually the
antagonist attempts to disguise
him/her/itself. This usually creates the
Protagonist/Antagonist
 The protagonist and antagonist are
distinctly different, and in most cases,
complete opposites. They can both be
very complex though. Just because the
protagonist is the central character in the
story does not mean that he/she/it is any
more complex than the antagonist. When
trying to identify the protagonist and
antagonist in a story, think about which
character is central to the story and which
character (or what force) is acting against
that central character. Usually you can
consider which character is good and
which is bad. In most instances, the good
character is the protagonist and the bad,
Round/Flat

 Let's begin by thinking about round and flat


characterization like a painting. If you're an
artist, you must decide how much detail to
put into a painting. Do you want many lines
and many colors, or just an outline and
only black and white? As an author, you
must decide how much detail to include
about each character. Which characters are
most important; how will giving detail, or
not giving detail, affect the story?
Round

Characters that are described in depth,


with many details, are well-rounded
characters. They are called round
characters. If you're reading a story
and you feel like you know a character
extremely well, then most likely the
character is round. The main character
in a story is almost always round, but
there are exceptions.

Flat
 Characters that are not described well, that
you're not given much information about,
are flat characters. Consider a drawing: a
three dimensional drawing gives more
detail than a one dimensional drawing. If
you draw a flat picture of a house, for
example, you can only see one side of it.
You cannot see three of the four sides. This
is how a flat character is; you can only see
a few characteristics of the character.
There are many things you cannot "see", or
many details you are not given by the
author.
Round/Flat
 As a reader, judge whether or not the
character is round or flat by trying to
write down characteristics of the
character. Answer the question: What
do you know about the character? If
your list is long, with many
characteristics, then the character is
round. If your list is short, or there's
not many characteristics at all, then
the character is flat.
Static/Dynamic
 The key word when dealing with the difference
between static and dynamic characters is
"change." The type of change, though, is specific.
We are only concerned with internal changes;
changes which occur within the character. These
would include a major change in their personality,
or a change in their outlook on life. Another
important change that a character may undergo is
a change in values, or it could be an overall
change in the nature of the character. Do not focus
on changes that happen TO a character, but
rather, changes that happen WITHIN a character.
Think about it this way: Does the event affect the
character by changing the character internally?
Static

 In order for a character to be


considered a static character, the
character must remain basically the
same throughout the entire story. The
character does not undergo any
internal changes. Think of static
characterization like plastic surgery.
The character may change in looks,
but unless their personality is
affected, the character is static.
Dynamic

 A dynamic character is a character that


undergoes an internal change sometime
between the beginning and end of the
story. The change in the character is
usually crucial to the story itself. Say a
main character goes through a life-altering
experience, such as a race car driver
getting into an accident. If the driver's
personality changes and he is no longer
willing to take on the risk of driving a race
car, the character would be dynamic.
Static/Dynamic
 In order to distinguish static characters
from dynamic characters, write down a
description of the inner character at the
beginning of the story, in other words, what
do you initially learn about the character's
personality? Answer these three questions:
How does the character feel about
his/her/itself? How does the character act
towards others? What is the characters
goal? Do the same thing and answer the
same questions at the end of the story.
Usually, if you're dealing with a dynamic
character, you will be able to notice a
difference between your personality
descriptions as well as between the
answers to the three questions. If there is

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