Character Types

Protagonist/Antagonist To make it easy, think of the protagonist as the “good guy” and antagonist as the "bad guy." 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 anti means bad, or negative.

Protagonist The main character, central, the good one in a story or novel. The one who can adapt to new situations. Answer the question, “Whose story is this?” Usually a story has one, but a novel can have several. Example: Charlotte Doyle

Antagonist The character fighting against the hero, the protagonist, of a story or novel. They can be destructive, bad, or evil. They can be a character, an animal, an inanimate object, or nature. Example: Captain Jaggery

Character Types Round/Flat

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?

Round/Flat 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.

Round They can recognize, change, develop, and adjust to situations. They are complex, have many sides, and touch lives at many points. The characters usually change in the story because of their experiences.

Flat Characters that are not described well, that you're not given much information about, are flat characters. They do not change, develop, or grow in the story. They are the opposite of round characters. They usually have one or two traits and can be summed up easily.

Round/Flat As a reader, judge whether or not the character is round or flat by considering the characteristics of 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.

Character Types Static/Dynamic

Static/Dynamic The key word when dealing with the difference between static and dynamic characters is "change.“ These would include a major change in their personality, or a change in their outlook on life. Another change that a character may undergo is a change in values, or it could be an overall change in the nature of the character.

Static Characters that remain the same throughout the story or novel. They are usually flat characters, but occasionally can be round. In order for a character to be considered a static character, the character must remain basically the same throughout the entire story.

Dynamic Characters that change and grow in a work of literature. They are round characters. 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.

Quiz 1 a. round character b. static character c. dynamic character A character that remains the same throughout the story. a. round character b. static character c. dynamic character

Quiz 2 protagonist static Person or thing fighting c. antagonist Person or thing fighting against the hero of a story.

Quiz 3 A character who changes or grows in a work of literature. dynamic character static character flat character

Quiz 4 These characters show many personality traits. a. static characters b. flat characters c. round characters These characters show many personality traits. They change, develop, and adjust to situations.

Quiz 5 The main character of a story or novel. a. round character b. antagonist c. protagonist The main character of a story or novel.

Quiz 6 a. round character Characters constructed around a single idea or quality. a. round character b. flat character c. protagonist