1. Intro. To prose fiction character & characterisation
Teacher: Miss Amanda Wolfe

2. WHAT IS CHARACTER?
Abraham Lincoln said, “Reputation is the shadow. Character is the tree.” Our character is much more than just what we try to display for others to see, it is who we are even when no one is watching. Good character is doing the right thing because it is right to do what is right. Hence, it is your Character that determines your success in life. 
Do you have Good Character or Bad Character?

3. WHAT IS A CHARACTER?
In literature we learnt that a character is a fictional person created for and depicted in a narrative or a drama. Hamlet, Jay Gatsby, Harry Potter and Bella Swan are all characters.
The main characters in stories are known as protagonists.

4. WHO ARE THESE CHARACTERS?

5. WHEN DID CHARACTERS EMERGE?
In 1749, after its popularity in “Tom Jones”, a comic novel by English Playwright and novelist Henry Fielding. The term ‘character’ became popular in the fields of medieval and early modern romance. Aristotle’s Poetics is the earliest surviving work that speaks of character (ethos). The Poetics state that character is , “that which reveals decision, of whatever sort."

6. HISTORY OF CHARACTERISATION
Introduced in the mid 15th century.
Aristotle, in his Poetics, promoted the importance of the plot over the characters.
This was changed in the 19th century with the introduction of the first realist novel.

7. WHAT IS CHARACTERISATION?
Characterisation is the presentation of a character in writing.
Characterisation is traits that the character is given, and, may be good or bad.
For example, in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” , some of Shylock’s character traits are, religious, vengeful, loathsome and selfish.

8. CHARACTERISATION

9. CHARACTERISATION The method used by a writer to develop a character
•“Character” – agent of the dramatic action
•Major characters e.g Hamlet or Macbeth, who is also the eponymous hero
•Minor characters e.g Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Hamlet
•Protagonist – a story’s main character
•Antagonist – the character or force in conflict with the protagonist.

10. CHARACTERISATION
Flat characters (static characters/two-dimensional characters) – do not undergo any change or growth in the course of the story e.g Falstaff in Henry IV; Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice; they tend to be character types e.g. Laertes in Hamlet is the revenger type; Falstaff is Vice; they also often act as a foil to the main character.

11. CHARACTERISATION
Round characters (dynamic characters) – characters who encounter conflict and who are changed by it; they tend to be more fully developed and described by the writer
Less complex characters, or types, tend to occur more or be the protagonists in comedies, while tragedies tend to have more complex, “round” characters; this however is not a hard and fast rule.

12. METHODS OF CHARACTERISATION
The character’s own words e.g. dialogue with other characters, monologue, soliloquy
What other characters say about the character
The actions of the character
The reactive actions of other characters
The appearance/costume/body language of the character
The props that the character is associated with
Information given to the audience through stage directions/voiceovers etc.
The environment/setting in which the character is placed
The choice of a particular actor for a role.

13. TYPES OF CHARACTERISATION-DIRECT
Author tells reader what the audience is like.
May be done by the narrator or another character.

14. TYPES OF CHARACTERISATION-INDIRECT
The reader must deduce what the character is like through the character’s actions, speech, thoughts, physical attributes, e.g. Pretty face, long hair; and his/her interactions with other characters.

15. WHY IS CHARACTERISATION IMPORTANT?
Characterization is a very important element of literature. It is used by authors to create imaginary persons in drama, narrative, poetry, the novel and short stories. Characterization uses a character's physical appearance, actions, words and how other characters respond and describe them.

16. ACTIVITY TIME!!!
Examine the following picture of Judi Dench as Lady Bracknell in Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest.” Let us analyze her costume, facial appearance/body language and words, what aspects of characterisation can you identify?

17. V.Heeraman©

18. THE END!!! 