1. Character Types The following terms can be used to discuss characters in a poem, story, or drama.

2. Protagonist  The Protagonist is the main character, the hero  – ‘pro’ means for  – ‘agonist’ means a competitor, as in a sport or contest  – So the protagonist is who the audience roots for Examples: Ponyboy-The Outsiders Bella-Twilight Harry Potter Dorothy-”Wizard of Oz”

3. Antagonist  The Antagonist is the opponent, the villain, or the source of conflict  The antagonist could be the ‘bad guy’ or it could be anything that the hero must struggle against like bad weather such as deep snow, a bad social system like severe poverty, or a bad habit  Examples:  Jacob or Edward  Lord Voldemort  Wicked Witch of the West

4. Major Character  A Major Character is a main character but not necessarily the main character (the hero).  Major characters tends to be Round.  Examples:  Hermione-Harry Potter  Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion-”Wizard of Oz”  Darrel, SodaPop, Dallas-The Outsiders

5. Round Character  A Round Character is well developed or complex and has motivations that can be empathized with  (empathy is understanding or being sensitive to the feelings or experiences of another)

6. Minor Character  A Minor Character is a supporting, less important character  Minor Characters tend to be Flat  Examples: Auntie Em-”The Wizard of Oz” Luchesi-The Cask of Amontillado

7. Flat Characters  A Flat Character is a stereotyped or stock character  has one trait or very few traits,  he is what he does,  he is usually static, meaning unchanging  (a static character does not learn orchange over the course of the story)

8. Foil Character  A Foil Character is a character that can be used as a contrast to the main character  Hans Solo-”Star Wars  Robin-Batman and Robin

9. A Dynamic Character  A Dynamic Character is a character that changes or experiences a “character arc”:  This is an experience in the story that gives the character insight and causes him to change (or grow) by the end of the story. Ebeneezer Scrooge-A Christmas Carol

10. Flaw  A Flaw is a trait; it may be a weakness or a defect that causes failure  To analyze character (and therefore to get deeper insight into the theme) look for character flaws