Character: Any representation of an individual being presented in a dramatic or narrative work through extended dramatic or verbal representation. The reader can interpret characters as endowed with moral and dispositional qualities expressed in what they say (dialogue) and what they do (action). E. M. Forster describes characters as 'flat' (i.e., built around a single idea or quality and unchanging over the course of the narrative) or 'round' (complex in temperament and motivation, drawn with subtlety, capable of growth and change during the course of the narrative). The main character of a work of a fiction is typically called the protagonist, the character against whom the protagonist struggles or contends (if there is one), is the antagonist. If a single secondary character aids the protagonist throughout the narrative, that character is the deuteragonist (the hero's 'side-kick'). A character of tertiary importance is a tritagonist. These terms originate in classical Greek drama, in which a tenor would be assigned the role of protagonist, a baritone the role of deuteragonist, and a bass would play the tritagonist. Compare flat characters with stock characters.

 

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Character: Any representation of an individual being presented in a dramatic or narrative work through extended dramatic or verbal representation. The reader can interpret characters as endowed with mo . . . View Full Definition

Round Character: A round character is depicted with such psychological depth and detail that he or she seems like a 'real' person. The round character contrasts with the flat character, a character who serve . . . View Full Definition

Representative Character: A flat character who embodies all of the other members of a group (such as teachers, students, cowboys, detectives, and so on). Representative characters are often stereotypes. They need not . . . View Full Definition

Signs Of Character: The various signifiers--viewer foreknowledge, character name, appearance, objective correlatives, dialogue, lighting, videography or cinematography, and action--that communicate the characte . . . View Full Definition