Basic Character Terms

Protagonist

Definition: A character(s) who the story revolves around. He or she is often the main character(s) and it is often around his or her perspective. The fate of this character or characters matters more than any other to the plot and the end result of the story.

Example: Harry Potter is the protagonist of the Harry Potter series. He is the one who is working towards the main goal of the story throughout the books. His fate is what drives the plot forward, and the story would not be able to take place at all if he was removed from the books.

Antagonist

Definition: A character(s) who directly opposes the protagonist(s). This character(s) causes conflicts or obstacles for the protagonist that interfere with the protagonist’s goals. He or she is often considered the villain. There is not an antagonistic character in every story. The opposition could be an opposing complicating force, object, or a force of nature. However, having an antagonist is most common.

Example: In contrast, Voldemort is the antagonist in the Harry Potter series. He is considered the villain of the story and is actively working against Harry. If he had it his way, Voldemort would kill Harry and stop Harry from reaching his goal of killing him.

Main Character

Definition: The main character(s) is someone(s) who are so essential to driving the plot that the story could not take place without them. The protagonist(s) are almost always also considered main characters, but not all main characters are protagonists. The story is often written from one or more of their perspectives and allows us to experience it.

Example: In Jim Butcher’s series Codex Alera, there are several main characters. We have Tavi, Isana, Amara, and Bernard as our main characters. The author jumps between each of their perspectives in order to move the plot forward and to allow us to see the different threads that are happening. Without each of these characters and their perspectives, the story would not happen and our experience of the world would be immensely different.

Secondary Character

Definition: A character who interacts with the main character(s) in some way that effects the story or plot. They can be very detailed important characters or they can be bland and less noticed, but they make some kind of important impact. They can also be characters that have strong ties to the main character(s) and their contribution to the story is a relationship with the main character(s) which reveals things about said character(s).

Example: Jesse, Adam’s daughter in the Mercy Thompson series is a secondary character. She pops up occasionally and fulfills several different roles. She impacts the plot, sometimes creating or being a part of the conflict herself, or by providing a strong relationship that reflects upon Mercy and develops who Mercy is as a person as she interacts with Jesse.

Round Character

Definition: A character who has many personality traits, a developed backstory or history, have complicated emotions and goals, and is often interesting to the reader. Main characters and secondary characters are usually round characters. They are generally seen as more real, relatable, and connect with the reader.

Example: Kahlan Amnell from The Sword of Truth series is a round character. We learn a lot about her as we read through the story. The reader gradually learns what it means to be a confessor and how she had to start doing confessions at a young age instead of having a normal childhood. We learn about her likes and dislikes and why.  These are all things that help her feel real.

Flat Character

Definition: A character who has only one or two personality traits, little to no backstory, and often no development. These characters are usually not in the story super long and are often not remembered. They can seem very stereotypical depending on how they are presented. Their purpose is usually just to be a tool to move the plot forward by interacting with the main character(s) enough to move him or her forward.

Example: Haldir from Lord of the Rings is a flat character. We see him very little of him in both the films and the books. He is mostly a guide to the fellowship through the lands of Lorien, and we don’t know much about him other than the bare basics as well as a possible dislike of dwarves as he treated Gimili poorly and insisted on blindfolding him. We don’t see any character development or further insights.

Dynamic Character

Definition: A character who has a major internal change either for good or for worse. This change effects who they are as a person and often their views of the world. Often the main characters are dynamic characters though this isn’t always the case. The change itself does not always have to be dramatic. It can also be a subtle building of change that is revealed at the end.

Example: Laurana from Dragonlance is a dynamic character. She starts off as a very sheltered naive woman who is chasing after the man she loves. However, as she ventures out into the world, she becomes a very strong self-reliant woman who charges into battle and makes decisions for herself. She even gets a glimpse of her family and the people she left behind and can no longer relate to them and their narrow mindedness.

Static Character

Definition: A character who stays the same throughout the course of the story. Even through the events they take part in, they keep with their same views or personality. Secondary characters are more likely to be static characters, but some main characters can be static as well. This is not necessarily a sign of a bad character, and they are often still essential pieces to the plot or story.

Example: Phaelan from the Raine Benares Series is a good example of a static character. He is constantly helping his cousin Raine, but in the end he often has the same kind of snarky attitude and is ready to go back to being a pirate that sails the sea as soon as she doesn’t need him anymore. He is a very lovable character, but doesn’t undergo a large change to his personality or outlook on life.