Character (arts)

A character is a person in a story.

They can be real or made up. Actors play them in plays or films.

Some characters stay the same. Others change during the tale. A character who changes is called dynamic. They might start mean but become kind.

Some characters are simple. We call these flat characters. They do not have many different sides.

Other characters are complex. These are called round characters. They have many traits that can surprise you.

Characters help us understand the plot. They make the story feel real to us.

A character is a person or being in a story. They appear in books, plays, or films.

Some characters are based on real people. Others are made up from an author's mind.

Characters come in many different types. Some are "flat" characters. These are simple and do not change much. Other characters are "round." These are complex people with many sides. They might even surprise the reader. Some characters are "dynamic." This means they change as the story goes on. For example, Ebenezer Scrooge starts out mean. By the end, he becomes a kind man.

Authors also use "stock characters." These are common types that people recognize easily. An author might use an "archetype." These are basic patterns like a hero or a mother figure.

Sometimes, a name tells us about a person. This is called a "charactonym." For example, a giant might be named Gargantua. In a story, a character named Candy might be very sweet. These names help us understand the person right away.

A character is a person or a being in a story. You can find them in books, plays, or movies. They help readers understand the plot and think about big ideas. When an actor plays a character, they try to create the illusion of being a real person.

Sometimes, people say an actor is "in character" when they act very well. Since the 19th century, the skill of making these people is called characterization. This art helps bring a story to life for everyone watching or reading.

Authors have many ways to create these people. Some characters come from an author's own imagination. Other authors use real people as a starting point. They might use someone they know or a famous historical figure. For example, the book The Paris Wife uses Ernest Hemingway as a base. Some writers even use themselves in their own stories. This is sometimes called self-insertion. Other writers use archetypes, which are basic patterns like a hero or a mother figure.

Characters can also be described by how they act or change. A "flat" character is simple and does not have many sides. A "round" character is more complex and has many different traits. Some round characters can even surprise the reader. We also talk about whether a character is "static" or "dynamic." A static character stays the same throughout the whole story. A dynamic character changes as the story moves along. Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol is a famous dynamic character. He starts as a mean man but becomes kind and generous.

Names can sometimes tell us about a character's personality. This is called a charactonym. A name might hint at how a person looks or acts. For example, the giant Gargantua has a name that suggests his size. In the book Of Mice and Men, a sweet character is named Candy. A villain in Gormenghast is named Steerpike, which hints at his sneaky nature. In Pinocchio, the huge whale is named Monstro. These names help the reader understand the character's role or feelings right away.

People have studied characters for a very long time. The Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote about them in his work called Poetics. He believed character was a key part of a tragedy. He said character is about how a person reacts to what happens. Aristotle also thought that tragedy shows serious people, while comedy shows people who are less serious. Long ago, Roman writers like Plautus used characters to show different types of plays. Even today, we use characters to understand the world and the people in it.

A character is a person or a being within a narrative, such as a novel, play, or film. They serve as the essential guides that lead readers through a plot. Characters also help audiences ponder deep themes. When an actor performs a role in theater or cinema, they work to create the illusion of being a human person. This skill is often called characterization. Since the late 18th century, people have used the phrase "in character" to describe an actor who provides an effective impersonation.

Authors use many different methods to bring these figures to life. Some are conjured entirely from the imagination. In other cases, creators amplify the traits of a real person to build a fictional one. An author might use a person they know, a historical figure, or even themselves. Using oneself in a story is called self-insertion. Some writers use allegorical methods. In George Orwell's "Animal Farm," Soviet revolutionaries are portrayed as pigs to make a political point. Other writers use real people as the center of fictional stories, such as "The Paris Wife," which revolves around Ernest Hemingway.

Characters can also be built using archetypes. These are basic patterns common to many cultural traditions, such as the hero, the father figure, or the mother figure. Some writers use the specific archetypes described by Carl Jung. When an author uses these systems, the story often follows the expectations of that system. Beyond archetypes, writers may use stock characters. These are generic, often "flat" characters used for minor roles. However, some writers turn stock characters into complex people. William Shakespeare did this by turning a boastful soldier into the detailed character John Falstaff.

Names can be used as tools to reveal a character's nature. This is known as a charactonym. A charactonym is a name that implies a person's psychological makeup or appearance. For example, the character Mercutio in Shakespeare's work is a young male with specific emotional traits. In "Of Mice and Men," John Steinbeck uses the name Candy for a sweet character. Mervyn Peake used the name Steerpike for a manipulative villain. Names can also describe physical size. François Rabelais named a giant Gargantua, and the massive whale in "Pinocchio" is named Monstro.

Literary scholars often categorize characters by their complexity and growth. E. M. Forster defined two main types: flat and round characters. Flat characters are two-dimensional and uncomplicated. Round characters are complex figures with many different traits. These complex characters can undergo development that surprises the reader. In psychological terms, round characters might possess five personality dimensions. These include extraversion, agreeableness, openness to experience, conscientiousness, and neuroticism.

We also distinguish characters by how they change over time. A dynamic character changes throughout the story. A famous example is Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol." He begins as a bitter miser but transforms into a generous man. In contrast, a static character remains the same from start to finish. In television, characters are categorized by their frequency of appearance. Regular characters appear in most episodes. Recurring characters appear frequently but not always. Guest characters appear only briefly and do not change the narrative structure. Sometimes, a guest character becomes a "breakout character" and joins the main cast.

The study of character dates back to Ancient Greece. The philosopher Aristotle discussed character, or "ethos," in his work "Poetics." He identified character as one of the six qualitative parts of Athenian tragedy. To Aristotle, character was not just a fictional person. It was the quality of a person reacting to their situation. He defined character as that which reveals a decision. Aristotle believed that plot, or "mythos," was more important than character. He also noted that tragedy represents serious people, while comedy represents people who are "inferior" or less serious.

Ancient Greek comedy included specific types of characters. These included the buffoon, the ironist, and the boaster. By the time the Roman playwright Plautus was writing two centuries later, using characters to define genres was well established. For example, his play "Amphitryon" uses characters like kings and gods to signal its specific type of drama. Throughout history, the relationship between characters and action has shifted. These changes often mirror shifts in how society views individuality and the social order.