Character (arts)

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.