Characters Theory Book Dramatica. Characters. Chapter 3. BbRLzgB?mode=facebook' alt='Six Archetypes' title='Six Archetypes' />Hero Is a Four Letter Word. It is easy to think of the principal character in a story as the hero. Many beginning writers tend to base their stories on the adventures or experiences of a hero. As writers become more mature in their craft, they may come to think of their central character as a protagonist, or perhaps a main character. And yet, through all of this, no consistent definitions of any of these terms have ever been agreed upon. Six Archetypes' title='Six Archetypes' />Before we proceed then, it seems prudent to establish what Dramatica means by each of these concepts. A Main Character is the player through whom the audience experiences the story first hand. A Protagonist is the prime mover of the plot. Six Archetypes' title='Six Archetypes' />A Hero is a combination of both Main Character and Protagonist. In other words, a hero is a blended character who does two jobs move the plot forward and serve as a surrogate for the audience. When we consider all the characters other than a Protagonist who might serve as the audiences position in a story, suddenly the concept of a hero becomes severely limited. It is not wrong, just limited. The value of separating the Main Character and Protagonist into two different characters can be seen in the motion picture, To Kill a Mockingbird. Ship-jumper-blog-post-1.png' alt='Six Archetypes' title='Six Archetypes' />Here, the character, Atticus, played by Gregory Peck is clearly the Protagonist, yet the story is told through the experiences of Scout, his young daughter. Later on, we will explore many other ways in which the Main Character can be employed in much less archetypal terms than as a hero. For now, the key point is that Dramatica identifies two different kinds of characters those who represent an audience point of view, and those who fulfill a dramatic function. Objective and Subjective Characters. An archetype, called a series shirzu or unofficially a category kategori in. Join Bang2writers on Facebook Bang2writers is a safe, supportive space for writers to chat about writing ask for advice post inspiration share links including. O o l b o x systems thinker pegasus vol. Inside Out is Pixars fifteenth feature film. It is directed by Pete Docter and codirected by. The reason there are two kinds of characters goes back to the concept of the Story Mind. We have two principal views of that mind the Objective view from the outside looking in, and the Subjective view from the inside looking out. In terms of the Story Mind, the Objective view is like looking at another person, watching his thought processes at work. For an audience experiencing a story, the Objective view is like watching a football game from the stands. All the characters are most easily identified by their functions on the field. The Subjective view is as if the Story Mind were our own. From this perspective, only two characters are visible Main and Influence. The Main and Influence Characters represent the inner conflict of the Story Mind. In fact, we might say a story is of two minds. In real life, we often play our own devils advocate, entertaining an alternative view as a means of arriving at the best decision. Similarly, the Story Minds alternative views are made tangible through the Main and Influence Characters. To the audience of a story, the Main Character experience is as if the audience were actually one of the players on the field. The Influence Character is the player who blocks the way. To summarize then, characters come in two varieties Objective and Subjective. Objective Characters represent dramatic functions Subjective Characters represent points of view. When the Main Character point of view is attached to the Protagonist function, the resulting character is commonly thought of as a hero. Looking Forward. In the next chapter we will begin an in depth exploration of Objective Characters. Here we will meet the Protagonist, Antagonist, and several other archetypes. Next we will dissect each archetype to see what essential dramatic elements it contains. Finally, we will examine how those same elements can be combined in different, non archetypal patterns to create more realistic and versatile complex characters. Then we will turn our attention to the Subjective Characters Main and Influence. The Our Zombies Are Different trope as used in popular culture. The word zombie originated in the voudon beliefs of the Caribbean and West Africa. Archetypal literary criticism is a type of critical theory that interprets a text by focusing on recurring myths and archetypes from the Greek arch, beginning. We will examine how the audience point of view is shifted through the Main Characters growth. We will also explore the forces that drive these two characters and forge the belief systems they possess. Archetypal Characters Introduction to Archetypes. Archetypes exist as a form of storytelling shorthand. Because they are instantly recognizable, an author may choose to use archetypal characters for a variety of reasonsbecause of limited storytelling time or space, to emphasize other aspects of story such as Plot or Theme, to play on audience familiarity, etc. The main advantage of Archetypes is their basic simplicity, although this can sometimes work as a disadvantage if the characters are not developed fully enough to make them seem real. There are eight Archetypal Characters Protagonist, Antagonist, Reason, Emotion, Sidekick, Skeptic, Guardian, and Contagonist. Several of these are familiar to most authors. Some are a bit more obscure. One is unique to Dramatica. We will introduce all eight, show how they interact, then explore each in greater detail. Protagonist. In our earlier discussion of what sets the Subjective Characters apart from the Objective Characters, we described how authors frequently assign the roles of both Protagonist AND Main Character to the same player in the story. The concept of player is found throughout Dramatica and differs from what we mean by character. Dramatica defines a character as a set of dramatic functions that must be portrayed in order to make the complete argument of a story. Several functions may be grouped together and assigned to a person, place, or thing who will represent them in the story. The group of functions defines the nature of the character. The personage representing the functions is a player. In other words, a player is like a vessel into which a character and therefore a set of character functions is placed. If more than one Objective Character is placed into a single player, the player will appear to have multiple personalities. This is clearly seen in the dual characters contained in player, Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde, or the many personalities of Sybil. Describing the Protagonist. No doubt the most well known of all the Archetypal Characters is the Protagonist. As with all the Archetypal Characters, there is a specific shopping list or recipe of dramatic functions that describes the Protagonist. In this regard, the archetypal Protagonist is the chief proponent and principal driver of the effort to achieve the storys goal. At first, this description seems far too simple for even the most archetypal of Protagonists. This is because the Main Character is so often combined with the Protagonist when Archetypal Characters are used, that we seldom see a Protagonistic player representing the archetypal functions alone. Still, pursuing the goal is the essential function of the Protagonist, and beginning here we can construct a network of relationships that describe the remaining archetypes. As a side note, the entire exploration of the Subjective Story is an independent job of the Main Character. For purposes of describing the Archetypal Protagonist, therefore, we will be considering only its role in the Objective Story Throughline as just another player on the field albeit a crucial one. So, for our current needs, the Archetypal Protagonist can be considered the chief proponent and principal driver of the effort to achieve the storys goal. Antagonist. The Archetypal Antagonist is diametrically opposed to the Protagonists successful attainment of the goal. Often this results in a Protagonist who has a purpose and an Antagonist comes along and tries to stop it. Jills List of Character Archetypes. A character archetype is a pattern or model from which similar characters are based. Sometime last year, I noticed that all my main characters fit a heroic guardian archetype Achan, Martyr, Spencer. I was pretty shocked to realize that. I didnt want to be the author who writes the same character over and over and over. This is my list. I could likely combine a few of these to make a smaller list or expand the list as well. There are no rules here. But I find this list helpful in toying with the idea of completely changing my main characters archetype, analyzing my cast, deleting duplicate characters, setting apart the others, and determining personality conflicts. All of these archetypes are capable of going on the heros journey. Sometimes its fun to combine several archetypes into one character. Take a look at this list. Do any of these archetypes appear in your story Analyst Can explain anything rationally. Ex Mr. Spock. Anti hero The hero who didnt ask to get involved but does. Ex Sarah Connor, Wolverine. Benefactor Has a whole lot of something he wants to share. Ex Miss Havisham. Bully Has no tolerance for weakness, especially in himself. Ex Scut Farkus Christmas StoryBureaucrat Follows the rules no matter what. Hermione Granger. Caretaker Cares for others. Ex Digory Kirke. Catalyst Makes things happen. Child Could be a literal child or just living like one. Ex Wally Mc. Doogle, Peter Pan. Coward Afraid of everything, controlled by fear. Ex Adrian Monk, Cowardly Lion, Alexandra Rover. Curmudgeon Irritable and cynical and proud of it. Ex Ebenezer Scrooge. Dreamer Longs to be something he isnt. Ex Annie, William Thatcher A Knights TaleElderMentorTeacherParent Been around long enough to know some vital information. Ex Ben Kenobi, Mufassa. ExplorerWanderer Wants to see the worldcould be running from something. Extraordinary man The guy who can do anything. Ex Indiana Jones, James Bond. Gossip Must be the first to know everything and the one to pass it on. Ex Rachel Lynde. Guardian Protects the weak. HedonistThrill seeker Lives for today in case tomorrow never comes. HeraldMessenger The bringer of news, good, bad, or necessary. HermitLoner Just wants to be left alone. Ex Phil Hercules, Martin Riggs Lethal WeaponHunterPredator Can catch or kill anything. Ex Terminator. Innocent An inexperienced individual exposed to the evils in the world. Ex Dorothy Gale. Introvert Lives inside his shell to prevent anyone from seeing the real him. Ex Gabriella Montez High School MusicalInvestigator Thrives on puzzles and riddles. Ex Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes. JudgeMediator The arbitrator or peacemaker in a conflict. Leader Always knows the best thing to doand people follow. Ex William Wallace. MagicianWizardSuperpowers Has special powers or abilities. Ex Superman, Harry Potter. Manipulator Plays with people and situations to get what he wants. Ex Scarlett OHara. Martyr Willing to suffer or die for others or a cause. Masochist Finds pleasure in torturing himself, denying himselfmay take on too much. Masquerader Pretends to be something he is not. Monster A depraved beast. Ex Gollum, Grendel BeowulfOrdinary Man Your average Joe, just like you or me or the guy across the street. Ex Dr. Richard Kimball, Frodo Baggins. Penitent Lives to atone for his sin. Perfectionist Every action and word must be flawless. PleaserShow off Craves approval from anyone and may do anything to get it. Poet Life is art, be that through story or song or art or sculpture. RebelRevolutionary Stands opposed to the status quo and fights for his cause. Rogue Looks out for himself and no one else. Ex Han Solo. SaboteurBetrayer For whatever reason, he will make sure something fails. Ex Edmund Pevensie. Samaritan Does good deeds wherever he goes. Scholar Wants to learn. Sensualist Addicted to feeling good about himself. Slave Does not belong to himself. Ex Dobby the house elf. Survivor Pulls through no matter what happens, doesnt give up. Sycophant Self seeking, flatterer, who works to please those in power. Ex Smee Peter PanTemptress Uses power intellect, magic, beauty to make others weak. Bridge Squeezes Complete Crack Repair. Ex Megara HerculesThief Takes what he wants or needs. Ex Philippe Gaston Lady. Hawke, Jean Valjean. TricksterJester Always looking for the humor in a situation. Ex Fred and George Weasley. Tyrant Must be in control at all times. Ex Captain Hook. Victim Was hurt by someone or lives in fear that someone will hurt him. Ex Claireece Precious Jones. Villain Seeks to destroytrap the hero. Ex Evil Queen in Snow White, Lex Luthor. Waif Appears innocent and weak and often relies on the pity of others. Ex The Kid Dick TracyPosted by Jill Williamson on Oct 2nd, 2. A weekly story blog, Jill Williamsons Blog, Novel Teen, Podcasts 0 comments. I started a new website. You might have seen my countdown to October 4, 2. Well, this is what Ive been working so hard on. I created a writing website primarily to host my You. Tube videos and podcast versions of those videos to make it easier for listeners to find them. What are Storyworld Shorts They are short writing videos or. Posted by Jill Williamson on Sep 1. A weekly story blog, Jill Williamsons Blog, Novel Teen 0 comments  I have been invited to teach two workshops for teens at the fall Oregon Christian Writers one day conference in Portland on October 2. This will be a really neat opportunity for teens who love to write. Were going to learn about how to create characters, plot a novel, and how the publishing industry works. The conference is. Posted by Jill Williamson on Aug 1. A weekly story blog 1. What we were doing was insane. I knew that. But the alternative was to spend six months in rehablikely longer now that we were about to bust into the Champions residence with guns. A couple blocks away, Dad pulled off the road and around to the side of the pickup bed. Whats the plan We cant exactly waltz into Champion House on a good day, and two guns isnt going to be enough power to face off with all the Enforcers who work there. If you drive around back, I can lure him out, Hannah said. How I asked. Posted by Jill Williamson on Aug 2nd, 2. A weekly story blog 8 comments. I had fasted before only a couple times in my life. The 3. 0 Hour Famine was a favorite of my youth pastor. But going out food for a full week It sucked. The week in rehab crawled by. Each day I desperately anticipated my small glass of water. Carelle Lawlers obnoxious sessions didnt help. When I was finally released, I felt like I could drink an entire lake and eat a herd of cattle. I was released into the lobby of the rehab facility and bade to use a computer there to contact a ride. I sent everyone I knew a message on the Grid, and still it was another twenty minutes before Dad stopped the truck out front to pick me up. When he heard how Tracy had starved me, he nearly drove the truck to the Champion compound to give the man a piece of his mind. Posted by Jill Williamson on Jul 2. A weekly story blog 4 comments. I spent the next few days working with my dad on our map of the town. We had been monitoring the Enforcer shifts at the different gates and had stumbled onto a pattern. Four Enforcers were on patrol at each gate with the exception of the night hours of midnight to six a.