Character (arts)

In a narrative—whether a novel, play, or film—a character is a person or being. This figure can be entirely made up or based on a real individual, which leads to the distinction between fictional and real characters. The English word "character" comes from the Ancient Greek *χαρακτήρ* and dates to the Restoration, though it only became common after appearing in Henry Fielding's *Tom Jones* in 1749. From that usage, the meaning of "a role performed by an actor" emerged. Earlier, the Latin term *dramatis personae*—meaning "masks of the drama"—had been used in English to describe characters, focusing on their literal masks. When an actor plays a character in theater or cinema, it involves "the illusion of being a human person." In literature, characters lead readers through stories, aiding in plot comprehension and thematic reflection. Since the late 18th century, "in character" has described an actor's effective impersonation. Since the 19th century, the craft of creating characters—whether by actors or writers—has been called characterization.

A character that represents a specific class or group is known as a type. Types include stock characters and those that are more fully individualized. For instance, the characters in Henrik Ibsen's *Hedda Gabler* (1891) and August Strindberg's *Miss Julie* (1888) stand for particular positions in social relations of class and gender, so that their conflicts reveal ideological tensions.

Studying a character requires analyzing its relationships with every other character in the work. A character's individual status is defined by the network of oppositions—proairetic, pragmatic, linguistic, and proxemic—it forms with others. The link between characters and a story's action changes over time, often mirroring shifts in society's ideas about human individuality, self-determination, and social order.

**Creation**

In fiction, authors create dynamic characters through various methods. Sometimes characters come entirely from imagination; other times, they are built by amplifying the traits of a real person into a new fictional creation.

**Real people, in part or in full**

An author basing a character on a real person might use someone they know, a historical figure, a current figure they have never met, or themselves. The latter can be an author-surrogate or a self-insertion. Using a famous person easily linked to certain traits as the basis for a main character is common in allegorical works, such as George Orwell's *Animal Farm*, which depicts Soviet revolutionaries as pigs. Other authors, especially in historical fiction, use real people and create fictional stories around their lives, as in *The Paris Wife*, which centers on Ernest Hemingway.

**Archetypes and stock characters**

An author can create a character using basic archetypes common to many cultures, such as the father figure, mother figure, or hero. Some writers use Carl Jung's archetypes as a foundation for character traits. Generally, when a system like Jung's is used, the story's elements also follow that system's expectations for plot. An author can also create a character from generic stock characters, which are usually flat. These are often used for supporting or minor roles. However, some authors have used stock characters as a starting point for richly detailed figures, such as William Shakespeare's use of the boastful soldier archetype for John Falstaff.

Some authors create charactonyms for their characters—names that imply psychological makeup, make an allegorical allusion, or refer to appearance. For example, Shakespeare has an emotional young male character named Mercutio; John Steinbeck has a kind, sweet character named Candy in *Of Mice and Men*; and Mervyn Peake has a Machiavellian, manipulative, murderous villain in *Gormenghast* named Steerpike. Charactonyms can also indicate appearance: François Rabelais named a giant Gargantua, and the huge whale in *Pinocchio* (1940) is called Monstro.

**Types**

**Round vs. flat**

In *Aspects of the Novel*, E. M. Forster defined two basic character types: flat and round. Flat characters are two-dimensional and relatively uncomplicated. Round characters are complex, with many different traits, and undergo development, sometimes enough to surprise the reader. Psychologically, round or complex characters may be described using the Big Five personality model: extraversion (outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved), agreeableness (friendly/compassionate vs. critical/rational), openness to experience (inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious), conscientiousness (efficient/organized vs. extravagant/careless), and neuroticism (sensitive/nervous vs. resilient/confident). Stock characters are usually one-dimensional and thin. Mary Sues—characters common in fan fiction that are virtually flawless—are considered flat. Another flat type is the "walk-on," a term Seymour Chatman uses for characters that are not fully delineated or individualized, serving instead as part of the narrative's background or setting.

**Dynamic vs. static**

Dynamic characters change over the course of the story, while static characters do not.