Mentor Character A wise or experienced character who provides guidance, support, and wisdom to the protagonist, often serving as a teacher or role model.
Learn more
Related terms A character or force that opposes or creates conflict for the protagonist in a story.
Learn more
A lead character who lacks qualities of traditional heroes, such as courage and morality. To make up for this they might be exceptionally skilled in a certain area or have an interesting flaw that makes them more complex character.
Learn more
A character who, despite being the antagonist, possesses sympathetic or redeeming qualities that challenge traditional notions of villainy.
Learn more
The narrative history or background information of a character, setting, or event that provides context to the main story.
Learn more
The transformation or development of a character throughout a story, typically involving a change in their beliefs, traits, or actions in response to the events they experience.
Learn more
A universally recognizable pattern or type of character that represents a specific role or personality trait often found in literature, mythology, or storytelling.
Learn more
A psychological or emotional trauma from a character's past that continues to influence their behavior or decisions in the present.
Learn more
A comprehensive summary or description of a character's traits, background, motivations, and personality traits used by writers to develop and maintain consistency in their portrayal throughout a story.
Learn more
The interconnected relationships and interactions between characters within a narrative, forming a complex network that drives the story forward.
Learn more
The process of developing and portraying the traits, motivations, and personalities of characters in a story through their actions, dialogue, thoughts, and interactions with others.
Learn more
A personality typing system that categorizes individuals into nine interconnected personality types, each with its own motivations, fears, and behavioral patterns, aiming to provide insight into personal growth and interpersonal dynamics.
Learn more
Indirect Characterization
The portrayal of characters through their actions, dialogue, thoughts, and interactions with others, allowing readers to infer their personality traits and motivations.
Learn more
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
A psychological theory proposing that individuals have a hierarchy of needs, ranging from physiological requirements like food and water to self-actualization, which must be fulfilled sequentially, with higher-level needs becoming motivating factors once lower-level ones are satisfied.
Learn more
The central character in a story whose actions, motivations, and development typically drive the narrative forward and with whom the audience often empathizes or identifies.
Learn more
A character in a narrative who exhibits depth, complexity, and development, often displaying a range of emotions, motivations, and behaviors.
Learn more
Characters in a narrative who play supporting roles to the protagonist, often contributing to the plot or providing contrast to the main character.
Learn more
Characters in a narrative who do not undergo significant change or development throughout the story, maintaining consistent traits or behaviors.
Learn more
A character who embodies malevolent or antagonistic qualities, opposing the protagonist and often engaging in morally reprehensible actions to achieve their goals.
Learn more
