Vladimir Propp analyzed Russian folktales and identified their simplest narrative elements. He broke the tales down into character functions that commonly occurred. Propp defined 7 main character functions that typically appear in Russian folktales: the Hero, Villain, Donor, Helper, Prince/Princess, King, and Dispatcher. Each character serves a specific purpose in driving the plot forward or creating obstacles for the Hero to overcome in order to restore equilibrium.

1. VLADIMIR
PROPP’S MEDIA
THEORYEllie Moore

2. Vladimir Propp
■ Vladimir Propp was a Soviet Folklorist and scholar who analysed the plot
components of Russian FolkTales and their simplest narrative elements.
■ Propp broke fairytales into sections, through these sections he was able to
define the tale into a series of sequences that occurred within the Russian
fairytale.
■ He also concluded that all the characters could be resolved into 7
broad character functions:
– The Hero
– TheVillain
– The Donor
– The Helper
– The Prince/Princess
– The King
– The Dispatcher
– The False Hero

3. The Hero
■ The Hero is the central character in the text, their quest is to
restore the equilibrium, resolve any wrongs and wed/save
the Prince or Princess.
■ There are two different types of Hero:
– TheVictim Hero – the center of the villain’s attention
– The Seeker Hero - aids the villain’s victims
■ In popular culture, Katniss Everdeen from ‘The Hunger
Games’ is an example of both a ‘victim hero’ and a ‘seeker
hero’ as she starts a revolution to aid the victims in the films
but as a result is the victim of being targeted by the villains.

4. TheVillain
■ TheVillain is the character within the narrative that
seeks to disrupt the equilibrium, formerly known as
the antagonist.
■ This disruption is then repaired by the Hero.
■ In StarWars, DarthVader is the narrativesVillain as
he works against the hero of the story to disrupt the
equilibrium.

5. The Donor
■ The Donor’s role in the narrative is to aid the hero’s
quest by giving them something, be it advice,
information or a tool.
■ This role may often be combined with ‘The Helper’,
the Donor may not give their gift without setting
another task, such as a riddle.
■ In ‘Batman Begins’, the Donor character is Lucius
Fox, he helps the Hero (Batman) by giving him
weapons and armor.

6. The Helper
■ The Helper aids the victim on their quest to restore
equilibrium.
■ They are often presented as a sidekick and add a
comedic or romantic element to the narrative.
■ The limitations of the Helper often help to highlight
the hero’s defining characteristics such as their
intelligence, determination or courage.
■ In Shrek, Donkey is the narrative’s Helper as he aids
the Hero (Shrek) on his quest while also adding
comedy to the story.

7. The Princess/Prince
■ This is the individual within the narrative that needs
help, protecting or saving.
■ Typically female, they are the main victim of the
Villain, this creates the stereotypical ‘damsel in
distress’ seen in many narratives.
■ Occasionally, the Princess can fall for the False Hero
before being won over by the true hero of the
narrative.
■ In ‘The Princess Diaries’, Mia (The Princess) falls for
the False Hero (Josh) before being won over by
Michael.

8. The King
■ According to Propp, ’The King’ (or the Princess’
father) in the narrative rewards the hero, he is the
authority figure.
■ The King is often the character who issues the task
to the Hero, and also identifies the False Hero.
■ Propp noted that the Princess and the Father can
often not be clearly distinguished and therefore the
King may be a difficult character to identify in
modern storytelling.

9. The Dispatcher
■ The Dispatcher’s role is to sendThe Hero on their
quest to restore equilibrium.
■ The Dispatcher may be combined with another role,
such as that ofThe False Hero who follows the Hero
on their quest, disguised as a helper.
■ They may also be a family member, such as the
Princess’ father.
■ In Harry Potter, Dumbledore is the narrative’s
dispatcher as he sends Harry (The Hero) on his quest
to restore equilibrium.

10. The False Hero
■ The False Hero is the character that undermines the
Hero’s quest by pretending to aid them along the
way and subsequently betraying them.
■ As they are presented heroically throughout the
movie, they are often mistaken for the true hero.
■ In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the
False Hero is Professor Quirrell as he first appears to
be on the side of the Hero, and then betrays him
later on.