Vladimir Propp analyzed Russian folk tales and identified 8 character types that commonly appeared: The Villain works against the Hero. In the document's book, the Villain is Spider who deceives the young Hero. The Helper assists the Hero on their quests, like Donkey in Shrek or Chewbacca in Star Wars. In the book, no Helper is mentioned. The Princess or prize is what the Hero wants, but the Villain may have taken her. The book's Hero is a young girl seeking to succeed against Spider by the end.

1. Theory
A Russian soviet scholar named Vladimir Propp analyzed the plot components of
Russian folk tales. His plan was to indentify their basic narrative elements. In
total he looked at 100 folk tales and discovered that there were only 8 character
types. These were:
The Villain
The Helper
The Princess or prize
Her Father
The Donor
The Hero
The False Hero
The Dispatcher
Below I will discuss how these character types and how they are involved in my
book and other books, films and television programmes.
The Hero
The hero in books and films is usually the main character. The story is often told
from their point of view or told in 3rd person following them on their quests and
journeys. Heroes are often easily distinguishable and can be indentified early in
the book or film. Good examples of movie heroes are Superman in the superman
films and Oskar Schindler in Schindler’s List. In my book, the hero would be the
young girl as by the end of the tale, they audience is wanting her to succeed.
The Villain
Most books or films you think of include a villain. Whether it’s Darth Vader in
Starwars or Alex Delarge in Clockwork Orange. The villain is usually the enemy
of the hero and is working against the hero. In my book, the villain is Spider. He
is shown to be untrustworthy and cunning with his plans. By the end of the book,
the audience is rooting for the young girl as spider has deceived her.
The Helper
The helpers are also seen as the hero’s sidekick. They assist the hero on their
quests and challenges. These helper’s can range anywhere from humans to
animals. Often in films and books, the helper brings hints of comedy to the
audience. Famous examples of these helper’s would be Donkey in Shrek,
Chewbacca in Starwars and Gromit in Wallace and Gromit
The Princess or prize
In different media contexts, the princess can show in one of two different ways.
She can be either a person or object that the hero is wanting. The villain of the
story may have taken her or the object away from the hero. The princess may
also be shown as a reward that the hero will receive after completing a mission
or quest.
Her Father
The princess’s father often gives the hero his quest. The father may appear to be
not supportive of the hero as they are both battling for the princess’s affection.

2. The Donor
The donor gives the hero a gift, whether it is an object, piece of advice or a clue.
This object then helps the hero to complete their quest. Another famous movie
example of this would be Bilbo Baggins in Lord of the Rings gives Frodo a
magical sword.
The False Hero
The false hero is a figure that may act courageous and brave throughout the
story and may try stealing the hero’s credit. They are often also battling for the
princess or prize. A famous appropriate example would be Prince Charming in
the Shrek Films.
The Dispatcher
The dispatcher role can be combined with any of the above roles in stories. They
are the person who sends the hero on their quest. They are often a mother or
father figure.