A short slideshow to introduce types of characters to students

1. Types of Characters
There are different types of characters found in each story.

2. Different types of characters
 The different types of characters in a story are:
 Round Characters
 Flat Characters
 Stock Characters
 Protagonists
 Antagonists

3. Round Characters
 These are characters that encounter conflict in a story, and are changed throughout the
story as a result.
 Also called Dynamic characters, they undergo a change in the story, sometimes to the
extent that they are different characters from who they began as.

4. Examples of Round Characters
 In “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” Edmund is a dynamic
character.
 In “Tangled”, Flynn is a dynamic character, as he goes from being a common thief to an
important character in the story.

5. Flat Characters
 Also known as “static” or “2D” characters, these undergo no change throughout a story.
 They usually serve as supporting characters, and, being flat, sometimes emphasize the
change that the main character(s) went through in the story.
 While somewhat less interesting than round characters, they are important in the story.

6. Examples of Flat Characters
 In “Tangled”, the witch Mother Gothel was a flat character.
 In “Superman” Lex Luthor is a flat character.
 Although the examples point to antagonistic characters being flat, this is not always the
case (which will be shown later).

7. Stock Characters
 Stock characters are those based on literary or social stereotypes.
 They rely heavily on cultural names for their characteristics.
 Stock characters are related to literary archetypes, but are more narrowly defined.
 They are often used in parody, exaggerated to highlight the characteristics of their
stereotypes.

8. Examples of Stock Characters
 Many stories use the stock character of a “Jock” and “Nerd”, characters who are more
brawny than brainy, and brainy and socially awkward respectively.
 In many stories, racial stereotypes are used as stock characters.

9. Protagonist
 The protagonist of a story is the character who the audience empathises with the most.
 The protagonist most often the main character of the story, and is, in traditional narratives,
the hero of the story.
 The protagonist however can be a criminal or other villainous character, depending on
how the story is told.

10. Examples of Protagonists
 In most comics/cartoons, the hero is the protagonist, representing justice, truth and the
“right” way, such as Superman, Spiderman, Hulk, etc.
 Aladdin and Robin Hood are both thieves/rogue-like characters, and are both
protagonists of their respective stories.

11. Antagonists
 The antagonist of a story is anyone who directly opposes or is the adversary of the protagonist.
 While it is common for the antagonist to be the bad guy, law enforcement can be seen as the antagonist if
the protagonist is a criminal or some sort.
 The antagonist may exist internally within the protagonist, causing an inner/moral conflict within the main
character.
 The antagonist of a story can be an idea/ideology, as long as it directly opposes the protagonist.

12. Examples of Antagonists
 In the movie “The Incredibles” Syndrome is the antagonist. He also is opposed to the idea
of superheroes, so even his ideology is antagonistic.
 Lex Luthor is an antagonist in many “Superman” stories, even though in some of them he is
also the President of the United States of America.
 The Joker is the antagonist of Batman, as they are both ideologically opposite, Batman
representing justice, order and truth while The Joker represents chaos, corruption and
deception.