Taotao, Lydia, Charms and Jonas. Stock Characters. Taotao, Lydia, Charms and Jonas.

Stock characters serve as an important and fundamental aspect to Melodrama- their exaggerated emotions and stereotypical characteristics provide comic relief and is the focus of the play. The stock characters portrayed do change psychologically or morally, which means the interest lies in the manipulation of the plot in which fate, Providence and justice play important parts

What's important to mention is that in Victorian theater, variation of stock character is actually quite restricted; According to Michael Booth in his classic study English Melodrama, stock characters on the Victorian stage was 'limited.' only subjective to a few. Stock characters and the audience's enthusiasm to such stereotypical portrayals of life reflected the Victorian people's conservative and 'proper' way of life. It brought out the arousal of pity and indignation at the wrongful oppression of good people and intense dislike for wicked oppressors.

The Hero A hero in Melodrama was a working class and penniless young man of extreme good looks who has a desire to seek his fortune. Usually he is in love with the heroine or the Damsel in distress and yet is often parted from her, leaving her emotional and deserted He is the enemy of the villain - he understands the meaning of right and wrong and usually always saves the heroine from the villain's evil doings.

The Villain The Villain in melodrama has always been portrayed as the heartless wicket man who stirs up the conflict and challenges faced by the hero or heroines. They get their way by threatening the weak, are rich are want to get richer, extorts money, has no moral standards and will do anything to get his own way. They almost always wear black clothes and has a moustache, sometimes in a tail suit or a black coat with a top hat.

Damsel in Distress The Damsel in Distress is usually portrayed as the beauty that has been placed in a dire predicament by a villain, and requires the hero to dash to her rescue. Characteristics such as helplessness, along with naivety and dependency on men has led this stereotype to be the target of feminist criticism.

Gipsy Gipsy's in the Victorian theater were often very eccentric, unusual and sometimes even sinister. They claimed to be members of the 'wandering race', and travelled the world looking for adventure.

Villain/ Hero's accomplice. The accomplice on either side of the moral standing was usually a character used to provide comic relief. They had a fondness for imbibing, and often came up with enthusiastic ideas and approaches at to how to solve the problem. The accomplice often had quirky traits that made the audience laugh.

Heroine The Heroine has always been a beautiful pure hearted young woman who has often been left in poverty . She has some kind of guilty secret that she dare not tell anyone and goes through emotional torment all the time; often finding herself in situations where she she in danger or being violated. She has a sense of moral awareness and often protects or stands up for the poor and weak.

The Servants. Female and male servants were illustrated as extremely loyal to their master. They typically served either the hero or heroine and their faithfulness is a defining characteristic. When there is a female and a male servant, a little side story of romance will be enacted between the two, and this gives the story more 'substance'.