Character Selection

Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp was a Soviet folklorist and scholar who analysed the basic plot components of Russian folk tales to identify their simplest irreducible narrative elements He also found that despite the large number of characters which appeared in the folk tales; there were only eight character types.

The Princess or prize  Her Father The Helper The Villain The False Hero The Hero The Dispatcher The Donor

Propp died in 1970. There have been many political, social and technological changes since 1970. Even now these character types can still be found in modern story telling. Some times they are harder to identify, they can be combined or even gender/species swapped

Pick a film….

1. The Hero Who’s your hero? Usually the hero leads the narrative. The story being told is the story of the hero. They are usually on a quest. Most likely they will be the person we want to succeed in the story. Who’s your hero?

2. The Villain Who’s your Villain? The Villain will have a problem with the Hero and is typically shown as being morally wrong. The Villains’ lack of morals serves to highlight the goodness of the Hero. The Villain may seek to prevent the Hero from achieving the goal or may be on the same quest. Who’s your Villain?

4- Donor is a person who gives the Hero something special. 3- The Princess/Prize may take two forms. 1- They may be the object that is being sought by the Hero (kidnapped) 2- They may be the reward (winning their hand in marriage) 4- Donor is a person who gives the Hero something special. This can be a magical weapon, a map or even an uplifting speech enabling the Hero to complete their quest. The Donor might not give up their gift without setting the Hero another task. 5- The Hero is supported in his or her quest by a Helper. The helper will always be there at crucial moments to provide support. The limitations of he helper often help to highlight the hero's defining characteristics

6- The Princess’ Father gives the task to the hero. The Father may also be in competition in some way with the Hero (This may be a difficult character to define in modern story telling) 7- The False Hero appears to act heroically and may even be initially mistaken for the real Hero. The False Hero may also gain the respect or other control of the Princess's Father. 8- The Dispatcher plays an early role in the story, they send the Hero on the mission. The Dispatcher may also be combined with another role; the False Hero who then trails along behind (perhaps disguised as a Helper), or the Princesses Father setting quests for his approval.

Choose you character…

The Princess or prize  Her Father The Helper The Villain The False Hero The Hero The Dispatcher The Donor