1. Characterization

2. The main character around whom most of a work revolves
Protagonist
The main character around whom most of a work revolves
Who is the protagonist in “The Scarlet Letter”?
What about the Harry Potter series?
Lord of the Rings?
Star Wars?
The Hunger Games?

3. Something/someone that contends against a main character
Antagonist
Something/someone that contends against a main character
Could be a person, an animal, a force of nature, a set of circumstances, etc.
What/who is the antagonist in “The Scarlet Letter”?
“The Incredibles”?
“Remember the Titans”?
“Up”?

4. Major characters are the main characters who dominate a story
Often there are only a few major characters
Who are the major characters in “The Scarlet Letter”?
In the Harry Potter series?
In the Divergent series?
In the “Series of Unfortunate Events” stories?

5. Minor characters
Minor characters help tell the major character’s story. They provide ways for major characters to reveal their personalities, etc.
Who are the minor characters in “The Scarlet Letter”?
Harry Potter?
“How to Train Your Dragon”?
The new Cinderella?

6. Dynamic characters experience changes throughout the plot of a story
Think of it as character growth — who grows or changes during a story?
Who do you predict will change during “The Scarlet Letter”?
Who changes during the first “Iron Man”?
“Guardians of the Galaxy”?
“The Lego Movie”?
“The Hobbit”?

7. Static characters do not experience growth over the course of a story
Who do you predict will remain static during “The Scarlet Letter”?
Who are static characters in “101 Dalmatians”?
“Pitch Perfect”?
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”?
“Taken”?

8. A character viewed only through one side
Flat characters
A character viewed only through one side
Is a character always mean? Nice? Clumsy? Sarcastic? Hungry? Moody?
If there’s nothing else to the character, that character is flat
Red Shirts, Filch, Fanny Price, Bella, many Disney princes

9. Round characters have more than one facet to their personality
“The test of a round character is whether it is capable of surprising us in any way” – E.M. Forster
Why would Hester be considered a round character?
Who’s a round character in Harry Potter?
What about the Shrek films?
The new (or old) Star Trek films?

10. Stereotypical characters
The absent-minded professor
The boy/girl next door
The clown/fool
The damsel in distress/knight in shining armor
Nerd
Sarcastic best friend
The tortured artist

11. Foils
A character whose job is to contrast with the major character, either as an opposite or as a weaker version of the main character
Dimmesdale vs. Hester?
Han Solo vs. Luke Skywalker (Episode IV)
Katniss vs. Peeta

12. A protagonist who lacks heroic qualities
Anti-hero
A protagonist who lacks heroic qualities
Dexter, Dr. House, Walter White, Deadpool, Neil Caffrey in “White Collar”
Jay Gatsby in “The Great Gatsby”
Heathcliff in “Wuthering Heights”
Is there an anti-hero in “The Scarlet Letter”?