1. Analyzing The Tale of Despereaux

2. What does it mean to analyze?
to separate into parts or elements; determine the elements or essential features of something.
to examine critically, so as to bring out the essential elements or give the essence of.
to examine carefully and in detail so as to identify causes, key factors, possible results, etc.

3. To analyze characters in The Tale of Despereaux we need to examine:
Traits
Motivations
Conflicts
Point of View
Relationships
Changes they undergo

4. What are character traits?
These can be adjectives that you would use to describe a character.
Examples: funny, scary, tough, sensitive, obedient, rebellious, doubtful, boring, secretive, selfish, energetic, devious, bossy, and calm

5. What are motivations?
Motivation is why someone acts the way they do.
Is it always obvious what someone’s motivation is?
Can motivation change?

6. What are conflicts?
Struggles
Disagreements
Things that go wrong

7. Omniscient and Limited Omniscient
4 Types of Point of View
Objective
Third Person
First Person
Omniscient and Limited Omniscient

8. What are relationships?
How characters are related
How they interact with each other
What characters have shared

9. Changes characters undergo
This can be anything from aging to shifting beliefs. This can include birth, death, learning, and forgiving.

10. Main Characters
Devereaux Tilling
Roscuro
Miggery Sow
Princess Pea

11. Secondary Characters
Despereaux’s family
King Phillip
Botticelli Remorso
Cook
Gregory the Jailer

12. Analyzing Despereaux
Traits: Imaginative and brave
Motivations: Music and love
Conflicts: Mouse society
Relationships: His family and Princess Pea
Changes: Learns to read and stand up for himself
Does Despereaux have any weaknesses? What do you like most about him?

13. Analyzing Roscuro Traits: Clever and heartbroken
Motivations: Light and revenge
Conflicts: Light and darkness
Relationships: Botticelli and Miggery
Changes: Seeks light, uses darkness
What does Chiaroscuro make you think of?

14. Analyzing Miggery Sow
Traits: Simple and hopeful
Motivations: Desire to be a princess
Conflicts: No one cares what she wants
Relationships: “Uncle” and Roscuro
Changes: Ears become “cauliflowers”
What does Miggery really want?

15. Analyzing Princess Pea
Traits: Compassionate and gentle
Motivations: Love
Conflicts: Father’s expectations and laws
Relationships: Despereaux and Miggery
Changes: Learns about vulnerabilities
What has Princess Pea learned?

16. Analyzing Despereaux’s family
Traits: Conforming and cautious
Motivations: Food and survival
Conflicts: Despereaux’s differences
Relationships: Mouse society
Changes: Lester, the father, changes. How?
How do the members of his family differ?

17. Analyzing King Phillip
Traits: Foolish and loving
Motivations: Grief and justice
Conflicts: Death of the Queen
Relationships: Princess Pea and the Queen
Changes: Vacillates between acceptance and non-acceptance
Do you know anyone like the King?

18. Analyzing Botticelli Remorso
Traits: Predatory and hateful
Motivations: Cause suffering and power
Conflicts: Roscuro’s yearning for light
Relationships: Rat society
Changes: None
Does Botticelli change? Why or why not?

19. Analyzing Cook Traits: Tough and impatient
Motivations: Efficiency and nuturing
Conflicts: Can not make soup and struggles with Miggery
Relationships: Loiuse and Miggery
Changes: Becomes tolerant after making soup
Why is soup so important to Cook?

20. Analyzing Gregory the Jailer
Traits: Wise, industrious, mournful
Motivations: Loves stories and seeks safety
Conflicts: Rats and darkness
Relationships: Rats , Despereaux, and Miggery
Changes: Saved Despereaux. Never saved a mouse before
What, if anything, surprised you about the jailer?

21. What do we understand now about The Tale of Despereaux and its characters?
What do we understand about themes like good vs. evil and the power of stories?
What do we understand about problem resolution?
Why did the author choose the characters she chose?
Watch for differences in the movie.

22. Helpful links and resources