Protagonist/Antagonist•To make it easy, think of the

protagonist as the “good guy” and antagonist as the "bad guy."

•You can think of the protagonist as the hero and the antagonist as the villain.

•To remember which is which, remember that the prefix pro means good, or positive, and the prefix anti means bad, or negative.

Protagonist Protagonist

The main character, central, the good The main character, central, the good one in one in

a story or novel. The one who can adapt a story or novel. The one who can adapt to to

new situations. Answer the question, new situations. Answer the question,

““Whose story is this?” Usually a story has Whose story is this?” Usually a story has

one, but a novel can have several.one, but a novel can have several.

Antagonist Antagonist The character fighting against the hero, The character fighting against the hero,

thethe

protagonist, of a story or novel. They protagonist, of a story or novel. They can be can be

destructive, bad, or evil. They can be a destructive, bad, or evil. They can be a

character, an animal, an inanimate character, an animal, an inanimate object, or object, or

nature. nature.

Round/Flat• Let's begin by thinking about round

and flat characterization like a painting.

• If you're an artist, you must decide how much detail to put into a painting. Do you want many lines and many colors, or just an outline and only black and white?

Round/Flat• As an author, you must decide how

much detail to include about each character. Which characters are most important; how will giving detail, or not giving detail, affect the story?

RoundRound

•Characters that are described in depth, with many details, are well-rounded characters - they are called round characters.

• If you're reading a story and you feel like you know a character extremely well, then most likely the character is round.

•The main character in a story is almost always round.

RoundRound

•They can recognize, change, develop, and

adjust to situations.

•They are complex, have many sides, and touch lives at many points.

•The characters usually change in the story

because of their experiences.

FlatFlat• Characters that are not described well,

that you're not given much information about, are flat characters.

• They do not change, develop, or grow in the story.

• They are the opposite of round characters. They

usually have one or two traits and can be summed

up easily.

Round/FlatRound/Flat•As a reader, judge whether or not the

character is round or flat by considering the characteristics of the character.

• If your list is long, with many characteristics, then the character is round. If your list is short, or there's not many characteristics at all, then the character is flat.

Static/DynamicStatic/Dynamic

•The key word when dealing with the difference between static and dynamic characters is "change.“

•These would include a major change in their personality, or a change in their outlook on life.

•Another change that a character may undergo is a change in values, or it could be an overall change in the nature of the character.

Static Static

Characters that remain the same Characters that remain the same throughout throughout

the story or novel. They are usually the story or novel. They are usually flatflat characters, but occasionally can be characters, but occasionally can be roundround..

In order for a character to be considered a In order for a character to be considered a staticstatic character, the character must character, the character must remain basically the same throughout the remain basically the same throughout the entire story. entire story.

DynamicDynamic

Characters that change and grow in a work of literature. They are round characters.

A A dynamicdynamic character is a character that character is a character that undergoes an internal change sometime undergoes an internal change sometime between the beginning and end of the between the beginning and end of the story. The change in the character is story. The change in the character is usually crucial to the story itself. usually crucial to the story itself.

Quiz 1Quiz 1

A character that remains the A character that remains the

same throughout the story.same throughout the story.

a. a. round character

b. b. static characterstatic character

c. c. dynamic character

Quiz 2Quiz 2

Person or thing Person or thing fighting fighting

against the hero of a against the hero of a

story.story.

a.a. protagonistprotagonist

b.b. staticstatic

c. c. antagonistantagonist

Quiz 3Quiz 3

A character who A character who

changes or grows in changes or grows in a a

work of literature.work of literature.

a.a. dynamic dynamic charactercharacter

b.b. static characterstatic character

c.c. flat characterflat character

Quiz 4Quiz 4

These characters show These characters show

many personality traits. many personality traits.

They change, develop, They change, develop, and and

adjust to situations. adjust to situations.

a. static charactersa. static characters

b. flat charactersb. flat characters

c. c. round charactersround characters

Quiz 5Quiz 5

The main character The main character of a of a

story or novel.story or novel.

a. round charactera. round character

b. antagonistb. antagonist

c. c. protagonistprotagonist

Quiz 6Quiz 6

Characters Characters constructed constructed

around a single idea around a single idea or or

quality.quality.

a. round a. round charactercharacter

b. b. flat characterflat character

c. protagonistc. protagonist