The antagonist is directly opposite to the protagonist.

This is the character that the plot builds around. He or she is generally the hero or heroine and is very well-developed, complex, and relatable. In most cases, the protagonist is the character that the readers will experience empathy for. The protagonist prompts a story’s action and captivates the reader’s attention. Round characters will show development in ways that engage or astound the reader.Ī protagonist is always a main character in the story. These are the characters that are realistically complex and have depth that is identifiable and distinctly human-like. Round characters can be thought of as three-dimensional. There are a few different ways in which you can classify main characters in a story: flat or round characters, protagonist or antagonist, and dynamic or static characters.įlat characters are often described as characters that are two-dimensional, meaning that they lack real depth or are not super complex, nor do they show much development throughout the story. Main characters are the characters with the most amount of influence on the plot or the characters that the plot has the most influence on. Main characters are essential to every story. It can also be the case that a character starts out highly developed, but the reader is not made aware of certain aspects of their development until later. It’s possible that a character starts out thoroughly developed, or it may be that the author chooses to slowly develop that character as the plot unfolds.

So, things like plants and non-living objects would not normally be considered characters, unless of course these things have been personified and brought to life.Ī character’s development speaks of the depth and complexity of a character. What is a literary character? A character is any animate figure within a story. In this video, we will take a look at the definition of a character (within literature), and then we will look at character development and the different types of characters. They make the story possible, and, the way in which the characters are built, can help to bring the story to life. Hey, guys! Welcome to this Mometrix video on characters in literature.Ĭharacters are an essential part to any literary work.

Literary definition flat character