MAIN TYPES OF
CHARACTERIZATION
G R A D E 1 0
E N G L I S H
W H A T I S
CHARACTER?
Characters refer to persons, persons, creatures or things serving as actors or
movers in a story. They portray specific roles with corresponding dialogues
and plot lines. Stories have protagonist/s and antagonist/s.
W H A T I S
CHARACTERIZATION?
Characterization is a writer’s tool, or “literary device” that occurs any time
the author uses details to teach us about a person. This is used over the
course of a story in order to tell the tale.
Character -There are two meanings for "character":
1) a person in a fictional story; or
2) qualities of a person.
1) People in a work of fiction can be a:
• Protagonist – Principal character of a story
• Antagonist - Opposition or "enemy" of main
character.
2) Characteristics of a character can be revealed
through:
• his/her physical appearance
• what he/she says, thinks, feels, dreams and what
he/she does or does not do
• what others say about him/her and how others
react to him/her
3) Characters can be:
• Round - Fully developed personalities that are affected by the story's
events; they can learn, grow, or deteriorate by the end of the story.
Characters are mostly convincing when they resemble real people by being
consistent, motivated, and life-like.
Example:
In the Disney movie Beauty and the
Beast, the protagonist, Belle, is a round
character. She is fully developed and
has several layers to her personality. At
times Belle may be caring and gentle
with her father, but at the same time
she shows wit and strength when
warding off the undesirable suitor,
Gaston.
• Flat - One-dimensional character
Example:
In Disney’s Finding Nemo, the sea turtle, Crush, is an
example of a flat character. Crush personifies the
stereotypical “surfer-dude” in the film with his constant
use of the word “dude”. This turtle is a minor character in
the film and does not have complexity to his personality
like the main characters.
• Dynamic - Character who does go through change
and "grows" during a story.
Example: In the movie Harry Potter and the Chamber of
Secrets, Harry, the protagonist has experienced inner
conflict which makes him a dynamic character. Harry
perceives that he shares some abilities similar to Tom
Riddle, who becomes the evil, Lord Voldemort, and this
makes him worry that he might also turn out to be an
evil character.
• Static - Character does not go through a change.
Example:
Scar, in the movie The Lion King, is an excellent example of a static character. Scar is a sly and
a clever brother of the Lion King. This cunning character plots to kill Simba and his father. As
the film goes on, Scar does not go through any changes, keeping his personality traits until
the end.
• Static - Character does not go through a change.
Example: Scar, in the movie The Lion King, is an excellent example
of a static character. Scar is a sly and a clever brother of the Lion
King. This cunning character plots to kill Simba and his father. As
the film goes on, Scar does not go through any changes, keeping
his personality traits until the end.
Point of View - The angle from which the story is told.
1. First Person - Story told by the protagonist or a character who
interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters;
speaker uses the pronouns "I", "me", "we".
2. Second Person - Story told by a narrator who addresses the
reader or some other assumed "you"; speaker uses pronouns
"you", "your", and "yours".
3. Third Person - Story told by a narrator who sees all of the action;
speaker uses the pronouns "he", "she", "it", "they", "his",
"hers", "its", and "theirs". This person may be a character in the
story.
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