Character

Question 1

Antagonist

Answer 1

a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary.
Ex: The wolf in the three little pigs

Question 2

Deuteragonist

Answer 2

the person second in importance to the protagonist in a drama.
Ex: Robin from The Batman

Question 3

Direct Characterization

Answer 3

The writer makes direct statements about a character’s personality and tells the reader or viewer what the character is like.
Ex: “Bill was short and fat, and his bald spot was widening with every passing year”

Question 4

Dynamic Character

Answer 4

a literary or dramatic character who undergoes an important inner change, as a change in personality or attitude
Ex: Ebenezer Scrooge or Darth Vader

Question 5

Flat Character

Answer 5

relatively uncomplicated characters who do not change throughout the course of a work.
Ex: Dory in Finding Nemo

Question 6

Foil

Answer 6

a character who is presented as a contrast to a second character so as to point to or show to advantage some aspect of the second character,
Ex: Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes, his relative obtuseness makes Sherlock look more brilliant

Question 7

Hubris

Answer 7

excessive pride or self-confidence
Ex: Achilles

Question 8

Indirect Characterization

Answer 8

the author shows the audience what kind of person a character is through the character’s thoughts, words, and deeds
Ex: “John snapped at the man without warning”

Question 9

Protagonist

Answer 9

the character who drives the action–the character whose fate matters most
Ex: Harry Potter in Harry Potter

Question 10

Static Character

Answer 10

A static character, in this vocabulary, is one that does not undergo an important change in the course of the story, remaining essentially the same at the end
Ex: Lord Farquad in Shrek

Question 11

Tragic Flaw (Hamartia)

Answer 11

a flaw in character that brings about the downfall of the hero of a tragedy
Ex: Macbeth’s ambition leads to his own downfall