Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Download as docx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1of 1
FOR EACH OF THE CHARACTERS, IDENTIFY
THEIR KEY CHARACTERISTICS AND WHAT
ROLE THEY FULFIL IN THE NARRATIVE
CHARACTER
KEY CHARACTERISTICS
WHAT ROLE DO THEY FULFIL IN THE NARRATIVE?
ERIC CANTONA ERIC BISHOP MEATBALLS LILY (ERICS EX-WIFE) SAM (ERICS DAUGHTER) RYAN (STEPSON) JESS (STEPSON) SPLEEN (POSTMAN) JACK (POSTMAN) MONK (POSTMAN) JUDGE (POSTMAN) SMUG (POSTMAN) TRAVIS (POSTMAN)
PROPP REMINDER
Hero The central protagonist of the narrative who drives it forward and has some kind of quest or mission to undertake in return for a reward. Traditionally male e.g. Spiderman, but can be female in modern narratives e.g. Mulan in Disneys Mulan (1998)
Heroine or Princess Acts as a reward for the hero for succeeding in the quest. In older, more stereotypical narratives, the heroine is a passive princess and female e.g. Daphne in Scooby Doo. In modern narratives, the heroine can be more active and feisty e.g. Jasmine in Disneys Aladdin (1992)
Villain Seeks riches, glory and/ or power, and also seeks to stop the hero from succeeding in the quest or mission, while presenting a genuine threat. They sometimes want the heroine for themselves. They can be male e.g. Disneys Scar in The Lion King (1994) or female e.g. Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians (1996)
Donor or Mentor Gives the hero important information or equipment to help him or her in the quest. They are often represented as wise or having special powers, but are not able to do the quest without the hero.
Helper Accompanies the hero for some or most of the journey of the quest, and can even help the hero to succeed, but cannot by themselves complete the quest e.g. Jess the cat in Postman Pat
Dispatcher Makes the problem known and sends the hero off
False Hero or Anti Hero or Usurper Claims to be the hero, often seeking and reacting like a real hero (i.e. by trying to marry the princess)
Princess Father Gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, marries the hero, often sought for during the narrative. Propp noted that functionally, the princess and the father cannot be clearly distinguished.