By: Phillip Mattie
It’s English 30. You are struggling to break down a character, wondering what motivates him or her. You are completely stumped as to how to view and interpret a character’s personality and the decisions they make. Don’t fret! In short fiction (and in drama), character analysis is an excellent way to break down the “why” behind decisions he/she makes. Fortunately for the reader, one easy way to break down a character is to look for common, thematic archetypes. Now, an archetype is a category a character falls into, such as Judge or Wanderer or Herald. By applying a label to a character, you will more comprehensively understand the decisions they make as well as why they make them. So here, for your infinite benefit, is a list of common character archetypes. This list is by no means a comprehensive one (a quick google search will prove me right), but I’ve included details of how you can and should identify characters through archetypical labels.
Common Hero Archetypes:
The Hero vs Anti-Hero
“Hero” is a broad brushstroke to paint for many-a-protagonist and, in truth, it has many sub-archetypes, so I invite you to research each yourself. But for the most part, the Hero represents good, fights for good, and is the poster-child for hometown values. Kind of cheesy, right? A reader can apply this label to any stereotypical protagonist, really, and isn’t very nuanced a definition. However, an Anti-Hero is a character that doesn’t have traditional heroic traits but nonetheless tries to do some good in the world. Anti-Heroes have traditionally been better fleshed out characters than traditional Heroes because, well, who wants to read about a goody two-shoes when they could read about a vigilante justice crusader? Think of Superman as your Hero archetype and Dexter as your Anti-Hero. See the difference?
The Rebel
Another common archetype for heroes is the Rebel, again a more nuanced version of the greater, more comprehensive Hero archetype. The rebel is usually a social outcast or loner—basically someone who doesn’t fit the stereotypical “good cop” role. The Rebel is a bad boy, a lone ranger, who wields a Magnum (in my mind he does, anyways). I can’t help but feel that the Wild West was the perfect setting for the Rebel archetype; all the puzzle pieces are there: Cowboys, small towns, villains and bank robbers, and sheriffs who can’t keep the peace—and the dusty travellers who lend them a hand. Think of Maverick, if you’ve ever seen the movie of the same name. What a rebel!
So, what do all of these Hero archetypes have in common? The unifying message behind Hero type characters is this: Their decisions are for the good, if at least in his/her own mind. Each archetype does so, albeit in a different way. But, depending on the archetype, each will deal with conflict differently: A Hero will fight the antagonist head on, making the plot a rather straight forward shoot-out. An Anti-Hero is more willing to get his hands dirty, do some things that a regular hero would not, making his/her approach to conflict much more unpredictable. And a Rebel will do the completely unexpected, make seemingly irrational decisions to achieve his/her goals. Each archetype will approach the central conflict in a different way and make different decisions, so it is integral, in analysis, to label characters early to better predict and understand their decision making.
Villain Archetypes:
The Trickster
Tricksters are fascinating villains and antagonists. Their sole purpose is to confuse, befuddle, and perturb the Hero. And for good purpose: The trickster is a set-piece move by an author used to progress the Hero’s character. When placed in unfamiliar conditions, whether those conditions are physically unfamiliar or mentally unfamiliar, Heroes must make decisions they have never had to before. And it makes them grow, develop into something that they would never have become, sometimes for the worse (which is the ultimate goal of the Trickster, by the way). So if you have a Trickster archetype, look for someone who throws random conflict at your Hero to create chaos. Think the Joker, may Heath rest in peace.
The Ruler/Authoritarian
The Ruler slash Authoritarian is a common—dare I say cliché—Villain archetype. I should note that there are examples of good, noble protagonists who fall under this archetype, but novels and stories are more and more commonly identifying ruling figures as villains. But I digress.
For those unfamiliar with authoritarianism, it is very undemocratic. There is often one ruler in place, and the citizenship is stuck with him or her. Hence my categorization of this archetype under the Villain subheading. Regardless, Rulers or Authoritarian types go by the motto “Might makes right,” and he who has the power makes the decisions for the populace, even though the vast majority may disagree with those decisions. Think no further than George Orwell’s 1984. Need I say more?
From my own personal experience, I can say that I had trouble in high school English class when it came to short stories. I could not, no matter how many times I reread material, understand what drove characters, especially in stories with a well-rounded cast. But it is essential to apply labels to stories with well-rounded casts. It makes the story easier to follow, the plot more predictable, but most importantly, applying labels to characters make your reading comprehension of the text increase dramatically. You know what drives characters, what decisions they will make and why they won’t make others. And finally, the higher your level of reading comprehension, the more nuanced and accurate your archetype assessment will be, and vice versa. So basically, read lots, get better at character assessment; assess characters lots and get better reading comprehension. Try applying these archetypes to characters on the next TV show you watch and see what happens! Good luck!