Vladimir Propp believes that the same essential types of characters exists in all stories.
The Hero - This is the main character whom the audience will recognise as the key person in the story. This character is usually a good person, who we want to succeed.
The Villain - This character is the opposite to the hero and is often there to create the disruption (Todorov) in the story. This character is usually bad. This can sometimes be a situation rather than a character.
The False Hero - This character pretends to support the main character in the story, and generally the audience will know this. However, the main character does not (dramatic irony). Sometimes this character also turns out to be the main villain.
The Helper - The main character usually has a companion who helps the main character, gives advice and supports them throughout their journey.
The Donor - This character is similar to the role of the helper. The character will give the main character something which helps them repair (Todorov) the problem in the story.
The Princess - This character can be the reward for the hero or the person whom the hero and false hero are in competition for. Just as with the villain, this could also be a situation rather than an actual person.
I am now going to show you a real life example of Propp's character theory. The film I am going to use is Batman.
The Hero - Bruce Wayne. He plays Batman in the Batman films. He is the character that the audience recognise as the main character. He is the good character in the film who we want to succeed at the end.
The Villain - Cillian Murphy. He plays the scarecrow in the Batman films. He is the opposite to the hero and he is there to create disruption in the story. He is the bad character in the film.
The False Hero - He pretends to support the main character in the story which is Batman. The audience will generally know this but the main character which is Batman does not. He then turns out to be a villain but not the main villain.
The Helper - Michael Caine. He is the companion to the main character which is Batman. He supports and helps Batman through their journey.
The Donor - Morgan Freeman. He is similar to the helper. He gives the main character something which helps him repair the problem in the story which is batman.
The Princess - Katie Holmes. This character is the reward for the hero or the person that the hero and the false hero are in competition for.
Below I am going to embed a video of Propp's character theory for you to watch if you would like to understand more on the subject.
My next post will be on Steve Neale's theory of repetition and difference.
