Characters in Fiction
Do you know there are 7 types of characters in fiction? Well, a book or a novel brings us different characters. Most of the characters are different from each other. How? Keep reading this blog completely to know more.
In a story, there are different characters with their own importance. Some are lead characters having a major role, while others might be side characters. Sometimes, side characters also play an important role in the story, even sharing less time in it. While writing a story, many writers try to include characters with different natures. Overall, these characters can be categorised into 7 types.
So, here I have shared a detailed post covering 7 types of characters in fiction. We will let you know the seven major categories that give us different characters needed for writing any story or fiction.
7 Types of Characters in Fiction
We have explored the different roles characters play in stories and compiled the 7 types of characters in fiction, as explained below.
Protagonist
For any story, a protagonist is the character around whom it revolves. It can be a male or a female, but it will be the primary character of the fiction. Protagonists are the characters that help the writer to narrate a story or a piece of fiction. All emotions and themes may be experienced through the actions and choices of this type of character. This type of character is important for a story as it highlights the emotions and experience. Some common examples of such characters are Harry Potter and Elizabeth Bennet.
Antagonist
Compared to the protagonist, the antagonist is the opposite character who stands in the way. To balance the arc of the protagonist, writers have developed antagonist characters that stand in the way. As a reader, you can experience conflict in the story due to the presence of an antagonist character. Such characters are called villains in fiction. Whatever the protagonist tries to achieve in the story, the antagonist tries to stop that or take it before. Readers find the story getting complicated and suspended due to the actions of the antagonist. This type of character is also needed to balance the story. Many good fictions have also given us popular antagonists, for example, Darth Vader, Lord Voldemort, and the Joker
Foil
Moving to the next of the 7 types of characters in Fiction, we have the Foil. As we know, a protagonist is the primary character of the story, so to create contrast, another character is made a Foil. To make sure that readers give their maximum attention to the main character, a Foil is used. This also makes it possible to highlight the contrast between two characters. As a reader, this character helps to compare the qualities with the main character. It has also been seen that to understand the complexity of the protagonist, writers use a character as a Foil.
Anti Hero
On our website, we have already covered a guide on Anti-Villains. We have also compared it to the anti-heroes. Well, when a character has good objectives or goals but the path he chooses is harmful or questionable, such a character can be said to be an anti-hero. Some common examples of these types of characters are Deadpool, Black Adam, and Joker. Most of the anti-heroes are imperfect. Their deeds sometimes question morality. A big reason why writers like to use these characters is that it helps to explore the grey area of the story. Also, readers love them because they do unexpected things.
Contagonist
Contagonist is the next type of character among the 7 types of characters in fiction. This type of character is mostly used to create a barrier to the main objective of the protagonist. Contagonist must not be confused with the antagonist, as this type of character holds the same qualities as the protagonist but has an opposite objective. It is used to add difficulties and complexities to the path of the protagonist. Sometimes, readers may find the protagonist wrong, because of the actions of the contagonist. The actions of a contagonist character impact the story of our main character.
Henchmen
We have already seen many henchmen characters, without knowing they are henchmen. In a story, there is always a character working as a sidekick of the villain and helping him to execute his plans. Such a character is called a henchman in fiction. Although such characters work mostly in the background, they have a great impact on the storyline. They use brutal and evil force to stop what needs to be done. In stories, the chances of these characters surviving until the last are high.
Temptress
Temptress is a character who is something new to the fiction. This type of character is mainly written as seductive and attractive. In literature, readers like this type of character as it attracts the other characters of the story. They somehow attract others and are known to fulfil others’ desires in the story.
Also, Check – Top 10 J.K. Rowling Books
Conclusion
This was our detailed guide on the 7 types of characters in fiction.
We hope the above shared guide has helped you in understanding different types of characters in a story. So we can say that using these 7 types of characters, you can make your story interesting. Now, it’s time to tell which type of character you like the most. You can share your views with us in the comments section. Also, make sure to check other blogs on our website on a similar topic.
