2.07 Stock Characters

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Stock Characters and Archetypes

Costume designers have to decide the kind of costume to design. This takes familiarity with the script and research! A designer will do hours of research to determine the correct clothing for the time period or the region of the world.

Sometimes, designers must also determine the purpose that the character serves with in the play. There are stereotypical characters that you can find across literary works and audiences recognize them because of their frequent appearances in other works. They are known as stock characters and archetypes.

Archetypes

Sometimes "archetype" and "stereotype" are used interchangeably, but the two words are not mutually exclusive.

A stereotype is an oversimplified cultural attitude toward the way a person or group of people behaves in society. It often includes elements of prejudice and it can be used to justify negative or harmful beliefs about others. A stereotypic character is portrayed in a way to fit within a person's (usually incorrect or prejudiced) generalization of a race, gender, religion, or other characteristic. For example, some negative yet common literary stereotypes include the "Mammy" or the "frugal Jewish man".
An archetype is a prototype or typical example. While stereotypes are usually based on misinformation and prejudice, an archetype is more of a universal symbol or a common theme, element or motif. It's generally so fundamental that, regardless of how many times it is used (or misused), it doesn't become stale, dated or cliché. An archetypal character fits into certain conventions or character types, such as the "hero," "villain", or "monster."

Additionally, archetypes often based on classical myths, symbols, and imagery. For example, the "wise old man" archetype can be see in characters like Dumbledore, Gandalf, Merlin, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Stock Characters

A stock character is instantly recognizable because they appear frequently in all kinds of storytelling, including literature, plays, film, TV, etc. Think about the "wicked stepmother", the "absent-minded professor", or the "country bumpkin". You can probably describe these character types in a sentences or two, plus name multiple stories that contain versions of these characters. Unlike most archetypes, these characters tend to be be more one-dimensional.

To see comprehensive lists of these archetypal and stock characters, review the following from TV Tropes:

Tropes

Stock characters and archetypes can be key components of a trope, which is a recurring theme or motif in storytelling. A trope can be a predictable or conventional character, setting, or scenario. For example, many princesses in fairy tales have similar characteristics and often fall into the "damsel in distress" trope. The "butler did it!" is another common trope in mysteries.

However, tropes can also be subverted; as the story unfolds, the audience thinks a certain trope will occur and expects a certain ending, but then the story changes and the trope doesn't occur at all. For example, in movies like Tangled and Frozen, the princesses first appear to fall into the "damsel in distress" trope; however, audiences quickly realize that the princess characters are far from helpless and play a leading role in freeing themselves for whatever danger they face. If you're interested in learning more, read Playing with a Trope from TV Tropes.

Common Character Archetypes

Some very common characters in plays include the hero, the villain, the crone, the ingénue, and the nerd. Read the following character descriptions to learn more about them:

The Hero Archetype

Heroes are the protagonists and the main focus of the show. While they might not be perfect or have superpowers, this is the character the author wants the audience to root for.

The concept comes from ancient Greek mythology, where the word heros meant "warrior, defender, protector". Many of the heroes in Greek mythology were demigods, meaning they were the sons of a Greek god (or other deity) and a human. These heroes protected humanity from monsters, completed heroic feats of strength, and often became leaders or kings. Two of the most famous heroes from this age are Hercules and Achilles. Not every classical hero had the same characteristics but many had the following in common.

The hero has an unusual conception story. Opposing forces attempt to kill the child at birth but are thwarted when the baby was whisked away to safety to be raised by foster parents.
The hero must go on a quest (called the Hero's Journey), is the main love interest, and marries a princess.
A hero has a mysterious death, leaves no ancestors, and becomes a feature of cult worship.
Some other traits of archetypal heroes include possessing a special weapon, receiving guidance from supernatural forces or a sage/wise old man, suffering from unhealable wounds (either physical or psychological), and having a fatal flaw that ultimately bringing about the hero's downfall.

Despite this archetype originating thousands of years ago, it's still a familiar one today. Think about the comic book superheros that are very popular in stories, films, and theatre today; many of them share one or more of these characteristics with the original heroes of ancient Greece. To learn more about this archetype, read The Hero from TV Tropes.

The Villain Archetype

Many people have said that there can't be a story without a villain! The villain acts as the antagonist and works against the hero (in most cases).

The word "villain" comes from the Medieval Latin word villanus, meaning a farmhand or villager. During the Middle Ages, the word was used by the wealthy landowners and aristocracy to mean "a person of uncouth mind and manners", according to Merriam-Webster. During this period of chivalry where manners and morals were very important (and class divisions were strictly enforced), the term gained even worse connotations and began to mean "a deliberate scoundrel or criminal". This is similar to what we think of today for the word "villain"!

Villains and heroes often engage in a major conflict – perhaps the villain injures or causes harm to the hero, the hero's family, or another entity that the hero is protecting; the hero pursuits the villain and wins the fight. Typically, a story concludes with a happy ending for the hero and punishment for the villain.

Like the hero, the villain often has a fatal flaw that brings about his or her downfall or is exploited by the hero. Also, a villain can act as the hero's foil, meaning that the character exacerbates or aggravates the hero's issues and serves as the opposite of the hero's qualities. Other common characteristics of villains include:

Villains are often portrayed as power-hungry and deceptive, willing to throw others under the bus for their own ambitions, and the antithesis opposite of a particular virtue.
The villain must also have unlikeable characteristics and attributes that make the audience want to side with the hero rather than sympathize with the villain. However, some writers to chose to portray more sympathetic villains, especially in stories where the line between hero and villain are more blurred!

To learn more about this archetype, read The Villain from TV Tropes.

The Crone Archetype

Common in folk and fairy tales, a crone is usually an older woman who either helps or hinders the hero or protagonist of the story. In some stories, the crone is like a mentor/sage/wise old man character; for example, Baba Yaga is a crone figure in Slavic folklore and she serves as a helpful a guardian to the Otherworld. However, in many stories, the crone is described as an evil sorceress or a wicked witch and is malicious and sinister; for example, the three witches in Shakespeare's MacBeth prey upon the protagonist's pride which leads to his downfall. These "weird sisters" as they're called by other characters in the play are similar to the three Fates, the female characters in both Norse and Greek mythology who weave the fabric of human lives and then cut the threads to end them.

The word "crone" came into English in the late 1300s from the Anglo-French word carogne which was an insult used for an old woman. That word has its roots in the Old North French caroigne, meaning a "disagreeable woman". While the crone doesn't always have to be disagreeable, the crone archetype often takes on negative qualities or abilities.

Some common characteristics of the crone include:

The crone is often associated with the supernatural, providing the hero with magic spells, magic items, wisdom, or other devices that may help the protagonist on his journey. The helpful version of the crone is similar to the fairy godmother archetype.
The evil version of the crone may disguise herself as a poor, disabled old woman in order to trick the hero into helping her in some way or into thinking she's harmless before she attacks.
Often, the crone will act as a seer or oracle, providing the hero with advice or predictions about the future. However, the crone may only deliver messages that confuse or confound the hero.
Because of her age, this character can also be a symbol of death.

To learn more about this archetype, read Why Are Old Women Often The Face Of Evil In Fairy Tales And Folklore? from NPR.

The Ingénue Archetype

The ingénue (pronounced on-je-nu) is an innocent young woman who is often the damsel in distress and hero's love interest.

The word "damsel" comes from the French word demoiselle meaning "young lady" and the phrase demoiselle en detresse originates from chivalric tales of courtly love and knights saving fair maidens. This trope, however, dates further back. For example in a Greek myth, Andromeda is a beautiful princess who is chained to a rock by Poseidon and left to be eaten by a giant sea monster. The hero Perseus flies by on his winged horse Pegasus, falls in love with Andromeda immediately, and saves her. The story ends with their marriage.

Some common characteristics of the ingénue and damsel include:

She is the picture of youth, innocence, beauty, and purity/virtue. She is kind, well-mannered, and wholesome. However, her innocence and trusting nature often leads her into bad situations from which she must be rescued. Often the villain or a handsome rogue is the one who holds her captive or leads her astray, and part of the hero's journey is to rescue her, sometimes in exchange for a reward.
Often, the damsel is royal, a member of the aristocracy, or upper-class. Other times, she may be the opposite, but her impoverished state is also something the hero can "save" her from.

This character's nature means she's highly dependent on the hero or others in the story, and the character is often one-dimensional and under-developed. However, as we noted earlier in this lesson, this trope has been subverted more and more frequently so that the ingénue is a more fleshed-out, three-dimensional character. Some stories make her the hero rather than the object of rescue, or the writer may stick with the hero going to rescue her but finding out later that the damsel wasn't in distress at all. In other stories, the ingénue may be deceiving others around her about how innocent and helpless she is.

To learn more about this archetype, read The Ingénue from TV Tropes.

The Nerd Archetype

Next, let's look at the more modern archetype of a nerd, which has come up with the invention of computers and other modern technology. This is not to say that there were not highly intelligent, socially awkward individuals in the past, but they were more likely to be called intellectuals, professors, or inventors than what we know as nerds today. Common characteristics of a nerd include a high intelligence, struggle for acceptance, obsessive and quirky behavior, and an often shy disposition. They are frequently portrayed as the best friend of the protagonist rather than the hero or main character themselves. Nerds focus on non-mainstream activities, usually things that are highly technical or a fiction/fantasy realm. The very stereotypical nerd appearance includes glasses, braces, acne, and really high pants, like the character Urkel in the TV show Family Matters.

One popular trope for this archetype involves the transformation of a nerdy teenager into a more popular person in their high school. This trope was very popular in literature and media from the mid-1900s to the 2010s, where characters would change their physical appearance and, at times, downplay their intelligence in order to fit in better.

Read Indexed and Nerdy from TV Tropes to see more example tropes that involve nerds.

In the show Big Bang Theory, many of the characters have nerdy characteristics which is reflected in the graphic tees they wear. Image by NASA Blueshift is licensed under CC BY 2.0 .

More Common Characters

Other archetypal characters include the sidekick (of either the hero or the villain), the sage/mentor, the femme fatale, the rogue, the fool/jester, and the monster. If you're interested in learning about them, do some research now online.