Character archetypes (Delia)



Character archetypes:

Archetypes are divided into three basic categories, depending on what the person hoped to gain by through escaping reality and becoming fictional. Also, the reason there’s no such archetypes as Wise Old Man, Crone and Great Mother is because A) those are very age-specific, and B) no person leaves reality to become one. Can you honestly imagine someone seeking to leave reality, then entering the fictional world and living out their entire days there in an unending sequence of roles as an elderly figure? No, what would make more sense, is to generify it into something non-age specific such as ‘mentor,’ which allows for greater variety throughout possible canons.:
 * Normality (I just want to be normal)


 * Protagonist (protagonists are “normal” because works place them in the default—and thus normative—role)


 * 1.) Everyman hero, reluctant hero = want to be ordinary and to blend in, be anonymous
 * 2.) Tragic hero (associated with fatal flaw leading to own downfall) = wants to achieve a dream that is either impossible or comes with a price for its accomplishment
 * 3.) Epic hero, culture hero = particularly brave and/or charismatic individuals who desire normalcy, but still garner attention
 * 4.) Romantic hero (associated with rejecting established norms, alienation, introspection, not romance genre necessary) = wants to reject established norms and “find themselves”
 * 5.) Truthseeker, inquisitor = want to find the truth, answers
 * 6.) Protector = wants physical competition and risk, to defend others
 * 7.) Prophet = wants mission carried out, even if it means personal sacrifice
 * Belonging (I just want to belong)


 * Major friend-type roles where one’s importance to the story is shared by other people


 * 8.) Sidekick, best friend = wants one close friend
 * Main or major characters in an ensemble piece


 * Trios, quartets, and so on


 * 9.) Id, brawns, emotion = wants to give in to impulses, base desires, just have fun (all while among friends, group)
 * 10.) Ego, balance, peace-keeper = wants to maintain peace, balance (among friends, group)
 * 11.) Superego, reason, brains = wants to do the right thing, bring reason to light (among friends, group)
 * 12.) Dissent, devil’s advocate = provides contrast to leader
 * 13.) Leader among group = wants to belong and lead the group
 * 14.) Outsider, newcomer to group = wants to belong yet remain unique, be welcomed into group while standing out among its members
 * Part of duo


 * 15.) Cold, serious, Apollonian, straight man  very similar, almost the same archetype as the superego of a trio or quartet, but not quite
 * 16.) Emotional, laid back, Dionysian, funny guy  very similar, almost the same archetype as the id of a trio or quartet, but not quite
 * 17.) Love interest = wants either love, attention, sex, or some combination of the three
 * Mentor


 * 18.) Teacher = wants to be among others, impart knowledge
 * 19.) Watcher (advises protagonist, observes, then disappears) = wants to be a minorly involved peripheral part of main character’s life, advising than watching and leaving
 * 20.) Nurturer = wants someone, something to take care of/raise/watch over
 * 21.) Herald (in the real world, these are the Channelers of Liminality. In the fictional world, those who communicate with the Channelers of Liminality, and also carry important messages to other characters.) = need to belong, with a strong sense of purpose or bringing about change in others’ lives
 * 22.) Distressed damsel, lost soul = wants to be secure, protected, or saved
 * Minor supporting roles = desire for both anonymity and belonging (basically for total ability to blend in with a group)


 * 23.) Extra = stronger desire for anonymity, plus self-destructive or self-sacrificing personality
 * Background character = milder desire for anonymity


 * 24.) Recurring background character = milder desire for anonymity (exactly as ‘background character’ description)
 * 25.) Unseen character = milder desire for anonymity, plus reclusiveness and/or insecurity about appearance
 * Freedom (I just want to be free)


 * Villain = want power where they had none before


 * Major villain


 * 26.) Tyrant = wants total power at any price
 * 27.) Sadist = wants cruelty and destruction for their own sakes, at the cost of gaining any sympathy at all towards their character (evil for evil’s sake, because it’s fun to them)
 * 28.) Fallen hero, traitor (used to be hero, then turn to the “dark side”) = desire for power always ends up overriding their previous desire for normalcy
 * 29.) Well-intentioned extremist = wants to achieve an end through their own power (cleverness, will power, physical strength, persuasion, and/or dominance), regardless of the costs
 * 30.) Villain protagonist = wants both power and normality (being both the default role and a villain)
 * 31.) Puppet master = wants to control/power other people specifically (as if other people were their puppets)
 * Minor villain = desire of power is milder or nonexistent, eclipsed by other more salient trait (such as submissiveness in the case of minions)


 * 32.) End of level/chapter/installment boss
 * 33.) Minion, follower of evil


 * Want freedom but are also submissive by nature/temperament, or perhaps get enjoyment out of being submissive, rather than the traditional desire for power/dominance (seen with villains)
 * 34.) Rival = motivation is both a desire for power and desire for anonymity, privacy, or normalcy
 * 35.) Trickster = seeks to promote chaos, impulse, new ideas/experiences, questioning of authority and tradition (combination of id/seeker/romantic hero archetypes)
 * 36.) Threshold guardian (tests the protagonist as they pursue their goal) = wants to see the best brought out in others (while interacting with them)
 * 37.) Artist-scientist = want to bring about change through their creations (arguably, the authors themselves are this archetype)
 * 38.) Fool, free spirit = wants to enjoy their freedom and not worry about consequences
 * 39.) Rebel = wants to bring about change in society through rejecting norms
 * 40.) Detachment and denial = does not want to be there in the first place (archetype first introduced with the entrance of the mistaken-for channeler into the fictional realm)

Personality variables:

In addition to the motivational factors for archetype, there are also personality variables. These are as follows...
 * Leading (dominant) vs. following (submissive)
 * Other-focused, group-oriented, collectivistic vs. self-focused, self-reliant, individualistic
 * Emotional/spontaneous/chaotic/irrational vs. calm/organized/orderly/rational
 * Traditional/conforming vs. innovative/nonconforming