Character+Archtypes

Character Archetypes []

One can identify fourteen key character archetypes in Shakespeare's plays. (though there are, of course, numerous other incidental characters that “serve to swell a progress or two”). Although it is rare in Shakespeare for all of them to be present in any one play every play will have at least six or seven of them. The [|mixture] of these archetypes within a play will determine the [|tone] of it, as much as the [|genre] will determine the final [|outcome]: tragedies liberally laced with the lighter characters (The Imp, The Figure of Fun, The Comic Relief) such as Romeo and Juliet will be more [|shocking] in their tragic elements than a because of the contrast with the lighter-hearted elements, where a tragedy which lacks these figures, like Macbeth will be more [|tense] and [|brooding]. These archetypes are: 1. **The Big Lunk**: A romantic hero type, but lacking something, so not entirely [|heroic] - for instance he can be [|indecisive], [|unintelligent] or easily misled. He is always a young man. In Shakespeare, he is represented in characters such as [|Romeo], [|Hamlet], [|Troilus], [|Claudio] ([|Much Ado About Nothing]), 2. **The Innocent Babe**: The babe is often a [|tragic] character, a victim of [|malignancy], whether this causes - or, in comedy, seems to cause - death. She is young - often very young and is personified in Shakespeare in [|Ophelia] (Hamlet), [|Desdemona] ([|Othello]),, [|Hero] (Much Ado About Nothing),

3. **The Flawed Ruler**: Generally found in tragedy, this powerful man with a flaw which causes -or nearly causes, in comedy - his downfall. He is usually an older character. Examples: [|Oberon] ([|A Midsummer Night’s Dream]) [|Prospero](The Tempest), [|Macbeth], [|King Lear],. 4. **The Bright Young Thing**: This is a girl who takes matters into her own hands to get what she wants - BYTs are generally those who bring about the resolution of comedies. They are (obviously) young, though often older than the babes. BYTs include: [|Helena] ([|All's Well That Ends Well]), [|Portia]([|The Merchant of Venice]),[|Beatrice] (Much Ado About Nothing) 5. **The Malign Influence**: A character who causes trouble out of [|hatred], [|jealousy] or [|temper]. He actively wishes others ill and works toward that. He can be any age. Some Malign Influences are [|Iago] (Othello), [|Don John](Much Ado About Nothing),, [|Claudius] (Hamlet), [|Tybalt] ([|Romeo and Juliet]) Hecate (Macbeth) 6. **The Sidekick/The Clever Servant**. The friend or servant of either the Big Lunk, the Innocent Babe or the Bright Young thing who helps them sort out their problems. They are often older, but are not necessarily so. Where they are friend rather than servant they often share the fate of the hero/heroine, either dying or marrying depending on the [|genre] of the play. Examples include [|Benvolio] (Romeo and Juliet),[|Benedick] (Much Ado About Nothing). 7. **The Imp of Mischief**: A misleading character, often [|supernatural], who misleads and deceives people, makes fun of them, sets cats among pigeons for amusement’s sake, but is not actively malign. Their age is irrelevant, and they may be male or female. Examples: [|Puck] (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), [|Mercutio] (Romeo and Juliet), The Witches (Macbeth). 8. **The Mistreated Villain**: A character who does things which the audience perceives as wicked, but only because he has been driven to them by the way he has been treated. The age of this character is irrelevant, but they are often older and long-suffering. Examples: [|Caliban] (The Tempest), [|Shylock] (The Merchant of Venice). 9. **The Powerful Woman**: Often seen as [|malign], this is a woman who has real [|power] over the fate of other people as well as herself, and is therefore someone to fear. In tragedies, she always dies, and in comedies she will usually come under the influence of a male character in some way. She is generally mature. Some powerful women from Shakespeare are: [|Lady Macbeth], [|Goneril] and [|Regan] (King Lear), [|Cleopatra], Titania (Midsummer Night’s Dream). 10. **The Figure of Fun**: This character is pretty much present purely to be laughed at. He (and it is generally a man) often pretends to more intelligence than he has, and generally gets his pomposity punctured. The age of this character doesn’t matter. Some examples are: [|Dogberry] (Much Ado About Nothing),[|Malvolio] (Twelfth Night), [|Polonius] (Hamlet), [|Nick Bottom] (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). 11. **The Wise Fool**: The word “fool” in this context is a [|positional] denotation, rather than an intellectual one. Often quite sharp and shrewd, the wise fool is character who is allowed to tell [|unpalatable] truths to rulers without being punished, by virtue of their position. Examples: Lear's Fool, [|Jaques] (As You Like It), Lavatch (All's Well That Ends Well). 12. **The Comic Relief:** A Servant/Friend who helps the lead(s) but is generally not too [|intelligent]. They usually have no particular pretentions to intelligence and while they are often made gentle fun of they don't suffer for it. Some examples include [|Nurse] (Romeo and Juliet), [|Sir Andrew Aguecheek] (Twefth Night), [|Verges] (Much Ado About Nothing), The Mechanicals (Midsummer Night’s Dream). 13. **Tragedy’s Minion:** This is a character who is manipulated by the Malign Influence into acting in his favor and against one of the leads, though they are generally innocent in themselves of any [|malign] intent. For instance: [|Margaret] (Much Ado About Nothing), [|Emelia] (Othello). 14. **The Narrator/Chorus**: This is a character who fills in the story, and may [|influence] it significantly, but more in passing than by intent. Example: Prince in Romeo and Juliet