Preparing for the Unified State Exam - a universal reference book. Character Types of Anime Characters

Seminar 3.

Character. Hero. Character.

Types of characters.

Character as character and type.

Character system.

The image of a person in lyrics

Materials taken from the site Linguocultural thesaurus « Humanitarian Russia"(http://www.philol.msu.ru/~tezaurus/docs/3/articles/2/2/3)

Ginzburg L. Ya. About a literary hero. L., 1979.

Khalizev V. E. Theory of Literature. M., 1999.

Concept and terms. Types of characters

Character(French personnage, from Latin persona - person, face, mask ) – view artistic image, subject of action, experience, statement in a work. The phrases used in modern literary criticism have the same meaning literary hero, character(mainly in drama B, where the list of persons traditionally follows the title of the play). In this synonymous series the word character– the most neutral, its etymology (persona – a mask worn by an actor in ancient theater) is little noticeable. Hero(from the Greek heros - demigod, deified person) in some contexts it is awkward to call someone who is devoid of heroic traits (for example, “Vanity Fair” W. Thackeray gave the subtitle: “A Novel without a Hero”). The concept of character (hero, protagonist) – most important in analysis epic And dramatic works where the characters forming a certain system and the plot (i.e. the system, the course of events) form the basis of the objective world. In an epic, a hero can be narrator (narrator), if he participates in the plot (Grinev in " The captain's daughter"Pushkin, Makar Devushkin and Varenka Dobroselova in the epistolary novel by F.M. Dostoevsky "Poor People"). In lyrics same, recreating first of all inner world person, the characters (if they exist) are depicted dotted, fragmentarily, and most importantly - in inextricable connection with the experiences of the lyrical subject (for example, a peasant girl “greedily” looking at the road in the poem “Troika” by N.A. Nekrasov, an imaginary interlocutor in the poem M Tsvetaeva "Attempt of jealousy"). Illusion own life characters in lyric poetry (compared to epic and drama) are sharply weakened.

Most often, a literary character is a person. The degree of concreteness of its image can be very different and depends on many reasons. He can occupy a different place in the character system and, accordingly, be drawn in full growth or presented through a few details. Thus, in Pushkin’s “The Station Agent,” episodic characters change around the main character, Samson Vyrin, in particular, in the finale a “crooked boy” appears, as if replacing his St. Petersburg grandchildren.

But within episode it is often the episodic person who is in the center of attention (Feklusha in Ostrovsky’s “The Thunderstorm”, Danila the driver in the hunting scenes in Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”). The choice of hero itself largely depends on genre; we can talk about “genre heroes” in traditionalist literature. Thus, in an epic, the hero, according to N. Boileau, must be noble both in origin and in character, but at the same time be believable:

A hero in whom everything is petty is only suitable for a novel.
Let him be brave, noble,
But still, without weaknesses, no one likes him:
The hot-tempered, impetuous illus is dear to us;
He cries from insults - a useful detail,
So that we believe in its credibility.

A comedy should be written by a poet “who has understood the eccentric, and the spendthrift, and the sloth, / And the foolish veil, and the old jealous person,” who has studied “the townspeople, the courtiers.”

Image structure in epic works different from those in drama. T. Mann noted the advantages of a narrator, a novelist, over a playwright: “I rather perceive drama as the art of silhouette and I feel only the person being told as a three-dimensional, integral, real and plastic image.” But most of all, the principles and techniques of depiction are determined by the concept of the work, creative method writer: about a minor character in a realistic story (for example, about Gagin in “Ace” by I.S. Turgenev) in a biographical, socially more is reported than about the main character of a modernist novel. “How many readers remember the name of the narrator in Nausea or The Outsider? – wrote A. Robbe-Grillet, one of the creators and theorists of the French “new novel”, in 1957. – [...] As for K. from “The Castle,” he is content with a simple initial, he owns nothing, he has neither a family nor his own face; maybe he’s not even a land surveyor at all.” But the psychology, myths and paradoxes of consciousness of the heroes of the named novels by J.–P. Sartre, A. Camus, F. Kafka reflected the process of depersonalization, tragically experienced by the authors themselves.

Along with people, animals, plants, things, natural elements, fantastic creatures, robots can act and talk in a work (“Frog Traveler” by V.M. Garshin, “ Blue bird"M. Maeterlinck, "Mowgli" by R. Kipling, "Amphibian Man" by A. Belyaev, "War with the Newts" by K. Capek, "Solaris" by St. Lem).

V.M. Garshin. “Frog Traveler” (Moscow, 1937). Ill.G. Nikolsky.

There are genres, types of literature in which such anthropomorphic characters are obligatory or very probable: fairy tale, fable, ballad, animal literature, science fiction, etc.

The character sphere of literature consists not only of individual subjects, but also collective heroes (their prototype is choir V ancient drama). Interest in the problems of nationality, social psychology, in particular in the psychology of the crowd, was stimulated in the 19th–20th centuries. development of this image angle, introduction to the plot crowd scenes (the crowd in “Notre Dame Cathedral” by V. Hugo, the bazaar in “The Belly of Paris” by E. Zola, the workers’ settlement in M. Gorky’s novel “Mother”, “old women”, “neighbors”, “guests”, “drunkards” in the play L. Andreeva “Human Life”, etc.) Close to collective group characters where the number of persons is limited and they are usually named by name (seven “temporarily obliged” men in N.A. Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”).

Most works have off-stage characters who expand its space-time framework and enlarge the situation (“The Misanthrope” by Moliere, “Woe from Wit” by Griboyedov). This concept applies not only to drama but also to epic, where a direct (i.e. given not in the retelling of some hero) image of faces can be considered an analogue of a scene. Thus, in Chekhov’s story “Chameleon” the off-stage persons include the general and his brother - dog lovers different breeds. There are works where the off-stage hero is the main one. This is M. Bulgakov’s play “Alexander Pushkin ( Last days), which takes place after the death of the poet. According to the memoirs of E.S. Bulgakova, V.V. Veresaev at first “was stunned that M.A. I decided to write a play without Pushkin (otherwise it would be vulgar), but after thinking about it, I agreed.” Waiting for a hero or heroine who never appears can be symbolic (Godo in S. Beckett’s play “Waiting for Godot”, Tanchor in V. Rasputin’s story “The Deadline”).

Another type of character - borrowed , those. taken from the works of other writers and usually bearing the same name. Such heroes are natural if the plot is borrowed (Phaedra and Hippolytus in the tragedies “Hippolytus” by Euripides, “Phaedra” by Seneca, “Phaedra” by Racine). But the hero known to the reader (and to the unknown ones in similar cases not addressed) can be introduced into a new ensemble of characters, in new story(the play “Don Quixote” in England” by G. Fielding, Molchalin in the Saltykov-Shchedrin cycle “In an environment of moderation and accuracy”, Chichikov, Nozdryov and other heroes of “Dead Souls” in Bulgakov’s “The Adventures of Chichikov”). (In modern mass literature, the genre is widespread remake, where this technique is played out in every possible way.) in such cases, borrowing a character, on the one hand, exposes the conventionality of art, on the other hand, it contributes to the semiotic richness of the image and its laconicism: after all, the names of “alien” heroes, as a rule, have long become household names, the author does not we need to characterize them somehow. So, in “Eugene Onegin”, “The Skotinins, a gray-haired couple, / With children of all ages, counting / From thirty to two years old,” and also “My cousin, Buyanov, / In fluff, in a cap with a visor, come to Tatiana’s name day / (As you know him, of course).” The lines from Tatyana’s letter become clear: “Imagine: I’m here alone, / Nobody understands me...”. Her loneliness is the loneliness of a romantic heroine, which is helped to understand by the revived heroes of “The Minor” and the mischievous poem “Dangerous Neighbor” (Buyanov’s literary “father” is V. L. Pushkin).

Other types of characters can be distinguished. For example, enter double , whose phantom existence is generated duality consciousness of the hero (a tradition that has deep roots in mythology and religion): such is the companion of the protagonist in “The Tale of Savva Grudtsyn”, the shadow in “The Adventures of Peter Schlemil” by A. Chamisso, the devil of Ivan Karamazov in Dostoevsky, the black monk in story of the same name Chekhov. The ancient motive is no less conventional transformations , metamorphoses of the hero (“The Invisible Man” by H. Wells, “The Bedbug” by Mayakovsky, “Heart of a Dog” by Bulgakov, “ A Clockwork Orange"E.Burges).

Still from the film by V. Bortko

Still from the film by V. Bortko

The variety of character types comes close to the question of the subject artistic knowledge: non-human characters act as bearers of moral, i.e. human, qualities; the existence of collective heroes reveals the interest of writers in what is common in different persons, in social psychology. No matter how broadly one interprets the subject of knowledge in fiction, its center is “ human essences, those. first of all social.”

Character as character and type. Types of characters

The generalization that the character contains is usually called character (from the Greek character - sign, distinctive feature) or type (from Greek typos - imprint, imprint). By character we mean socially significant traits that manifest themselves with sufficient clarity in the behavior and state of mind of people; the highest degree of specificity – type.

When creating a literary hero, a writer usually endows him with one character or another: one-sided or multi-sided, integral or contradictory, static or developing, respectful or contempt, etc. “In it I wanted to depict this indifference to life and its pleasures, this premature old age of the soul, which has become distinctive features youth of the 19th century,” Pushkin explained in 1822 the character of the poem’s protagonist “ Prisoner of the Caucasus". “We write our novels, although not as rudely as we used to: the villain is only a villain and Dobrotvorov is a dobrotvorov, but still terribly rudely, monochromaticly,” L. Tolstoy reflected in his diary for 1890. “People are all accurate.” people like me, that is, piebald - bad and good together..." For Tolstoy, people of past eras also turn out to be "piebald", falsely, from his point of view, reflected in literature: as "villains" or "Dobrotvorovs". Your understanding and assessment life characters the writer and conveys to the reader, often conjecturing and implementing prototypes(even if it's historical figures: Wed the character of Peter in the novels "Peter and Alexei" by D.S. Merezhkovsky and “Peter the Great” by A. N. Tolstoy) and creating fictional individuals.

Character and character are not identical concepts, which was noted by Aristotle: “A character will have character if... in speech or action he reveals any direction of the will, whatever it may be...”. In literature focused on the embodiment of characters (and this is what the classics are), the latter constitute the main content - the subject of reflection, and often disputes between readers and critics (Bazarov in the assessment of M.A. Antonovich, D.I. Pisarev and N.N. Strakhov ; Katerina Kabanova in the interpretation of N.A. Dobrolyubov, P.I. Melnikov-Pechersky, D.I. Pisarev; Grigory Melekhov). Critics see different characters in the same character.

Thus, the character appears, on the one hand, as a character, on the other, as an artistic image that embodies this character with varying degrees of aesthetic perfection.

In the stories of A.P. Chekhov's "Death of an Official" and "The Thick and the Thin" Chervyakov and the "thin" as images are unique; we meet the first in the theater, "at the height of bliss", the second - at the station, "laden" with his luggage; the first is endowed with a surname and position, the second - by name and rank; the plots of the works and their denouement are different. But the stories are interchangeable when discussing the theme of veneration of rank in Chekhov, so similar are the characters of the heroes: both act stereotypically, not noticing the comedy of their voluntary servility, which only brings them harm. The characters are reduced to a comic discrepancy between behavior characters and an ethical norm unknown to them; as a result, Chervyakov’s death causes laughter: it is “the death of an official,” a comic hero.

It is easier to count the characters in a work than to determine their characters, although the first procedure is not so simple (after all, among the characters there may be collective, group, phantom, off-stage, etc.). But the clarification of characters and the corresponding grouping of persons is no longer an act of describing the text, but of its interpretations. In "The Thick and the Thin" there are four characters, but, obviously, only two characters. "The Thin", his wife Louise, "née Vanzenbach...Lutheran", and his son Nathanael, a high school student (the redundancy of information given to a former classmate is additional touch to the portrait funny man) form one close-knit family group: “The thin one shook three fingers, bowed with his whole body and giggled like a Chinese: “Hee-hee-hee.” The wife smiled. Nathanael shuffled his foot and dropped his cap. All three were pleasantly stunned.”

The number of characters and characters in a work usually does not coincide: there are much more characters. There are persons without character who perform a role plot spring - and nothing more: for example, this is the friend of the main character in Karamzin’s “Poor Liza,” who informed her mother about the death of her daughter. There are variations of the same character: the six Tugoukhovsky princesses in Griboedov’s “Woe from Wit,” Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky in Gogol’s “The Inspector General,” Berkutov and Glafir, who form a contrasting pair in relation to Kupavina and Lynyaev, in the comedy “Wolves and Sheep” by Ostrovsky.

Concepts character And type are close to each other and are often used interchangeably. However, there is still a difference: the type is associated with the significance of artistic generalization, a high degree of universal in character. Addressing the reader, the author of “Dead Souls” encourages him to think: “and which of you, full of Christian humility, quietly, in silence, alone, in moments of solitary conversations with yourself, will deepen this difficult question into the interior of your soul: “But no?” Is there any part of Chichikov in me?’” (chapter 11).

Characters, especially in the work of one writer, are often variations, the development of one type. Writers return to the type they discovered, finding new facets in it, achieving aesthetic perfection of the image. P.V. Annenkov noted that I.S. Turgenev “for ten years was engaged in processing the same type - a noble, but inept person, starting in 1846, when “Three Portraits” were written, right up to “Rudin”, which appeared in 1856, where the very image of such a person was found its full embodiment."

Few people succeed in discovering a new type and giving it life in literature. But when this happens, the character's own name becomes a household name. Other expressive nominations also appear: “superfluous man” (“The Diary of an Extraordinary Man” by Turgenev), “double” (Dostoevsky’s story of the same name), “tyrant” (“At Someone Else’s Feast, a Hangover” by Ostrovsky; the word stuck in public consciousness thanks to Dobrolyubov’s article “ Dark Kingdom»). Literary type usually represented by a number of characters who are far from identical in character. Thus, among the tyrant merchants in Ostrovsky’s plays there is the “scold” Dikoy, who is organically incapable of fairly counting workers (“The Thunderstorm”), and Tit Titych Bruskov, for whom drunken courage is sweeter than money, he is ready to pay for any of his disgrace” (“In hangover at someone else's feast", "Hard Days"); there is the self-willed and at the same time indifferent to his daughter Bolshov (“We are our own people - we will be numbered!”) - and the child-loving Rusakov, who also decides his daughter’s fate in his own way (“Don’t sit on your own sleigh”).

A character as a character or type, on the one hand, and as an artistic image, on the other, have different evaluation criteria. Unlike characters and types subject to “judgment” in the light of certain ethical ideals, characters like images are assessed primarily with aesthetic point of view, that is, depending on how vividly and fully the creative concept is expressed. As the images of Chichikov or Judushka Golovlev are excellent and in this quality they deliver aesthetic enjoyment. Comic character, according to V.I. Kachalov, “should evoke a peculiar feeling of admiration, so that one can exclaim: “Simply lovely, what disgusting!”

Internal individualization, i.e. Belinsky considered character, the typicality of heroes, to be the most important test of talent: “Lack of character is the general character of the entire large family of persons invented by Marlinsky, both men and women; their author himself could not distinguish them from one another even by their names, but would only guess by their dress."

In literary criticism there is another way to study the character - exclusively as a participant in the plot, as current faces. In relation to archaic genres of folklore (in particular to the Russian fairy tale (considered by V.Ya. Propp in his book "Morphology of Fairy Tales", 1928), to the early stages of the development of literature, such an approach is to one degree or another motivated by the material: there are no characters as such yet or they are less important than the action. Aristotle considered the main thing in tragedy to be the action (“plot”): “So, the plot is the basis and, as it were, the soul of the tragedy, and characters follow it, for tragedy is an imitation of action, and therefore especially of the characters "However, for Aristotle, characters are part of tragedy, and his student Theophrastus wrote a series of essays “Characters”, where he presented 30 comic types.

With the formation of personality, it is characters and types that become the main subject of artistic knowledge. In programs literary trends(starting with classicism) leading value has a concept of personality, in close connection with its understanding in philosophy, social sciences. The view of plot as the most important way of revealing character, its testing and stimulus for development is also affirmed in aesthetics. “The character of a person can be revealed in the most insignificant actions; from the point of view of poetic assessment, the greatest deeds are those that shed the most light on the character of the individual” - many writers, critics, and aestheticians could subscribe to these words of Lessing.

The plot functions of the characters - in abstraction from their characters - became the subject of special analysis in some areas of literary criticism of the 20th century. (Russian formalism: V.Ya. Propp, V.B. Shklovsky; structuralism, especially French: A.–J. Greimas, Cla. Bremont, R. Barth, etc.). In structuralist plot theory, this is associated with the task of constructing general models (structures) found in the variety of narrative texts.

Character system

Key words: objective world, character, concept, term, character, type, system of characters

Even in works main topic of which - a person alone with wild, virgin nature ("Robinson Crusoe" by D. Defoe, "Walden, or Life in the Woods" by G. Thoreau, "Mowgli" by R. Kipling), the character sphere is not limited to one hero. Thus, Defoe’s novel is densely populated at the beginning and at the end, and in the memories and dreams of Robinson the hermit, different people live: the father who warned his son against the sea; dead companions, with whose fate he often compares his own; the basket maker he watched as a child; a desirable companion - “a living person with whom I could talk.” In the main part of the novel, the role of off-stage characters, as if mentioned in passing, is very important: after all, Robinson on his island is both alone and not alone, since he personifies the total human experience, hard work and enterprise of his contemporaries and compatriots, including Defoe himself - “a fountain of energy "(that's what biographers called him).

Like any system, the character sphere of the work is characterized through its components elements(characters) and structure –“a relatively stable way (law) of connecting elements.” This or that image receives the status of a character precisely as an element of a system, a part of the whole, which is especially clearly visible when comparing the images of animals, plants, and things in various works. In Defoe's novel, the goats bred by Robinson, his parrot, dogs and cats, the sprouted stalks of barley and rice, and the pottery he made consistently represent the “fauna” and “flora” created before our eyes." material culture". For Defoe, according to one English critic (presumably W. Badget), “a tea rose is nothing more than a tea rose,” nature is “only a source of drought and rain” (Wolf). But in the conventional world of other genres, personification natural phenomena and things are common.In “The Tale of the Toad and the Rose” by B.M. Garshin, the rose is “more than a rose,” it is an allegory of a beautiful, but very short life.

In works of a life-like style, higher animals are often introduced into the series of characters, in which, in the stable traditions of animalism, what brings them closer to man is emphasized. “Does it matter who we talk about? Everyone who has lived on earth deserves it,” begins I.A. Bunin's story "Chang's Dreams", where the two main characters are the captain and his dog Chang. Synecdoche (“each of those who lived on earth”) unites the captain and Chang, and throughout the entire narrative the psychological parallel is maintained: both are aware of fear and melancholy, delight and jubilation. After all, Chang's heart "beat exactly the same as the captain's..."

To form a character system, at least two subjects are required; their equivalent may be a split character (for example, in the miniature by D. Kharms from the series “Cases” - Semyon Semenovich with glasses and without glasses). In the early stages of narrative art, the number of characters and the connections between them were determined primarily by logic plot development...“The single hero of a primitive fairy tale once demanded his antithesis, an opposing hero; even later, the idea of ​​a heroine appeared as a reason for this struggle - and the number three for a long time became sacred number narrative composition." Around the main characters, minor ones are grouped, participating in the struggle on one side or the other (the most important property of the structure is hierarchy). At the same time, the diversity of specific characters in archaic plot genres can be classified. The large number of characters in a Russian fairy tale (“There are miracles there: a goblin wanders there, / A mermaid sits on the branches...”) V.Ya. Propp reduced it to seven invariants, based on the plot functions they perform (absence, prohibition, violation, etc. - a total of 31 functions, according to the scientist’s calculations). This "seven-character" scheme included saboteur, donor, helper, princess (requested character) And her father, sender, hero, false hero.

IN ancient Greek theater the number of actors simultaneously on stage increased gradually. The pre-Aeschylean tragedy was the song of a choir, to which Thespis added one actor-reciter, who periodically left the stage and returned with reports of new events. "... Aeschylus was the first to introduce two instead of one; he also reduced the parts of the chorus and put dialogue in first place, and Sophocles introduced three actors and scenery." This established the custom of performing a play by three actors (each could play several roles), which was also observed by the Romans. Aeschylus's innovation created "the precondition for depicting a clash between the two sides"; the presence of a third actor included minor persons in the action.

Plot connections between characters can be very complex and branched. In Homer's Iliad, not only the wrath of Achilles is sung ("Wrath, O goddess, sing to Achilles, son of Peleus..."), but many heroes and their patron gods involved in Trojan War. According to some estimates, there are about six hundred characters in Tolstoy's War and Peace. The appearance of the next character in most cases is motivated by the plot.

More often plot roles the characters are more or less consistent with their importance as characters. Antigone from tragedy of the same name Sophocles' main role is destined for myth. The conflict between her and Creon, reflecting " different understanding the essence of the law" (as a traditional religious and moral norm or as the will of the king), its bloody denouement (three deaths: Antigone, Haemon, Eurydice, the later repentance of Creon) - this is the mythological basis. Developing, dramatizing this scheme, transforming it into a "woven" , with twists and turns and recognitions, tragedy, Sophocles, in the words of Aristotle, “captures the characters...” Of the ways in which the playwright creates a heroic and tragic aura around Antigone, the arrangement of heroes is paramount. “Antigone appears before us even more heroic and courageous , writes A.A. Taho-Godi - when you see the quiet, timid Ismene next to her. Haemon's passionate, youthful audacity emphasizes Creon's firm, conscious decision. The wise knowledge of the truth in the speeches of Tiresias proves the complete inconsistency and senselessness of Creon’s act.” Sophocles “captures” even the characters of occasional persons, especially the “guard.” “... This cunning cleverly shields himself by betraying Antigone into the hands of Creon.”

Usually the main characters of the works through whom the creative concept is revealed occupy a central position in the plot. The author builds a chain of events, guided by his hierarchy of characters. At the same time, for understanding the main character (heroes), secondary characters can play a big role, highlighting various properties of his character; As a result, a whole system of parallels and contrasts arises.

In Goncharov’s novel “Oblomov,” the character of the main character is explained both by his antipode, the “German” Stolz, and by Zakhar (who forms a psychological parallel to his master), but especially by Olga, demanding in her love, and undemanding, meek Agafya Matveevna, who created an idyllic whirlpool. A.V. Druzhinin found the figure of Stolz even unnecessary in this series: “The creation of Olga is so complete - and the task she performed in the novel is fulfilled so richly that further explanation of the Oblomov type through other characters becomes a luxury, sometimes unnecessary. One of the representatives of this excessive luxury is us Stolz."

All the characters that in one way or another highlight Oblomov’s type (Alekseev, Tarantyev, etc.) are introduced into the plot very naturally: Stolz is a childhood friend who introduces Oblomov to Olga; Zakhar has been with his master all his life; Agafya Matveevna is the owner of the rented apartment, etc. All of them make up the protagonist’s inner circle and are illuminated by the even light of the author’s attention.

However, there may be significant disproportions between the hero’s place in the plot of the work and in the hierarchy of characters. In Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", Shylock is far superior - in originality of type, potential for polysemy of the image - to his debtor Antonio, as well as to other persons. In Tolstoy's "War and Peace" Tikhon Shcherbaty is incomparable with Platon Karataev - the symbol " swarm life", Pierre's mental judge in the epilogue (although in the main plot both Shcherbaty and Karataev are episodic persons). In the novel by N.G. Chernyshevsky “What is to be done?” main character, " special person"Rakhmetov, is hidden in the depths of the narrative (an Aesopian technique that the prisoner of Alekseevsky Ravelin resorted to).

A character’s non-participation in the main action is often a sign of his importance as a spokesman for public opinion, an author’s reasoner. In realistic works, with their attention to socio-historical circumstances, such persons usually embody these circumstances, helping to understand the motives of the actions of the main characters. In Flaubert’s “Madame Bovary,” the symbol of vulgarity is the pharmacist Homais, a local “enlightenment” correspondent for the newspaper “Rouen Lantern”, whose reasoning is reminiscent of the “Lexicon of common truths” compiled by the writer; the eternal presence of the smug Homais and Emma's boredom are closely linked. The role of the grotesque Ippolit Ippolitych in Chekhov’s story “The Literature Teacher” is similar, saying in his dying delirium that “The Volga flows into the Caspian Sea...”. His maxims exaggerate the banality of the remarks of the Shelestovs and their guests, which was not immediately revealed to Nikitin. In Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm", the plays Feklusha and Kuligin, who do not participate in the intrigue, represent the two poles of the spiritual life of the city of Kalinov. According to Dobrolyubov, without the so-called “unnecessary” faces in “The Thunderstorm,” “we cannot understand the heroine’s face and can easily distort the meaning of the entire play...”. The freedom of a realist playwright in constructing a system of characters is especially obvious against the backdrop of the classicist rule unity of action.

However, freedom is not arbitrariness. And in the new literature there was a critical filter that detected “superfluous” characters. “...The play would have won,” Chekhov advises E.P. Goslavsky, “if you had eliminated some of the characters altogether, for example, Nadya, who for some unknown reason is 18 years old and for some unknown reason she is a poetess. And her fiancé is superfluous. And Sophie is superfluous. The teacher and Kachedykin (professor), for the sake of economy, could be merged into one person. The closer, the more compact, the more expressive and brighter."

At the same time, the principle of “economy” in constructing a character system does not interfere with either crowd scenes or the introduction of episodic and extraneous persons. While working on “Three Sisters,” Chekhov ironized himself: “I’m not writing a play, but some kind of confusion. There are many characters - it’s possible that I’ll get lost and give up writing.” And at the end of the play he recalled: “It was terribly difficult to write “Three Sisters”. After all, there are three heroines, each should be based on its own model, and all three are the general’s daughters!” The multi-character nature of Chekhov's great plays emphasizes the general, stable conflict situation, "hidden dramas and tragedies in every figure of the play." Naturally, authors of epics and morally descriptive panoramas gravitate towards the breadth of their coverage of life. In Tolstoy's "War and Peace", according to the conclusion of A. A. Saburov, the character system includes four categories: main, secondary, episodic, introductory persons, while "the significance of the lower categories is incomparably greater than in the novel."

Collective images- a sign of the style of many works of early Soviet literature(“Iron Stream” by A. Serafimovich, “Mystery-bouffe” by V. Mayakovsky, “Cavalry” by I. Babel, etc.). Often this technique was a tribute to fashion, the fulfillment of a “social order”, in connection with a kind of sacralization of the theme of the people. Extras on stage are the target of Bulgakov’s satire in “The Crimson Island,” where “red natives and natives (positive and countless hordes)” are introduced into the play of “Citizen Jules Verne.” And in the feuilleton story by I. Ilf and Evg. Petrov’s “How Robinson was Created,” the editor advises the craftsman novelist writing about the “Soviet Robinson” to show “broad layers of working people.” In the parodies of satirists, thanks to comic hyperbole, the symbolic device is emphasized.

In contrast to opportunistic crafts, the “language” of the genre canons of the literature of the past evokes the joy of recognition and meeting with the childhood of culture. This “language” includes a stable ensemble of characters bearing traditional (often “talking”) names. The study of character systems in the aspect of historical poetics, their iconicity, very bright in some genres ( commedia dell'arte, mystery, morality play, chivalric, pastoral, gothic novels etc.), prepares for more deep perception modern literature, making sophisticated and extensive use of the wealth accumulated by culture.

Lyrical hero

State of consciousness or experience represented in lyric poem, as noted long ago, is not a reproduction of the empirics of mental life: “There are two people in the poet - himself and his muse, that is, his transformed personality, and between these two beings there is often a difficult struggle.”

The discrepancy between the biographical author and the structure of consciousness, the system of values ​​expressed in his lyrics, was the focus of attention of literary scholars in the 1950s - 1960s, when the concept lyrical hero. With its help, it was emphasized that the author’s experiences are objectified, cleared of everything random, as if filtered: “Despite the fact that in his main essence (and often even in many details) he [the lyrical hero - I.I.] carries within himself the imprint of the poet’s personality, his unique destiny, his worldview - character lyrical hero, his biography may not coincide with the character and biography of the poet,” wrote A.A. Mikhailov. At the same time, the researcher admits the existence of poems without a lyrical hero at all, where the author speaks on his own behalf: “When Mayakovsky declared: “I myself will tell about time and about myself,” this meant that the poet did not dissolve himself in some objectified lyrical hero, and in his own flesh he appeared before the readers and spoke. He spoke on his own behalf about his main calling in life - about poetry, about “the place of the poet in the working class,” he argued fiercely with his opponents, he talked cordially and confidentially with Pushkin...”

The poet “appeared before the readers in his own flesh...”? Apparently, this kind of statement is a step backward compared to Strakhov. Let us remember the words of Mayakovsky himself: “I am a poet. This is what makes it interesting. This is what I am writing about. Do I love, or am I a gambler, about the beauties of Caucasian nature as well - only if it is expressed in words.” Broad, yet inconsistent, interpretation of the term lyrical hero at A.A. Mikhailova, N.S. Stepanov was prompted by V.D. Skvoznikov to reject it as “scholastic ballast”.

However, there is another, narrower understanding of the term lyrical hero. It was first formulated in an article by Yu.N. Tynyanov “Block” (1921). “Blok is Blok’s biggest lyrical theme. This theme attracts as the theme of a novel of a still new, unborn (or unconscious) formation. About it lyrical hero and they say now. He was necessary, he was already surrounded by a legend, and not only now - it surrounded him from the very beginning, it even seemed that it preceded Blok’s poetry itself, that his poetry only developed and supplemented the postulated image. All of Blok’s art is personified into this image; when they talk about his poetry, they almost always involuntarily substitute poetry human face - and everyone fell in love face, but not art" (Italics by author - I.I.) Simultaneously with Tynyanov, a similar concept, also in relation to Blok’s lyrics, was put forward by B.M. Eikhenbaum, V.M. Zhirmunsky, A. Bely.

Subsequently, this concept, based on Yu.N. Tynyanov was justified by L.Ya. Ginzburg: this is “the unity of personality, not only standing behind the text, but also endowed with plot characteristics, which still should not be identified with character", this is "not only the subject, but also the object of the work." In order to talk about the lyrical hero as a single personality represented in creativity, it is necessary, according to Ginzburg, to examine the corpus of poems. Not all poets have a lyrical hero: it is difficult to find one in Pushkin’s work, but Lermontov undoubtedly has one.

This thesis is difficult to dispute if you analyze the work of a particular poet as a whole, but if you highlight separate group poems united by a common theme, problem, mood, then the lyrical hero can be discovered. For example, in literary criticism it has long been commonplace the position that Fet does not have a lyrical hero (the work of this poet is a kind of exemplary example). However, if you analyze poems on a female theme (it will not necessarily be love lyrics), you will notice that poems with idyllic (mostly the 50s) and tragic ( later creativity) tonality. The idyllic beginning appears in poems where the hero is enchanted by his beloved, enjoys his happiness, while the heroine can only exist in his dreams. Even love suffering is perceived by the lyrical hero as bliss. The tragic beginning is due to the loneliness of the lyrical hero; in many poems there is a hint or direct indication of the death of the heroine (“You have suffered, I am still suffering...”). The kinship of souls only increases the hero’s suffering (“Alterego”). In some poems, the lyrical hero realizes his guilt in what happened (“For a long time I dreamed of the cries of your sobs…”). Memories of a loved one can also become a source of tragedy (“When my dreams are beyond the bounds of past days...”). In the twentieth century, poets sought to combine their poems into cycles, therefore it is advisable to consider the lyrical hero in each individual cycle. In some cases, it makes sense to talk about the evolution of the lyrical hero. For example, the lyrical hero of A. Bely’s first collection “Gold in Azure” is characterized by a desire to break out of everyday life towards a mystical ideal. However, the lyrical hero is contradictory: he is not only a soothsayer, but also a holy fool who finds himself in a “straithouse.” In the collection “Ashes,” attention shifts to the earthly, peasant (it is no coincidence that the collection is dedicated to the memory of Nekrasov). The lyrical hero is a tramp, a hanged man, a “wretch.” However, there is duality in this book: the lyrical hero strives to overcome the feeling of despair, the theme of “resurrection from the dead” is a cross-cutting theme in this collection. Then the hero “collects” the “ashes” of his deep suffering into the “Urna” (this is the name of another collection of his poems), where life, on the one hand, is depicted as completely meaningless, and on the other, as directed towards a mystical ideal. Thus, here the moods of the first and second collections seem to be combined, and the lyrical hero experiences a kind of evolution.

With a narrow understanding of the lyrical hero, there is a need for a term denoting any carrier of expressed experience, and this term becomes lyrical subject.

Lyrical hero at the same time “both the bearer of consciousness and the subject of the image, he openly stands between the reader and the depicted world; the reader’s attention is focused primarily on what the lyrical hero is like, what is happening to him, what is his attitude to the world, state, etc. In particular, Nekrasov’s lyrical hero should be judged by many of his poems, which are close both thematically and stylistically: “Lonely, lost...", "I will die soon. A pitiful inheritance...", "I deeply despise myself for this...", "Where is your dark face...", "A difficult year - an illness broke me..." and others. These poems recreate the biography and conditions of existence of a commoner, "with the living situation, environment and details of everyday life.” Therefore, the motives of hunger, loneliness, poverty, illness had not only a direct, everyday, but also a figurative, metaphorical meaning: this was how “awareness of social troubles, dissatisfaction with the world and one’s fate, a feeling of one’s unsettledness, not everyday, but social,” was expressed. These statements have been proven detailed analysis love lyrics, poems about poetry, “repentance” poems.”

As a rule, in poems with a lyrical hero there is a pronoun “I”, verb forms first person or other grammatical indicators that the lyrical subject is at the same time the object of his thoughts. As, for example, in Nekrasov’s poem “If, tormented by rebellious passion...”, where there is no personal pronoun I, but the hero reflects, as evidenced by the nominations:

If, tormented by rebellious passion,
Forgotten your jealous friend…

Nominations reveal the feelings of the lyrical hero. He's overwhelmed rebellious passion. Passion is usually called love, and jealousy is often its consequence, especially if a person is prone to it ( your jealous friend). The love of such a person brings him nothing but confusion of feelings. Replacing “I” with “your jealous friend” indicates that the hero is able to look at himself from the outside, emphasizes the leading role of the heroine in their relationship, his ability to evaluate himself from the point of view another(another). He realizes that building a relationship with him is very difficult; it is no coincidence that he calls himself crazy but loving. The conjunction “but” is very important here: despite all his madness, the hero is still capable of love, only his love is not a harmonious feeling, but an endless seething of passions, bringing misfortune not only to him, but also to his beloved. His jealousy can awaken meek and gentle the heroine has an “evil feeling” in her soul.

However, there are also more complex cases. For example, in Nekrasov’s poem “Troika”, of course, the main attention is paid to the heroine, her portrait is described, and her future fate. It is important that the poem is structured as an appeal to a peasant girl; she is mainly called by the second person pronoun You. The choice of the 2nd person is significant: one could say she, which would emphasize the detachment of the lyrical hero, while the second person implies dialogue. Before us is the statement of a lyrical hero who takes the girl’s fate to heart. The poem also describes a cornet and future husband girls. The cornet is briefly discussed; it will not play a significant role in the fate of the heroine (he rushes like a whirlwind to the “other”). But the heroine’s future husband is described in detail: slob man, picky husband who will beat his wife. Her mother-in-law will also tyrannize her. The heroine will gradually sink to his level: over time, “tying an apron under her arms,” she will pull her “ugly breasts”; will “babysit, work and eat” (and her life could be “full and easy”).

Role-playing hero

Key words: objective world, image, hero, lyrics, characters

Role-playing hero– carrier someone else's consciousness. The author's point of view is also expressed in the poem, but indirectly: in fact, ““role” poems two-subjective. One, higher consciousness, is revealed primarily in the titles; they define the hero of the poem (“Mower”, “Plowman”, “Dare” by Koltsov, “Katerina”, “Kalistrat” by Nekrasov) and sometimes - directly or in an ironic form - expresses the attitude towards him (“Predators on Chegem” by A.S. Griboedova, “The Moral Man” by N.A. Nekrasov). The sphere of another consciousness is the main part of the poem, which belongs to the hero himself.” Poems with a role-playing hero are usually titled, and often this is his nominations(not only anthroponyms: Katerina, Kalistrat, but also any: mower, predators on Chegem and etc.).

Note that in role-playing lyrics the author’s point of view can be expressed in speech that formally belongs to the hero (compare with improperly direct speech in the epic). This occurs especially often if these two value systems turn out to be incompatible and mutually exclusive. In this case, we can talk about elements of “two-voice” in the lyrics, which brings it closer to epic and drama. For example, in Nekrasov’s poem “The Moral Man,” the author’s point of view is expressed using irony as a stylistic device. The resulting refrain

Living according to strong morals,
I have never done harm to anyone in my life

can be read in two ways: as the hero’s word and as the author’s irony.

Great credit to B.O. Corman had a distinction carrier of consciousness And native speaker, since the texts often do not indicate the boundaries between the expressed points of view. Thus, in role-playing lyrics there are two carriers of consciousness, but the main carrier of speech is one: this is the role-playing hero (for example, in the poem “Kalistrat” the author is present only in the title). Speaking about two-subject poems, which present two points of view, two views of the world, the researcher limits the monologism of the lyrics. Corman also identifies poems where formally the speaker is the author or the author-narrator, but analysis of the text reveals polyphony: “Funeral”, “The village suffering is in full swing...”.

Character(French personnage, from Latin persona - person, face, mask ) – type of artistic image, subject of action, experience, statement in a work. The phrases used in modern literary criticism have the same meaning literary hero, character(mainly in drama, where the list of persons traditionally follows the title of the play). In this synonymous series the word character– most neutral Hero(from the Greek heros - demigod, deified person) in some contexts it is awkward to call someone who lacks heroic traits. The concept of character (hero, protagonist) is the most important in the analysis epic And dramatic works where the characters forming a certain system and the plot (i.e. the system, the course of events) form the basis of the objective world. In an epic, a hero can be narrator (narrator), if he participates in the plot (Grinev in Pushkin’s “The Captain’s Daughter”) B lyrics while recreating, first of all, the inner world of a person, the characters (if they exist) are depicted dottedly, fragmentarily, and most importantly - in inextricable connection with the experiences of the lyrical subject (for example, the imaginary interlocutor in M. Tsvetaeva’s poem “An Attempt of Jealousy”). The illusion of the characters’ own lives in lyric poetry (compared to epic and drama) is sharply weakened.

Most often, a literary character is a person. The degree of concreteness of its image can be very different and depends on many reasons. He can occupy a different place in the character system and, accordingly, be drawn in full growth or presented through a few details.

But within episode It is often the occasional person who is the center of attention. The choice of hero itself largely depends on genre; we can talk about “genre heroes” in traditionalist literature. Thus, in an epic, the hero, according to N. Boileau, must be noble both in origin and in character, but at the same time be believable.

Image structure in epic works different from those in drama. The principles and techniques of depiction are determined by the concept of the work, the creative method of the writer: more is reported about the secondary character of a realistic story in biographical and social terms than about the main character of a modernist novel. Along with people, animals, plants, things, natural elements, fantastic creatures, robots can act and talk in a work (“The Frog Traveler” by V.M. Garshin, “Mowgli” by R. Kipling, “Amphibian Man” by A. Belyaev) .

There are genres, types of literature in which such anthropomorphic characters are obligatory or very probable: fairy tale, fable, ballad, animal literature, science fiction, etc.

The character sphere of literature consists not only of individual subjects, but also collective heroes (their prototype is choir in ancient drama). Interest in the problems of nationality, social psychology, in particular in the psychology of the crowd, was stimulated in the 19th–20th centuries. development of this image angle, introduction to the plot crowd scenes(a workers' settlement in M. Gorky's novel "Mother"). Close to collective group characters where the number of persons is limited and they are usually named by name (seven “temporarily obliged” men in N.A. Nekrasov’s poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”).

Most works have off-stage characters who expand its space-time framework and enlarge the situation (“The Misanthrope” by Moliere, “Woe from Wit” by Griboyedov). This concept applies not only to drama but also to epic, where a direct (i.e. given not in the retelling of some hero) image of faces can be considered an analogue of a scene. Thus, in Chekhov’s story “Chameleon” the off-stage persons include the general and his brother - lovers of dogs of different breeds. There are works where the off-stage hero is the main one. This is M. Bulgakov’s play “Alexander Pushkin (The Last Days)”, the action of which takes place after the death of the poet.

Another type of character - borrowed , those. taken from the works of other writers and usually bearing the same name. Such heroes are natural if the plot is borrowed (Phaedra and Hippolytus in the tragedies “Hippolytus” by Euripides, “Phaedra” by Seneca, “Phaedra” by Racine). But a hero known to the reader (and unknown ones are not addressed in such cases) can be introduced into a new ensemble of characters, into a new plot (Molchalin in the Saltykov-Shchedrin cycle “In the midst of moderation and accuracy”, Chichikov, Nozdrev and other heroes of “Dead Souls” in "The Adventures of Chichikov" by Bulgakov). In such cases, borrowing a character, on the one hand, exposes the conventionality of art, on the other hand, it contributes to the semiotic richness of the image and its laconicism: after all, the names of “alien” heroes, as a rule, have long become common nouns, the author does not need to characterize them in any way.

Other types of characters can be distinguished. For example, enter double , whose phantom existence is generated duality consciousness of the hero (a tradition with deep roots in mythology and religion): such are the features of Ivan

Character's consciousness and self-awareness.

Kawaii

Kawaii - “cute”, “adorable”, “pretty”, “nice”, “kind”. In Japanese, "kawaii" can also refer to anything that looks small, sometimes having the dual meaning of "adorable" and "small". The word can also be used to describe adults who exhibit childish or naive behavior.

Bishōjo is a term usually referring to young beautiful girls, more often for high school students. In anime and manga, especially among Western otaku, the term may be used to refer to a stereotypical female character- a beautiful young girl, a plot with such characters, a certain style of depicting such characters.

Moe are kawaii characters that evoke not just affection, but attraction. The term "Moe" itself means adoration (sometimes in literally words), almost a fetishization of something or someone from anime-mangagames. The moe section includes some types, such as meganekko - girls with glasses, pettanko - characters who place a strong emphasis (or emphasis is placed from the side) on their flat chest, dojikko - clumsy girls, and in general there are countless names of types of appearance and behavior.

Meganekko

Meganekko is a typical anime girl, the difference being that she wears glasses. The following development occurs quite often: if she switches to contact lenses, then one and all suddenly realize her beauty.

Bakunyuu is a design feature in which the heroine of an anime or manga is depicted with deliberately exaggerated (and often beyond the scope of real life) breast sizes. The richest in such artistic techniques erotic anime genres.

Maid (maids, meido) - maid. One of the typical design options for anime heroines, designed to match the image of a “sexy servant”. This phenomenon Over time, it became so widespread in the anime industry that entire series began to appear entirely dedicated to the theme of maids (for example, He is My Master and Hanaukyo Maids Team), thereby making maido an almost full-fledged subgenre of anime and manga.

Chibi (Chibi) is a style that depicts people in a smaller form than their normal size. An integral feature of the style is disproportion - enlarged head and eyes, shortened arms and legs, sometimes without hands and fingers. Drawing the emotions of such characters is also greatly simplified. Chibiks are very similar to children, as a result of which children are also simply called chibiks.

Kemonomimi

Kemonomimi - literally "animal ears". A drawing style in which people have the ears (sometimes the tail, less often the paws, noses, etc.) of a certain animal. For example, Nekomimi is a girl with cat ears, Kitsunemimi is a girl with fox ears, etc.

Tsundere - the word comes from tsuntsun, which means disgust, and deredere, which means love. Such characters initially appear as unpleasant, often narcissistic and selfish (have you ever seen the so-called “princesses”, ojou-sama, girls from rich families in anime) types, but throughout the plot they reveal a “bright”, good side in themselves character, in most cases - under the influence of the object of love. They initially avoid this very object and make their disgust for it clear in every possible way, but sooner or later the disguise collapses. This is the classic definition of a tsundere. Non-classical tsunderes can be similar to ordinary people who do not stand out in any way, but who betray their type by suddenly losing their temper at the slightest incitement, or upon contact with the notorious object of love.

Maho-shojo

Maho-shojo - “magical girl”. Basic plot feature maho-shoujo is main character- a girl, or a young girl, who has some supernatural abilities that she uses to fight evil, protect the Earth, the weak and similar actions. Sometimes there are several girls with different abilities and usually working in the same team.

Yandere - short for yanderu deredere, "yandere" means, to be as precise as possible, "sick" (on the head). In general, “crazy deredere.” Let me ask you to immediately understand that she is not hysterical, but crazy! These are different things.

Actually, the essence of a yandere is excessive attachment to the object of love, reaching the point of fanaticism. So to speak, the other side of the tsundere. Such characters in their usual state (in the classical definition) are quite cute and indistinguishable from deredere, but when they try to involve them in romance, they begin to go crazy, pursue the object of love and be jealous of him/her for everything that moves. Well, and of course, try to please him/her in everything. In general, classic yanderes are paranoid sticklers. And don’t let Yami-sama try to cheat on them - in their classic definition, they will immediately reach out to sharp objects.

Tsunaho, alternatively called Tsunbaka or more neutrally Tsundoji, is a special type of tsundere that can be briefly described as a "tsundere poser." This type really tries to be bad, but due to his innate clumsiness and stupidity, he always confuses everything, drops things and generally behaves more than comically. It’s not good, of course, to laugh at other people’s problems, but there’s nothing you can do about it, really.

Tsuntere is a more overt type of tsundere. "Tereru", tereru means "shy". In other words, a tsundere, who (and sometimes who!) cannot be cold until the very end and no, no, will betray her feelings. This happens because the type has shyness sufficient to reveal a deredere side.

Tsundora literally means “tundra”, which has snow and forest. This is a more withdrawn and negative type of character, as inhospitable as the tundra. It is very, very difficult to awaken the deredere side of this type.

Tsungire is an even more dangerous type of tsundere, called by analogy with “kireru”, which means short circuit. It is dangerous because if you don’t bring it to the tsuntsun side, then it’s better for you. Because if you push it, he might break down and throw a tantrum. They should not be confused with the subsequent yandere type, because hysteria and madness are two different things. It is not difficult to open the deredere side of this type - you just need to calmly do it without unnecessary movements, and then the problems will go away by themselves. If you don't do this, hysteria is guaranteed. Sekai from School Days might fit the description, even though she's more of a yangire.
Kudere

Kuudere, which is a shortened anglicism of cool deredere (cool meaning “cool”), is a not so old word meaning a cold-blooded and indifferent type. Have you ever seen characters sitting with a book in the corner, not communicating with anyone, or, on the contrary, inserting their weighty “fi” into everything that happens around them, and always to the point? This is what kuudere is. Often, smart people (although due to the characteristics of the type, there are also not very smart ones - but only because they suffer from chronic laziness) and the deredere side is revealed only if such a character likes you. Again, this type is not devoid of emotions, but he holds them tightly within himself and does not show them out. However, if these shackles are weakened, the kudere may burst into tears or laugh quite calmly. Kudere is often drawn with blue hair; this is a kind of stamp.

Genki are optimistic and hyperactive characters. They tend to be the center of the party, make friends quickly, are extroverts, and are again divided into two branches. The first type of genki is a more or less smart type; we will simply call them “smart genki”, who, in addition to hyperactivity, manage to think at the speed of action. As for the second type, we will call them “baka-genki”, you have all seen them - these are crazy balls of energy that demolish everything. However, baka-genks do not always have to be truly idiots, some of them have a very good mind, but they are, to put it mildly, especially clever.

The characters in the film can be divided into four basic categories: characters-functions, auxiliary, minor And basic characters.

Character-function serves to perform a single task and does not affect the driving motives of the main characters. This character doesn't stand out in any way. Having completed the task, he disappears from the screen and from the viewer’s memory.

• The bikers in Terminator 2 appear only so that Aronold Schwarzenegger's hero can take away their clothes and motorcycle.
• Defender of Samarkand at the beginning of " Day Watch" is used to show how the Chalk of Fate works.

When working on character-function, you don’t need to get carried away with details. Extra descriptions are the enemy of the screenwriter.

Supporting character or shortcut character differs from a function character in that he has a conspicuous feature, a “mark,” by which he is instantly remembered and recognized by the viewer.

• Edward James Olmos' character in Blade Runner folds paper figures in every scene.
• Jodie (Rosanna Arquette) from " Pulp Fiction is a fanatical fan of piercings, she has an earring in almost every part of her body.

Typically, neither feature characters nor support characters receive attention in treatment. If you can tell a story without mentioning them, do it. If you can't, mention it only if necessary.

Minor characters, like auxiliary ones, have bright individual traits and easy to remember. Their difference is that they evolve with the development of the plot.

• C.J. (Michael Kelly) in Dawn of the Dead at the beginning of the film appears as a selfish person who only cares about own safety. In the end, he sacrifices his life to save the others.
• Gollum from The Lord of the Rings changes several times during the action. First, he turns from an enemy into an assistant to the main character, and then becomes an enemy again.

When a power-obsessed character dies in the pursuit of power, he remains an auxiliary. If before his death he is deprived of even the power he had, he is a minor character. His “label” has evolved.

Main characters- This hero And antihero.

The hero must evoke approval from the audience and make them empathize. But also antihero no less important. This is not necessarily a villain, but his actions are always directed against the hero. An interesting anti-hero who poses a worthy challenge to the hero is one of the important components of a successful script.

• The more the viewer is opposed to the antihero, the more he wants the hero to win.

• The more dangerous and invincible the anti-hero looks, the stronger and more worthy the main character looks.

An antihero does not have to be human. It could be a wild animal ("Ghost and Darkness"), and insects ("Mosquitoes"), and a dangerous virus ( "Epidemic"), as well as the raging elements, space aliens, supernatural powers and much more.

Sometimes it's easier to portray an interesting and believable anti-hero than a protagonist you want to empathize with. But you shouldn’t upset the balance in his favor. A good villain can't save a bad hero.