Hey everybody! Today's blog is going to be about Character Tropes and Archetypes. Tejal and I both agreed that they're extremely important and we should make sure we understand different character types so that we can better develop our story with characters who will actually fit. So, we outlined some of the more notable character archetypes, those being the Protagonist, Antagonist, and Deuteragonist (as well as the specific "Confidant" archetype).
The Protagonist - Hero
The protagonist is the most important role, since they're the main character of the entire story, and usually the first character we meet. Most of the time, audiences view the story from the protagonists point of view, experiencing the events of the story with them.
One key detail relating to the protagonist is how relatable they are (or aren't). Having a relatable protagonist means your audience will become more invested in the character, making the film more compelling. However, it also means you have to carefully tailor that protagonist to a specific demographic that matches the demographics of your film.
A few examples Tejal gave me are Noah (The Notebook), Tyler (Waves), and Solene (The Idea of You), though the only one I know of these is Noah.
Overall, this is your most important character. They propel the story and are the subject for the plot. Like Tejal said, without a protagonist, you have no story.
The Antagonist - Foil
The antagonist is the main villain or foil to the protagonist, being the other main character who propels the plot forward. They are responsible for the conflict and obstacles that the protagonist has to go through. Interestingly, the antagonist doesn't necessarily have to be a person. Many films seem, at a surface level, to lack an antagonist, when in reality the antagonist is something like society as a whole or the protagonist's self doubt.
The antagonist can even be the protagonist! For example, if your protagonist has self-destructive tendencies and ruins things for themselves before they can succeed, then your main character is both your protagonist and antagonist.
The Deuteragonist - Love Interest
The deuteragonist is pretty much the secondary protagonist. While they are less important than the protagonist, since the story doesn't take place through their eyes / point-of-view, they're still a pretty crucial character role to fill. Without your deuteragonist, you're missing a pretty significant chunk of your story, since it means half of the main relationship (involving the protagonist) will be completely absent. Most of the time, the deuteragonist is the love interest in a romance film.
Some examples that Tejal provided (bear with me, I've only seen The Notebook) are August Moon (The Idea of You), Alexis Lopez (Waves), and the one and only, Allie Hamilton (The Notebook).
Confidant - The Friend / Sidekick
The confidant is secondary to the protagonist, but not the secondary protagonist. They are the protagonist's best friend, in whom they always confide. Usually this character serves as the kind of "man in the chair" trope for the protagonist, helping them gather information and devise a plan to win over their love interest.
Conclusion
Those are all the roles that I need to consider for the opening. Since it's only the first few minutes of the film, we'll probably meet the Protagonist and Deuteragonist (Punk Girl and Prep Guy respectively) as well as maybe a Confidant briefly introduced.
The main thing I want to ensure is that the Antagonist is made clear to be societal pressure and familial disapproval and conflict, since things like that usually work very well in romantic dramas. Plus, it also makes the families serve as half-antagonists, since while they're a large cause for the obstacles in the characters' relationship, they're still their families at the end of the day.
By analyzing these character tropes, I think I've learned quite a lot about how to structure my characters to fit the conventional tropes and archetypes of the genre. I have a pretty good idea of how each character will fit (and contradict!) their respective niche, which will make the writing process easier.
That's it for today's blog! I hope you all enjoyed the process of learning about character types with me! I also think that I need to watch the other movies Tejal suggested, those being Waves and The Idea of You. Anyhow, I'll see you all in the next blog. Stay tuned!
Sources
- Arc Studio. “The 7 Main Character Roles in Film: Ultimate Guide to Archetypes.” Arc Studio Pro Blog, www.arcstudiopro.com/blog/the-7-main-character-roles-in-film-ultimate-guide-to-archetypes
- Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton University Press, 2008.
- MasterClass. “What Is a Character Archetype? Definition and Examples.” MasterClass, www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-a-character-archetype-definition-and-examples.
- Reedsy. “12 Types of Characters Every Writer Should Know.” Reedsy Studio, 2025, reedsy.com/studio/resources/types-of-characters.
- StudioBinder. “Character Archetypes: 14 Examples of Archetypal Characters.” StudioBinder, www.studiobinder.com/blog/character-archetypes-definition-examples/.
- Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. 3rd ed., Michael Wiese Productions, 2007.
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