Now, I know a lot of you are thinking, "Um... that would be protaganists and antagonists, right?" Actually... no. Sometime heroes aren't heroes and villains aren't villains. So yep. It doesn't work out.
No, actually there are only two types. There are tragic characters and there are heroic characters.
Heroic characters don't have to be heroes. In fact, they may very well be the villains. Or not. It doesn't matter. And tragic characters might be the heroes. It just depends.
So... what are these two types of characters like?
Heroic Characters
Heroic characters are introduced as people who have little or nothing to lose. They are selfless individuals that strive towards a cause and, yes, can possibly even attain their cause. They are dedicated and will do whatever it takes to achieve their goals.
Tragic Characters
Tragic characters are introduced as those who are comfortable and everything AND THEN SUDDENLY something happens that is terrible and their lives are changed forever. They find themselves having to reform their lives in order to achieve their goals.
Please note that I didn't put down how their conflicts end. Tragic characters may achieve their goal or not, and the same goes for heroic characters. What makes them different is the way they are introduced to us.
Let's look at some historical-ish figures, shall we?
Jesus Christ: Heroic Figure
Regardless of your opinions on Christianity, if you read the New Testament, you can see at once that Jesus is displayed as a heroic figure. I mean, come on. A nobody from Nazareth comes up and then, as a young man, defies the church authority at the time and then rises up to be one of the most influential dudes in history.
One of the reasons why I picked Jesus as an example is because of people's different reactions to Him. According to some, the end of His life might be considered to be a heroic thing that was oh-so-awesome and everything like that. After all, He rose up and BAM! The world was saved, right? On the other hand, you can say, "Wow. His death sucked." I mean, it was painful and then He died in one of the most agonizing ways possible. So, according to what you believe, His story might have a heroic ending or a tragic ending.
But that's just the ending.
What matters is the beginning. How is the character introduced to us?
Benedict Arnold: Tragic Figure
Haha. Because I'm lazy, I'm going to quote it from Wikipedia:
Benedict Arnold (January 14, 1741 – June 14, 1801) was a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He is best known for plotting to surrender the American fort at West Point, New York, to the British during the American Revolution. Arnold had distinguished himself as a hero of the revolution early in the war through acts of cunning and bravery at Fort Ticonderoga in 1775 and at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. Arnold strongly opposed the decision by the Continental Congress to form an alliance with France, having experienced a bitter defeat at the hands of the French and their Indian allies during the French and Indian War (1754–1763).
Disaffected due to grievances with the Continental Congress and the military, suffering from mounting personal debt, and facing corruption charges filed by the Pennsylvania civil authorities, Arnold also faced pressure at home from his young second wife, a British Loyalist. In 1780, he formulated his scheme. If successful, this would have given British forces control of the Hudson River valley and split the colonies in half. The plot was thwarted, but Arnold managed to flee to England, where he was rewarded with a commission as a Brigadier General in the British Army along with a reduced award of £6,000 sterling. In the United States, Arnold's name remains synonymous with treason.
Article here.
So yeah. He got away. But he started off okay and things just went worse and worse and worse. And he was still trying to justify his actions with America afterwards.
So! I've ranted enough.
Are your characters tragic or heroic?
