Flat Character
A flat character does not
change throughout the course of a story or play, while a round character
develops and alters. Forster cites Mrs. Micawber as an example of a flat
character and Becky Sharp as a round one. Shakespeare’s Henry IV (Parts I and
II) provides a contrast with Hotspur, a flat character, and Prince Hal, who
changes and develops significantly.
Flat characters lack the
depth, complexity, and nuance of round characters. They fulfil a specific role,
often an archetype, to advance the plot. Flat characters are present in both
literary and genre fiction, often more prominent as protagonists in genre
fiction. For example, Sherlock Holmes is a flat character whose interior life
and personal emotions are irrelevant to solving the story’s mystery. Flat
characters are understandable, predictable, easy to summarize, and driven by
the plot. They often act upon tropes and archetypes, such as a dry, awkward
engineer or a pretty, elitist prom queen.
Examples of flat
characters include Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie’s mystery novels. Poirot’s
goal is always to dissect human behaviour and solve crimes, making him easy to
understand and predictable. His actions are plot-driven, with the pursuit of
justice motivating him. Poirot’s intelligence, wit, and quirky detective
behaviour are conventions of the murder mystery genre, making him an
archetypical flat character.
Another example is Nick
Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Bottom, a comic
relief character, is transformed into a donkey by Puck and becomes the object
of Titania’s enchanted love. His role is to provide humour through situational
irony, sexual jokes, and puns. Bottom’s actions are entirely plot-driven, and
he fits the archetype of Shakespearean comic relief, appealing to audiences of
all social strata with his bawdy humour.
No comments:
Post a Comment