Character Arcs & Archetypes

What is a Character Arc?
A character arc is the transformation or journey a character endures over the course of the story. For example, a character will begin as one form of person, however, by the end of the story, the character will become a 'new' person in response to developments in the story.

Often or not, the character who experiences the change in character is the protagonist of the story, however, it can also apply to lesser characters too.

A character arc has a strong relationship with a narrative arc and the two often happen in parallel with one another. Although the narrative arc resolves within a given text typically after a climax and "falling action," most character arcs do not fully resolve in a single text because life continues for that character beyond the confines of the text's narrative.

Examples of famous character arcs include:

• Star Wars Prequels: Anakin Skywalker subverts his heroic potential by crossing over to the dark side of the Force. He then uses his powers for corrupt and amoral purposes, being fuelled by negative emotions and a hunger for power. Anakin’s transition and descent into evil is categorically marked by his change of name and appearance, showing a definitive separation from his former potential. In the original trilogy, Anakin's character arc is reversed as he he returns from the Dark Side and redeems himself. 
• Frozen: Elsa begins the movie embracing her ice powers. After injuring her sister Anna she becomes scared of her powers and considers herself a monster. After her sister sacrifices herself, Elsa finally embraces her powers again. Anna begins the movie as a social butterfly willing to throw herself into any man's arms. After Hans betrays her, Anna learns that looks can sometimes be deceiving.

Different Types of Character Arcs

There are often described to be several types of character arc, dictated by how and what the change in character consists of. The several types of character arc have been condensed into three: 'the change', 'the growth' and 'the fall'. 

• The Change - 'The change' is the most commonly seen character arc. It often depicts a normal person grow into a hero/saviour type character. 
• The Growth - 'The Growth' in this character arc, the protagonist overcomes an internal opposition (weakness, fear, the past etc.) while he faces an external opposition, and as a result he becomes a fuller, better person. He’s still pretty much who he was, just upgraded to Protagonist 2.0. A common yet often overlooked variant of the Growth Arc is The Shift Arc — here, the protagonist changes his perspective, learns different skills, or gains a different role. The end-result is not “better” or more than the starting point, just different. The protagonist has not overcome a grand inner resistance or anything, he simply gained a new set of skills or assumed a new position, maybe discovered a talent he forgot he had, or a different vocation.
• The Fall - commonly known as a “tragedy”, the Fall Arc follows the protagonist as he dooms himself and/or others, and declines into insanity, immorality or death.

Here is a video describing more types of character arcs, as well as famous/excellent examples of them being executed:

The Character Arc in My Film

Short films are often harder to portray character arcs than feature films because of their short length and lack of definitive narrative structure. As my short film does follow a conventional narrative arc, it also depicts a character arc.

The character arc I would say my film depicts is 'the fall', through the protagonist, Egon. This is because the audience watch him descend into tyranny and hatred. 

Egon begins the film as a naïve and impressionable young man, this already makes him open to change very easily. This can be seen when he meets the Preacher and is then terrified of Bleedingheart at the prospect of her being a Riverfolk, showing that the Preacher has had an influence on him. However, Bleedingheart opens Egon, he learns to be good and wise. This secures the audience in thinking that Egon will not be like the Preacher, it's far too late for this to happen. However, after Bleedingheart's death, he struggles to cope with his emotions which ultimately leads to him murdering The Preacher. This shows an immediate change - he goes from being composed and compassionate to hysterical and murderous. At the very end, it is revealed he has taken over the Preacher's role and has become a tyrant himself, he has fallen. 

While Egon eventually becomes more powerful, he has descended morally. This is what categorises his character arc as a fall rather than growth. 

Archetypes

An archetype is a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature. An archetype, also known as universal symbol, may be a character, a theme, a symbol or even a setting. 

Examples of character archetypes include: protagonist, antagonist and contagonist. Here is a short list of some common examples of character archetypes:

• Protagonist - The protagonist of a story is the main character. They are often heroic and hold the support of the audience. Example: Luke Skywalker.
• Antagonist - The opposite of protagonist, antagonist is the villain of the story: who the protagonist is trying to defeat. Example: Darth Sidious
• Mentor - The mentor acts as a guide for the protagonist. They often prepare them for obstacles ahead and give them vital information/tools to help them defeat the antagonist. Example: Obi Wan Kenobi
• Contagonist - The contagonist is the character that tempts the protagonist into falling into their weakness, they trigger an inner conflict within the protagonist that ultimately hinders them. The contagonist is there to counteract the Mentor. Example: Darth Vader

Archetypes in my Film

As my film contains very one-dimensional characters, they fit to these archetypes very well:

• Protagonist - Egon is the protagonist because the audience sees the film from his perspective. Because of this, they have to support him, even though he shows signs of extremism. If the film altered perspective, for example, to a generic White Cloak member, than Bleedingheart and Egon would likely be antagonistic characters. 
• Antagonist - The Preacher is the antagonist. This is because, firstly, the audience witnesses the film through Egon's eyes, and Egon hates the Preacher. Furthermore, the Preacher exhibits villainous traits that would categorise him as an antagonist. For example, as a culture that values democracy, we would hate tyranny. 
• Mentor - Bleedingheart is the mentor character. She leads Egon from being ignorant and hateful and acts as a guidance for him. Only when her presence is removed does he act immorally. 
• Contagonist - While a contagonist is there, it is not presented in the form of a character. Egon is tempted by his emotions: his anger and passion is what conflicts him from Bleedingheart's teachings. When Bleedingheart is removed from the equation, Egon's inner contagonist wins.

Archetypal Narratives

Archetypes don't always come in the form of characters, but narratives too. According to Christopher Booker, there are seven narrative archetypes found in most fiction:

• Overcome the Monster: In this story, the protagonist must defeat an evil force in order to restore peace and order. Though slaying the 'monster' is difficult, the hero's success leads to great reward. Example: Seven Samurai, The Hunger Games
• Rags to Riches: A poor and insignificant protagonist is elevated, acquiring things such as wealth, power or a mate. Often, it is all lost again, however, they gain it back one more upon developing as a person. Example: Aladdin, Cinderella
• The Quest: The protagonist (often with companions) sets out on a dangerous adventure in order to acquire something important, reach a location or simply achieve a goal. They encounter temptations and obstacles along the way. Examples: The Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones
• Voyage and Return: The protagonist travels to an abnormal land, different and far from their own. They then return to their own home, wiser and with more experience than when they left. Examples: The Wizard of Oz, Labrynth
• Comedy: While light and comedic, this plot archetype is much more than just humour. The central motif is the triumph over adverse circumstance. The conflict becomes more confusing and chaotic, but is at last made plain in a single clarifying event, resulting in a successful or happy conclusion. Examples: Much Ado About Nothing, Bridget Jones' Diary
• Tragedy: Tragedy doesn't have a happy ending like the other archetypes. The protagonist is a hero with one major character flaw or great mistake which is ultimately their undoing. Their unfortunate end evokes pity at their folly and the fall of a fundamentally 'good' character. Examples: Death of a Salesman, American Beauty
• Rebirth: During the course of the story, an important event forces the main character to change their ways, often making them a better person. Examples: Dispicable Me, How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Only seven types of plot seems very little, like no story is original. However, unique writing and directorial style can change a film drastically, making it completely original.

What Archetype Elements Does Your Film Follow?
My film follows the Tragedy plot archetype. It documents the downfall of two characters: Egon and the Preacher, through their own tragic flaws and error of judgement.