Propps Characters

Propps' Narrative Theory

Vladimir Propp was a Russian critic who was interested in the narrative of folk tales. He identified a theory relating to characters and actions acting as narrative functions. Propp is suggesting that all narrative is character driven. Propp describes the key characters as follows.

The Hero - Usually the main character of the story. He/She typically go on a quest to achieve a personal goal.

The Villain- The main adversary - often responsible for creating chaos out of order. Their role is to hinder the hero at any crucial moment.

The Donor- The donor imparts either wisdom or a special object to assist the hero in their quest.

The Helper- The helper provides physical assistance to the hero often appearing at the right moment to rescue the hero from a deadly situation.

The Princess - The princess is often objectified as a reward for the hero's efforts.

The Dispatcher - Is always the one who sends the hero on his quest.

The False Hero- Essentially a character who on the surface seems heroic but usually the hero ends up encountering them as an adversary rather than a comrade.

A good example of a film that follows this structure is The Matrix (Wachowski 1999).

The Hero - Neo leads a regular life until Morpheus contacts him through his computer. Becomes a hero by ridding The Matrix of Smith and ultimately saves the human race.

The Villain - Agent Smith's role is to eliminate the humans who became self aware.

The Donor - Morpheus- Teaches Neo fighting techniques and shows Neo what he could potentially achieve.

The Helper - The Oracle's function in the film is to help through guidance and advice.

The Princess - Trinity- Not a typical princess but hierarchically could be defined as such within the resistance movement.

The Dispatcher -Morpheus is the character who sends Neo who is "The One" on his journey to ultimately save humanity.

The False Hero - Cipher at first seems to be a member of the resistance. He wants to return to the Matrix because the real world is not a good place to be. He wants to return to a state of ignorance which he tries to achieve by betraying his peers.