Vladimir Propp’s Character Roles ~

Propp was a scholar that analysed the basic components of Russian folk tales. Here are the broad character types that he presented in his book, "Morphology of the Folk Tale".

1) Villain: Fights with the hero. Involved in a pursuit.

2) Donor: Provides the hero with a magical agent.

3) Helper: Often accompanies the hero. May reappear to help at critical moments.

4) Princess: She assigns tasks to the hero.

5) The Father of the Princess: Often is hostile to the hero. May also assign tasks to the hero.

6) Dispatcher: Often a parent. The one who causes the hero to set out on a quest.

7) Hero: The one who departs on a quest. The one who reacts to the testing of a donor. The one who performs tasks and usually marries and becomes wealthy.

8) False Hero: Pretends, unsuccessfully to have done the things that the hero has actually done.