static charactersĪnother term you’ll hear when talking about character development is “static character.” A static character is the opposite of a dynamic character: they retain the same strengths, weaknesses, and personality all through the story.īy the time the plot reaches its conclusion, they remain unchanged and have the same character traits as when they began. For example, a dynamic character can teach us that even a meek, scared boy can become a hero when it matters most, or that not even the most well-meaning among us are immune to the pitfalls of temptation.īy telling your story through the lens of a dynamic character, you can convey a powerful message that will stay with the reader for a long time. You’ll find that most main characters in literature are dynamic, and this is because dynamic characters engage readers with their complex, multi-faceted journeys.Ī dynamic character doesn’t just experience the world around them-they allow the events of the story to reach them and affect them in new and surprising ways.Ī writer also uses dynamic characters to communicate valuable lessons and themes to the reader. Whether positive or negative, a dynamic character always undergoes some sort of change. In a tragedy, however, the opposite can be true-for example, an honest man coming into great wealth and allowing it to erode his moral center is a tragic dynamic character. For example, an avaricious man learning the true value of immaterial wealth is a common dynamic character archetype. Often, the change a dynamic character undergoes will be for good-overcoming a fatal flaw and becoming a better person for it. Dynamic characters are sometimes called “literary” or “dramatic” characters. This transformation can be positive or negative they might overcome certain weaknesses in order to achieve their goals, or they might succumb to those weaknesses which lead to their downfall. A dynamic character is someone who undergoes a great, overarching transformation between the beginning and end of the story.

Static/flat character definition