Characterization Definition What is characterization? Here’s a quick and simple definition: Characterization is the representation of the traits, motives, and psychology of a character in a narrative. Characterization may occur through direct description, in which the character's qualities are described by a narrator, another character, or by the character him or herself. It may also occur indirectly, in which the character's qualities are revealed by his or her actions, thoughts, or dialogue. Some additional key details about characterization: Early studies of literature, such as those by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, saw plot as more important than character. It wasn't until the 15th century that characters, and therefore characterization, became more crucial parts of narratives. Characterization became particularly important in the 19th century, with the rise of realist novels that sought to accurately portray people. Characterization Pronunciation Here's how to pronounce characterization: kar-ack-ter-ih-zey-shun Direct and Indirect Characterization Authors can develop characterization in two ways: directly and indirectly. It's important to note that these two methods are not mutually exclusive. Most authors can and do use both direct and indirect methods of characterization to develop their characters. Direct Characterization In direct characterization, the author directly describes a character's qualities. Such direct description may come from a narrator, from another character, or through self-description by the character in question. For instance, imagine the following dialogue between two characters: "That guy Sam seems nice." "Oh, no. Sam's the worst. He acts nice when you first meet him, but then he'll ask you for money and never return it, and eat all your food without any offering anything in return, and I once saw him throw a rock at a puppy. Thank God he missed." Here the second speaker is directly characterizing Sam as being selfish and cruel. Direct characterization is also sometimes called "explicit characterization." Indirect Characterization In indirect characterization, rather than explicitly describe a character's qualities, an author shows the character as he or she moves through the world, allowing the reader to infer the character's qualities from his or her behavior. Details that might contribute to the indirect characterization of a character are: The character's thoughts. The character's actions. What a character says (their choice of words) How a character talks (their tone, dialect, and manner of speaking) The character's appearance The character's movements and mannerisms How the character interacts with others (and how others react to the character) Indirect characterization is sometimes called "implicit characterization." Indirect Characterization in Drama It's worth noting that indirect characterization has an additional layer in any art form that involves actors, including film, theater, and television. Actors don't just say the words on the script. They make choices about how to say those words, how to move their own bodies and in relation to other character. In other words, actors make choices about how to communicate all sorts of indirect details. As a result, different actors can portray the same characters in vastly different ways. For instance, compare the way that the the actor Alan Bates plays King Claudius in from the 1990 movie of Hamlet, versus how Patrick Stewart plays the role in the from a 2010 version. While Bates plays the scene with growing alarm and an outburst of terror that reveals his guilt, Stewart plays his Claudius as ice cold and offended, but by no means tricked by Hamlet's little play-within-a-play into revealing anything. Round and Flat Characters Characters are often described as being either round or flat. , Characterization is the representation of the traits, motives, and psychology of a character in a narrative. Characterization may occur through direct description, in which the character's qualities are described by a narrator, another character, or by the character him or herself., Definition, Usage and a list of Characterization Examples in common speech and literature. Characterization is a literary device that is used step by step in literature to highlight and explain the details about a character in a story..