ENG ED 115: SPEECH AND STAGE ARTS
BSE MAJOR IN ENGLISH
Establishing a Character (Characterization)
What is Characterization?
Is the act of creating or describing characters or people. This is often used by
writers of plays, novels, television shows, and other formats that involve
creating characters but can also involve real-life descriptions. Usage of the
character's thoughts, words, deeds, or an actual physical description can all
contribute to the characterization.
Characterization is how authors convey information about their characters.
Characterization can be:
Direct, as when an author tells readers what a character is like (e.g.
"George was cunning and greedy.")
Indirect, as when an author shows what a character is like by
portraying his or her actions, speech, or thoughts (eg. "On the crowded
subway, George slipped his hand into the man's coat pocket and
withdrew the wallet, undetected.").
Descriptions of a character's appearance, behavior, interests, way of
speaking, and other mannerisms are all part of characterization. For stories
written in the first-person point of view, the narrator's voice, or way of telling
the story, is essential to his or her characterization.
Questions to Ask About Your Character
Who am I?
What kind of person am I?
How am I different from the other characters?
What are the fewest things I can do to convey the most information about my
character?
What does my character want?
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Methods of Characterization
Direct Characterization
Comments by the Narrator
Jimmy was a mischievous boy and creative too. He could take a
discarded box or old blanket and turn it into something adventurous.
But sometimes his imagination got the better of him, and he’d find
himself in big trouble.
Indirect Characterization
Appearance
We often infer a lot about characters from the clothes they wear, their
facial features, their body language, and their mannerisms.
Example: Erasto was the priest of his village. When he appeared
before the commission, he towered above them, wearing his finest
yellow hat and scarf, and his royal blue robes.
Action
You know the expression, “Actions speak louder than words”? Much of
what we learn about characters is revealed to us through what they do.
Example: Denise picked up the slimy bullfrog. She could hardly stand
to hold it even for a moment. She held it out at arm’s length from her
body and quickly carried it to her brother.
Words
We often get to know characters because of what they say to each
other.
Example: Anita threw her arms around Tony and gave him a big hug.
“Thank you so much for being there for me,” she said. “I don’t think I
could have faced my parents without you.”
Thoughts and Feelings
When an author lets us get inside the mind of a character, we can
often learn a great deal about him or her.
Example: Butch looked around the neighborhood. “This would be a
safe place to play catch with Bobby,” he thought. “Why doesn’t Bobby
throw the ball? He must be in a bad mood or something.”
Other Character’s Comments or Reactions
Sometimes other characters will tell us something useful about
the character we’re reading about.
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Example: You wouldn’t believe what Lisa did yesterday,” Sara said to
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her sister. “When we went into the bridal shop, she pushed all the
women aside and demanded that the sales lady help us immediately.
It was something!”
Characterization of Personality Types
Characterizing a kind girl: She gently knelt and stretched out her hand to help her
friend return to her feet after her friend fell on the field.
Characterizing a rich man: He chortled heartily before deeply puffing on his high-
end Cuban cigar, briefly glancing at his Rolex. He announced his driver would arrive
at any moment, then tossed back the rest of his high-end scotch.
Characterizing a gruff man: “Look here,” he said. “I’m not about to take guff from
anyone. I’ve been around the block a few times, and I’m no one’s doormat. I don’t
care who you are, where you’re from, I don’t want to hear what you have to say.”
Characterizing an action woman: She twisted her fingers in her hands and bit her
lip. His leg jiggled quickly and her eyes darted from side to side.
Characterizing an embarrassed person: He dropped his eyes toward the floor and
his face burned crimson. His shoulders hunched over and he pursed his lips, clearly
attempting to fight back tears.
Characterizing someone apologetic: Her eyes pleaded with him to understand
what she was explaining, her breath slow in frequency, but intense with each inhale.
Her downturned lips revealed the shame she had for what she had done.
Characterizing someone who is stingy: Crinkling his brow and wrinkling his nose,
Bill screwed up his mouth when he saw the check for dinner. Displeased with the
cost of his eggs, bacon, doughnuts, and coffee, he yanked open his wallet, tossed
one dollar haphazardly on the table for the tip, and went to the counter to pay for the
meal.
Characterizing someone messy: She answered the door in a hurry, still putting her
earrings in and telling me to come in for a moment. I entered what looked like an
abandoned war zone with clothes and shoes scattered across the floor, dirty plates
with crusty tomato sauce and hardened fettucini noodles dusted with old crumbs of
buttered bread piled on the table, and magazines piled haphazardly on every spare
surface.
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Characterizing someone thankful: She couldn’t stop telling him how much she
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appreciated the small loan he was giving her to get to the next paycheck. Hugs,
cheek kisses, and an offer to make dinner for him ensued, her gratitude oozing from
her with every word and motion.
Characterizing someone inconsiderate: After he arrived about 25 minutes late for
the date, he proceeded to honk the horn from his car, forcing me to traverse alone
the 15 ice-covered concrete steps of my building in the fanciest shoes I had donned
for our date.
Characterizing someone skillful: He pulled the arrow back on the bow until it
would go no further. When it left his hand, it glided through the air and perfectly into
the center of the target.
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