Propps theory

Propps theory- Character types

Vladimir Propps theory is all about character types. Propp’s came up with a bunch of character types that are used in most films. These are the characters and the roles he suggested they played.

The Villain- The villain fights the hero in some way. In films they are also known as ‘baddies’. Traditionally it is good vs evil where normally good wins over email, however that is not always the case.

The Dispatcher- The dispatcher is the character that makes the evil known and sends the hero off on a quest to defeat the villain.

The Helper- The helper helps the hero on his quest to help make sure he is successful in fighting the villain.

The Princess or prize- This is where the hero deserves her but can’t have her because unfair evil is preventing it. The hero normally gets her once he has beaten the villain and everything starts to go back to normal. Traditionally they live ‘happily ever after’. This happens in video games as well. In the Mario franchise for example, Princess Peach is always getting kidnapped and Mario must keep rescuing her. This makes Princess Peach the prize in the game.   

The Donor- The donor is responsible for preparing the hero and or giving the hero a magical object. This magical object is usually something that will aid the hero in defeating the villain or make his quest easier.

The hero- The hero is the one who restores peace once defeating the enemy. Once he/she has defeated the enemy he/she will often get a prize which often ends up being a princess or women. This character can also be referred to as ‘The Seeker’ as he/she as they are seeking something from completing the quest. The hero used to normally be a male however female hero have become much more frequent in movies.

The false hero- The false hero takes credit for the hero’s actions. This is normally shown by the false hero pretending he was the one that achieved what the hero achieved. Then the false hero will try to marry the princess. A false hero is traditionally uncommon however recent films such as: ‘Deadpool’ have a false hero. He is a false hero because although he defeated the enemy, he defeated it with the wrong intentions.

All these character types are not only seen in films but also music videos and games. Performance and narrative music videos may have some of these characters included. It is important to be aware of the character types so you can correctly identify what character type you want to portray. If you are aware of the character types it makes it easier to stick to the characters type as you can follow the conventions of the stereotypical character.