Flat characters are often “stock characters.” Their characterization may be summed up with their simple role. Crabbe and Goyle are Malfoy’s muscle, which makes Malfoy more intimidating and threatening. It’s not necessarily a matter of “poor character development.” When to Use Flat Charactersįlat characters fit best in minor roles, and can be great at fulfilling a simple function in a story. He’s perhaps the simplest, most straightforward character in the series.įlat characters aren’t “bad characters.” Pretty much every story needs flat characters. We don’t get some heartfelt, tragic backstory to explain his motivations, and we don’t ever see him do something totally contradictory to our early impressions of him. Viewers get an impression of him that never really changes. Likewise, in The Office, Kevin is a flat character. What we thought of them initially, is pretty much the same as what we think of them at the end. Through the series, neither ever really stray from that. Crabbe and Goyle are unintelligent, but strong, and follow Malfoy’s bidding. The audience gets an impression of them as soon as they are introduced, and they never really learn more about them. In Harry Potter, Crabbe and Goyle are flat characters. A flat character may have only a couple of traits or character tags within the story, which makes them appear simple and two-dimensional. Flat Charactersįlat characters are straightforward and uncomplicated. At the end, I’ll relate it to character arcs. Today, let’s define each character type in depth and explain how and when to use which.
For example, a flat character is more likely to be a flat-arc character. “Flat” and “round” are not technically, strictly tied to character arc–though there are some common combinations.
In contrast, a round character is a complex, three-dimensional character. A flat character is a simple, two-dimensional character. Lately, I’ve been talking a lot about flat- arc (also known as “steadfast”) characters, but these are not to be confused with flat characters.
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