Five Ways To Analyze a Character

5 Ways to Analyze a Character

Plot drives stories forward and makes them exciting. The ability to understand how characters move though the plot will help you understand each character’s motivation behind action or inaction. Understanding character motivation will also help you write better essays because it will provide you with content when you write.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. What does this character want and why?

Is it a physical like a person, animal, or object? Is it an idea like peace, war, or love? The why is important. It probably will not be apparent at the beginning though.

2. What or who is preventing this character from getting what he/she wants?

It is not always a person preventing the character from obtaining what he/she wants. Nature is a force characters cannot control (unless it is a novel with fantasy or magical realism elements), so it is often used as an obstacle. The weather, such as a heavy snowfall, prevents travel. Unemployment means no money, so the character cannot purchase a new car or afford rent. A lack of education can mean the character is more likely to be conned out of money. Does he/she have an addiction?

3. What sociological ideals are at hand?

When you consider social impact, think about the character’s social class, gender, age, economic class, political beliefs, and religious beliefs to start. Often failure to fit into the social norm, as identified by the text, results in the alienation of the character. 

4. When faced with a difficult decision, what does the character do?

Does the character run away from trouble or face trouble head on? Does the character consider the feelings of others before making a decision? Is he/she a risk taker?

5. What does the character’s dialogue (or inner thoughts) reveal about the character?

Is he/she sarcastic or snarky? Is he/she quiet? Does the way this character talks change when he/she is around other characters? For example, maybe he/she is talkative around mom, but not so much around dad. As for inner thoughts, what is the character not willing to admit aloud?

Make a Character Chart: before you start reading, create a chart for yourself to fill in as you read the novel.

Character	Object of Desire	Difficult Decisions	Social Influences	Dialogue
Hamlet	Once he believes the Ghost, he wants to avenge his father’s death. Hamlet wants his mother to stop having marital relations with his uncle.	Hamlet tests what the Ghost tells him before taking his word for truth. Hamlet sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their death because they betrayed him.	Hamlet is a prince and must act accordingly. Hamlet is of a higher social status, so he can’t act crazy. His father’s signet ring saves his life.	Hamlet’s many puns reveal he does not like how his mother married his uncle and that he doesn’t feel anyone has properly grieved his father’s death.
Claudius	The Crown of Denmark. Possibly Gertrude. Power.	Claudius sends Hamlet away so he won’t interfere with his kingship. He doesn’t stop Gertrude from drinking the poison because that will reveal he planned to kill Hamlet.	Claudius needs to prevent anyone from discovering he killed the last king. As king, Hamlet’s craziness reflects poorly on him and Gertrude.	Claudius reveals he cannot pray for forgiveness for killing his brother. He convinces Laertes that Hamlet killed Polonius on purpose and that Hamlet is responsible for Ophelia’s death.