Abstract
Working with these five character archetypes—Protagonist, Nemesis, Attractor, Mentor, and Trickster—enables writers to create a map of the relationships connecting each of the story’s key individuals. The vertical line between the Protagonist and the Nemesis represents an existential connection. As the story unfolds, events compel the Protagonist to confront this question of self-identity: Who am I? The horizontal line between the Attractor and Mentor represents a behavioral connection. Their influence upon the Protagonist’s emotional and intellectual life raises the question: How am I? The enveloping circle is the Trickster’s domain, the shapeshifter testing the Protagonist’s will to go forward. This chapter explores character maps for The Silence of the Lambs, Shakespeare in Love, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
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Notes
- 1.
See Part I, Chapter 1: The Protagonist’s Journey to explore the primacy of this central character.
- 2.
Sometimes, the Protagonist does not leave home, but rather the appearance of visitors or unforeseen events transforms their ordinary world into an extraordinary one.
- 3.
A logline is a one-to-two line summation of a story’s plot.
- 4.
We could also include Philip Henslow as a Mentor because of his unflagging belief in Shakespeare’s talent and that things will somehow turn out well. In Marlowe’s absence after his death, Henslow fills that void.
- 5.
Kingpin blames Spider-Man for the death of his wife and son, so the battle he wages against Miles and the various other iterations of Spider-Man is a personal one.
- 6.
After Peter Parker is killed by Kingpin’s henchmen, Peter’s widow MJ (Mary Jane) provides a Mentor moment for Miles when he watches her on TV give a eulogy for her deceased husband: “He didn’t ask for his powers, but he chose to be Spider-Man … We all have powers of one kind or another. But in our own way, we are all Spider-Man.” Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, screenplay by Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman, story by Phil Lord. Movie script, dated December 3, 2018, p. 41. As allies in the fight against Kingpin, we can look at Spider-Man Noir, Peni Parker, and Spider-Ham as Mentor figures.
Further Study
A Screenwriter’s Guide to Aristotle’s “Poetics,” Scott Myers (editor), Go Into The Story, May 4, 2017, https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/a-screenwriters-guide-to-aristotle-s-poetics-37aa7667b1d6.
References
Lord, P. and Rothman, R. (screenplay by), Lord P (story) (2018). Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse; Marvel Entertainment / Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Norman, M. and Stoppard, T. (written by) (1998). Shakespeare in Love; Miramax Films.
Tally, T. (screenplay), Harris, T. (novel) (1991). The Silence of the Lambs; Orion Pictures.
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Myers, S. (2022). Character Map. In: The Protagonist's Journey. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79682-2_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79682-2_14
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