Propp's Character Theory

Vladimir Propp, a Russian folklorist and scholar, analysed many Russian folk tales and identified common themes within them. By breaking down the stories in morphemes (analysable chunks), he was able to identify 31 narratemes, or narrative units, that made up the structure of many stories. As well as discovering the 31 narratemes, he identified a list of eight broad character types in the stories and tales that he had analysed. These are also known as Propp's Dramatis Personae. 

The Hero - In every story there is one main character that the reader will relate to and associate with. This character is usually who the story centres around.

The Helper - This character supports the hero on their quest. They always appear at critical moments in the story to provide help.

The Villain - The villain is the character with the biggest contrast to the hero. This character is labelled clearly as the bad person in the story, and is someone that the audience should not warm to - this highlights the good in the hero.

The False Hero - This character is a variant on the villain. They act as a complication to the plot as they could be mistaken for the hero. The false hero tries to steal from the hero and most often plays on people's good nature. 

The Donor - The donor is a character who gives the hero something that will help them on their quest. This role may be combined with the helper. 

The Dispatcher - This character is featured early on in the plot as they are the character that gives the hero their quest. 

The Princess - The princess could take two forms; she may be the object sought by the hero, but also she could be the reward for the villain. 

The Princess's Father - This character is key for the hero to persuade as he may want his daughter's hand. The father is going to be very protective of his daughter.