Setting Protagonist Antagonist
The time and place where a story takes place
Ex – In Ariel, under the sea
The main character in a story
Ex – Ariel
A character(s) in conflict (who has a problem) with the protagonist
Ex – King Triton
Internal conflict External conflict
Internal = inside. When a character has a problem inside themselves.
Ex –Ariel wants to live above water but also doesn’t want to hurt her father
External= outside. When a character has a problem with another character or something outside of themselves.
Ex –Ariel wants to live above water but also doesn’t want to hurt her father
Motivation Flat character Round character
The reason why a character does something
Ex –Ariel’s motivation is love, or
Ariel is motivated by love
A character who shows only 1 side (trait)
A character who shows many different sides (traits)
Static character Dynamic character Direct characterization
A character who does NOT change (inside, personality) by the end of the story
A character who changes by the end of the story
When an author directly describes a character’s personality
Ex – He was a mean person
Indirect characterization
When an author hints about a character’s personality by describing what/how the character:
S says
T thinks
E effect the character has on other people
A acts
L looks
Theme Universal theme Plot
The story’s main message about life. The lesson/moral of the story.
A theme that applies to all people, across all time
Plot: the sequence of events that make up a story
Exposition: introduction to the characters,
background & setting
Rising Action: the central conflict is introduced
Climax: the most tense point in the conflict, where the protagonist usually
comes face-to-face w/conflict
Falling action: the conflict lessons, events occur that
lead to a resolution
Resolution: the conflict ends & loose ends are tied up