Narrative Theory: Propp's Character Functions

A folklorist researcher named Vladimir Propp was intrigued by the relationship between characters and narrative. He believed in the idea that stories are character driven and that the development of a plot is based on the resolutions and actions of characters and how they operate within the story. Because of this, he suggested that there is a limited number of characters types that have their own role in the story. Following his theory, we were able to identify our main character 'Lucy Merrill' as the heroine (the protagonist) of our short film as she shares her journey through cyberbullying with the audience.

Character Types - relating to Shrek (2001) and Shrek 2 (2004)

• The Villain (antagonist) - an immoral character that tries to create problems for the hero and stop them in their quest. The character may also go on a quest to achieve the reward before the hero. The immorality of the character is used to emphasise the goodwill of the hero, turning the audience against him and encouraging them to abide by the hero. This function is served by 'Lord Farquaad'.
• The Donor - the character who braces the hero for their crusade and the challenges ahead that they will face. They offer the hero something appropriate (e.g. a magical weapon, a large amount of wisdom, clues, powers) to help complete their mission. This role is sometimes combined with the role of the helper. This character is not able to give the hero this gift without an exchange; setting the hero on another task. This function is illustrated by 'Dragon'.
• The Helper - this character has a magical element about them. They may appear at critical moments within the film to support the hero or assist the hero in their quest, being beneficial throughout the story. The character's weaknesses help to magnify the hero's distinguishing characteristics (e.g. intelligence, determination, strength etc.). In Shrek, this role is fulfilled by 'Donkey'.
• The Princess/Prize - the love interest of the hero. This character is regularly searched for in the course of completing the hero's quest and is pursued by many, especially the false hero. The princess cannot marry the hero until the villain's defeat is constituted and the injustice has been resolved. The princess is also seen as a reward for the hero and will either appear only at the end of the film or be a valuable character and escort the hero on their mission. This function is carried out by 'Princess Fiona'.
• The Princess' Father - this character provides the hero with the task. As the father is almost always protective of the princess, the hero must persuade him the most in order to gain permission to marry his daughter. This character may also compete with the hero for his daughter's affection during the film, forming a triangle. 'The King' fulfils this role.
• The False Hero - the character that appears to be good at first, but instead emerges to be evil. They are initially mistaken for the real hero. The false hero, out of jealousy, plots against the hero and manages to take credit for the hero's work so that they can win the heart of the princess. This character is also able to gain respect from the princess' father and control over him, enraging the hero and sabotaging their process of gaining the hand of the princess. This role is carried out by 'Prince Charming' in Shrek 2.
• The Dispatcher - this character has an earlier role in the film. They inform the hero of a dilemma and send the hero on their mission. The character could be a family member of the hero or the princess and may also be merged with another character function (e.g. the false hero who follows the hero and possibly poses as the helper). 'Lord Farquaad' is the dispatcher as well as the false hero in Shrek.
• The Hero (protagonist) - the character on a mission. The hero guides the audience through their journey and leads the narrative, allowing it to progress/develop. The story that the audience is told is, in fact, the story of the hero, causing them to be the character that the audience wants to succeed. They react to the dispatcher and donor positively while reacting to the villain negatively and also resolve any issues and unfavourable occurrences. This is 'Shrek' himself.

Propp's disregarded functions for short films

The majority of Propp's character functions can be used in contemporary media products, however, short films disregard these functions as, conventionally, the short film consists of very few characters. The character functions listed above are meant to be developed throughout a media product, but short filmmakers are unable to do this as they don't have the luxury of time to explore each type of character in detail while advancing the narrative clearly.