Vladimir Propps Structural Theory

1. Luke Chillingsworth

2. Hero

 Traditionally the main
character has to restore the
equilibrium of the narrative.
He usually defeats the villains
and falls in love with the
heroine. In Shrek the hero
would be Shrek himself as he
saves Princess Fiona and wins
her love.

3. Villain

 The Villain is usually the cause
of the disruption. He is usually
a threat to the safety of the
heroine as well. The Villain in
Shrek is Lord Farquaad as he is
after Princess Fiona for himself
and is against everything Shrek
is doing.

4. Dispatcher

 This character would send
the hero on his journey to
restore equilibrium to the
narrative. This gives the
hero a chance to prove his
worth. In Shrek, Lord
Farquaad is the Dispatcher
as he is the one who sends
Shrek to go and rescue
Princess Fiona.

5. Donor

 This character would give
something to the hero in order
to help them on their journey.
Donkey is the donor in Shrek
as he provides Shrek someone
to talk to as well as moral
support throughout the film.

6. Helper

 The helper assists the hero in reestablishing the equilibrium.
This may be in the form of a
sidekick. The helper in Shrek is
Donkey. He provides support
for Shrek as well as helping him
along the way. This is a good
example of a helper in the
narrative.

7. Heroine

 The Heroine is usually a
vulnerable character who needs
rescuing by the hero. This could
be in the form of a Princess. In
Shrek, Princess Fiona is the
heroine as she needs saving by
Shrek in the story. This is an
ideal example of a Heroine in
narratives.

8. False Hero

 The False Hero seems to be on
the side of the hero but then
turns against him or deceives
him later on in the narrative. In
Shrek, this character is Lord
Farquaard as he seems nice to
Shrek to begin with, only to
deceive him by taking Princess
Fiona away from Shrek.

9. Propp

 We have found out through
Propp’s Character Theory
that all narratives share the
same structure with the
same characters. Our
experience of narratives
means we are able to
recognise these character
roles. Not all narratives will
feature all of the characters
though and some narratives
may show variations of these
characters.