What are ways to represent the Objective Characters?

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#1

Hello All.

I’m reading through the Dramatica Theory book for myself, and I remembered seeing this graphic:

Characteristics of Archetypical Characters from the Dramatica Appendix
Characteristics of Archetypical Characters from the Dramatica Appendix961×907 127 KB

I found that it’s from the Dramatica Appendices.

I’m learning that the characters in the Objective Story are supposed to represent the basic functions of the Story Mind, its drives and considerations; that archetypes are the typical pairing of these elements while Complex Characters are more atypical groupings; and that either type of character works so long as those basic functions are represented. With this graphic, it turns out that the Archetypes extend to the whole Chart, not just the lower left (Future, Subconscious, Obtaining, Becoming).

So my question is, if I have a story in one of the other Concerns, let’s say, the upper right (Progress, Preconscious, Doing, Being), and I wanted to represent, say, the Protagonist (the mind’s initiative), would it be represented if I used Effect and Proven instead? Or would I have to use Pursuit and Consider?

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#2

I’m of two minds about this. On the one hand, I like the idea of privileging Means of Evaluation in a top-right story. In some sense, these stories are about measuring the process of development and change, so if the Pursuit protagonist and the Proven protagonist are different characters, the Proven protagonist is more “important” in some way. They’re the one making sure the story moves towards the Proven result they want.

On the other hand, the difference between Motivation and the other groups is worth noting. When you look at the Purpose characters, they answer the question, “WHY are you doing this? WHY should the Goal succeed or fail?” The Means of Evaluation characters ask, “TO WHAT EXTENT are we doing this? TO WHAT EXTENT do we determine whether the Goal has succeeded or failed?” The Methodology characters ask, “WHAT are we doing? WHAT do we do to reach or frustrate the Goal?” But the Motivation characters are the one who ask, “HOW are we doing this? HOW do we relate to the Goal?”

So in that sense, the Motivation protagonist is the only of the 32 that specifically says, “I am Pursuing the Goal. I am the engine that drives us towards success.” Also, I think Melanie Anne Phillips agrees with this, because she calls the other 24 Archetypes something else, rather than folding them all into the Motivation Archetypes:

32 Archetypes

(This is from the Lost Theory Book. Also, these don’t map exactly 1:1.)

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