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The people in a good novel or play can feel real. You understand their fears and can sometimes predict their mistakes. Writers create this effect on purpose, through a set of techniques called characterisation.
This guide explains what characterisation is, the five techniques authors use, and how to write about characterisation in an English essay.
Characterisation is the set of techniques an author uses to build a character and show that character to the reader.
When you analyse characterisation, you explain how the author created a character, not just what the character is like.
Students often mix up these two terms. Knowing the difference is the first step to a strong English essay.
“Macbeth is an ambitious man” describes a character. “Shakespeare shows Macbeth’s ambition through his violent actions and his uncertain speech” analyses characterisation. Your teachers want the second kind of sentence. They want you to explain how the author built the character.
Authors use two main methods to build characters. Knowing both helps you find evidence in your text.
In direct characterisation, the author or narrator tells you about a character’s personality, traits or background. Writers often use it early in a text to introduce a character.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the narrator, Nick Carraway, describes Tom Buchanan as having “a cruel body”. Fitzgerald tells the reader directly that Tom is powerful and aggressive. When you analyse direct characterisation, look at the exact words the author chooses and ask why they want you to view the character this way.
In indirect characterisation, the author shows you what a character is like instead of telling you. You work out their personality from their actions, speech, appearance and how others treat them.
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the play never states that Lady Macbeth is manipulative. Instead, she questions her husband’s courage and manhood to push him to kill King Duncan. Her words show the audience how she controls him. Indirect characterisation usually gives you the best evidence for your essays.
Look for these five types of evidence when you study how a writer has built a character.
What a character says, and how they say it, tells you about their background, education and emotions. Notice their tone, their word choice and the length of their sentences.
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Abigail Williams threatens the other girls with violence if they reveal what happened in the forest. When she speaks to John Proctor, her tone becomes pleading. The change in her speech shows that she is manipulative and changes her behaviour to get what she wants.
How to analyse it. Look at the tone and sentence structure of the dialogue. Ask whether the character’s words match what they really want.
What a character chooses to do, especially under pressure, often shows their true nature. Compare how a character acts at the start of a text with how they act at the end. This shows you how they have changed.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein runs from his laboratory in horror as soon as his creature comes to life. This action shows that he does not take responsibility for what he has made.
How to analyse it. Compare what a character does with what they say. A gap between the two can show hypocrisy or inner conflict.
Authors choose physical details with care. Clothing, facial features, posture and grooming can all suggest something about a character. A small detail, such as worn-out shoes, can hint at a character’s wealth or state of mind.
In George Orwell’s 1984, Winston Smith is introduced as a small, frail man with a varicose ulcer above his right ankle. These details show that he is weak and worn down by the government that controls his life.
How to analyse it. Link the physical details to a larger idea or theme in the text.
Some texts let readers hear a character’s private thoughts through inner monologue, diary entries or soliloquies. These reveal fears, desires and motives that the character hides from others.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet’s soliloquies let the audience hear his private thoughts. They show that he is grieving, thoughtful and unable to act because he overthinks. He hides this side of himself from the other characters.
How to analyse it. Compare what the character thinks in private with how they act in public.
You can learn a lot about a character from how other people respond to them. If other characters fear them, ignore them or listen closely when they speak, the author is building that character indirectly.
In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the people of Meryton decide at the first ball that Mr Darcy is proud and disagreeable. Austen uses their reaction to set up the first impression of Darcy. She then changes that impression slowly over the novel.
How to analyse it. Think about whether the other characters judge fairly. Their reaction may be correct, or the author may be showing a misunderstanding.
Finding the techniques is only the first step. To score well, you need to explain them clearly. Cover these three steps in each body paragraph.
Name the exact technique and give a short quote as evidence. Avoid writing “the author uses characterisation”. Write “the author uses aggressive dialogue” or “the author uses physical description” instead. Work the quote into your own sentence.
Explain what the technique tells the reader about the character’s personality or feelings. Does it show that they are vulnerable or arrogant? Make a clear statement.
This is the most important step. Connect the characterisation to the author’s main message. Authors use characters to explore big ideas. Ask yourself what the author wants to say about people, society or the world through this character.
For more help with paragraph structure, read our guide to writing body paragraphs.
The most common mistake is retelling the plot. This happens when you describe what a character did instead of analysing the techniques the author used to show it.
Authors often use minor characters as foils. A foil is a character whose traits highlight different traits in another character. Comparing a main character with a minor one can give you strong essay points.
In the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, Dr Watson is warm and down to earth. His ordinary reactions highlight how cold and logical Holmes is. Watson’s presence shows that Holmes is brilliant, but that his logic costs him close relationships.
Strong characters change over a text. Track how the author’s techniques shift from the first chapter to the last. This helps you explain how and why a character develops.
Analysing characterisation well takes practice. In Matrix English courses, experienced teachers show you how to analyse complex texts, find literary techniques and structure strong arguments.
For more techniques, read our Literary Techniques Toolkit.
Book a free trial lesson in NSW or VIC to find out how a Matrix class works.
Characterisation is the set of techniques an author uses to build a character and show that character to the reader. These techniques include dialogue, actions, physical description, thoughts and the reactions of other characters.
In direct characterisation, the author tells you what a character is like. In indirect characterisation, the author shows you through the character’s words, actions, appearance and how others react to them.
The five methods are speech, actions, physical description, thoughts and the reactions of other characters.
Name the technique and give a quote. Explain what it shows about the character. Then link it to the author’s purpose or a theme in the text.
Written by Matrix Education
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