Feminism Patriarchy Definition of Terms
temperament and moral nature for his speech and action constitute his motivation. Abrams, 1981:25
Abrams’s explanation is understandable; the persons who presented in a play or narrative work have moral and certain type of person. They express their
manner from their speech, their gesture in the play. Thus, the characters in play are alive through the way they act and converse to the other characters.
The main character is the most important character in the story but he or she cannot stand on his or her own character. He or she needs other characters to
deliver the message of the story. The writer supports the explanation by underlying
Roger B. Henkle’s statement in Reading a Novel, he describes characters as a major and secondary character. Major characters are the most
significant and important in a literary work, he states “the complexity of their characterization, the attention given certain figures and the personal intensity that
a character seems to transmit” Henkle, 1978:88. The major characters can express and dramatize the human issues of the literary work and it will determine
its effectiveness. On the other hand, secondary characters serve functions that are more restricted. It means, the characters usually appear in a certain setting and
may become the background of the major characters. The function of secondary characters is to place the world of the literary work. Thus, the roles of secondary
characters are less important than major characters Henkle, 1977:87-101. Christopher Russel Reaske in his book How to Analyze Drama stated there
are six devices of characterization 1966:46-48. They are, a.
The appearance of the character
The characters can be described by the physical appearance. The playwright often describes the physical sense of the character in the prologue or in the stage
directions. b.
Asides and Soliloquies The character is telling the audiences of his characteristics when he speaks
alone. Aside is a remark that made by one character but pretended not to be heard by other characters in the story. The explanation of soliloquy is a kind of thinking
out loud. Thus, the readers learn about the character as he speaks to know his plans, hopes or wishes.
c. Dialogue between characters
The character is not only can be analyzed from his own language but also when he speaking to others, in order to shed a great deal of light on his
personality. d.
Hidden narration One of the devices to analyze is by having one character narrates something
about other characters. The narration is hidden in the sense and it is not the playwright’s direct comments. Thus, the readers can understand the
characters through the words and thought of other characters. e.
Language The personality attributes can be found through the language of the character.
The readers should watch and remember how the character speaks because the readers should know his personality from the way he use the words.
f. Character in action
As the characters become more bounded in the action, the readers are naturally learning more about them. The action of the character is the basic
learning for the readers to understand the characteristic by the character’s behavior and attitude.