45 Master Characters (36 page)

Tony Soprano Sr. (James Gandolfini) in
The Sopranos

Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in
Star Trek

Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) in
Jerry Seinfeld

Skipper Jonas Grumby (Alan Hale Jr.) in
Gilligan's Island

Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) in
I Love Lucy

Maurice Minnifield (Barry Corbin) in
Northern Exposure

Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) in
The Godfather

Don Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in
The Godfather II

Adam Bonner (Spencer Tracy) in
Adam's Rib

General George S. Patton Jr. (George C. Scott) in
Patton

King Mongkut of Siam (Yul Brynner) in
The King and I

King Arthur

Julius Caesar

Long John Silver in
Treasure Island
by Robert Louis Stevenson

Captain Kidd

Captain Ahab in
Moby Dick
by Herman Melville

King Lear in
King Lear
by William Shakespeare

Big Daddy in
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
by Tennessee Williams

Marc Antony in
Antony and Cleopatra
by William Shakespeare

Tamburlaine in
Tamburlaine the Great
by Christopher Marlowe

S
upporting characters are a great source to use to develop conflict within a story. In their own unique way each one of the supporting characters can create obstacles for the hero to overcome.

If your story is lagging in certain areas — a scene isn't working or a subplot is going nowhere — you can inject a supporting character to spice things up. These archetypes help you to create supporting characters with a life of their own and add color to your story. They don't just ask a question or say a line and walk away; they create memorable moments and add subtext to a scene. They hang around for a while, popping up at the worst moment to create new problems.

Think of Newman (Wayne Knight) from
Seinfeld
and all the times his hatred for Jerry made Jerry's life more miserable than it already was. Consider the episode where Jerry makes out in a movie theater during
Schindler's List
because his parents are staying in his apartment and he hasn't had any alone time with his girlfriend. The writers chose to put his enemy Newman in the theater at the same time so he could catch Jerry in the act. He causes trouble for Jerry by rushing home to tell Jerry's parents all about the spectacle Jerry made of himself with his girlfriend. This ultimately leads to Jerry not being able to see his girlfriend anymore.

As you work on the journey section and develop your plot, look for scenes or subplots that can use more tension or drama and try weaving a supporting character into the story.

There are three categories of supporting characters: Friends, Rivals and Symbols.

F
riends are supporting characters who mean well but sometimes cause trouble anyway. They can give wrong advice, forget to tell the hero something important, make the hero give up his quest in order to save them, or they may do something that works against the hero “for his own good.”

There are four types of supporting Friends:

• The Magi
  

• The Mentor
  

• The Best Friend
  

• The Lover
  

The Magi is the voice of wisdom. He's the all-knowing wise man who has been through what the hero is going through, possibly several times. He has the power to help the hero avoid problems and pitfalls but often sees the greater wisdom in having the hero figure things out for himself. “Experience is the greatest teacher” is the Magi's mantra. The Magi is the master teacher; the hero is the student.

The Magi is often unwilling to help the hero and prefers to be left alone like a hermit in a cave. The world and its problems aren't foremost on his mind. The Magi must be convinced to help, and the hero must see value in what the Magi has to offer. If the Magi decides to help the hero, he makes it clear that everything must be done as he says without question. His word is law.

The hero is often upset when she gets into trouble and later learns the Magi could've easily helped her avoid it. She may not see the greater lesson she has learned until much later in the story when she faces a similar problem, only with more at stake. It is then she realizes she can “do this herself” and is able to overcome the situation on her own. If she hadn't experienced the first lesson she would be lost.

As their relationship grows the Magi often learns to like the hero as a friend or surrogate child. He can see himself in the hero and takes pleasure in living the newness of his craft through his student. As the hero succeeds he feels he has succeeded. If the student forgets the Magi or acts better than the Magi, things can go wrong in the relationship. The Magi may get upset that the hero is moving on without him, as if he's the baby being thrown out with the bath water.

The Magi can create conflict for the hero:

By getting jealous of what the hero is accomplishing without him.

By teaching the hero a harsh lesson, regardless of the hero's goal or time limits.

By withholding information the hero needs to overcome a situation so she can learn on her own.

By giving the hero the wrong information in order to teach her a lesson.

By refusing to help at all.

Examples of the Magi:

The Magi can be a master detective who knows all about the kinds of cases the hero is working on but has quit his job in order to forget all the brutality he saw. He doesn't take kindly to the new rookie coming to him for help and opening up all his memories again.

The Magi can be the coach unwilling to train the new athlete.

The Magi is often the master teacher of what the hero wants to master, whether it's martial arts, chess or something else.

The Magi in action:

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) in
Star Wars

Bruce Pandolfini (Ben Kingsley), the revered and respected chess teacher in
Searching for Bobby Fisher

The Mentor is much more like the hero and closer to his level than the Magi. The Mentor freely offers advice and wants to be involved in the hero's problems. The Mentor is like an advanced helper who may soon need help himself.

The Negative Mentor

At his worst the Mentor loves the status and prestige he gets from his power to help the hero. He wants to be involved every step of the way and to hold onto his power over the hero. There is a hierarchy established, and the Mentor usually has a hard time letting go of it if the hero outgrows him. The greater the age difference, the easier it is for the Mentor to let go. If the hero is close to his age it can turn into a competitive relationship. The hero may see himself in the Mentor's eyes and may not like what his future may be. He may judge the Mentor for all the mistakes he has made and try to distance himself from him.

The Negative Mentor in action:

Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) in
Wall Street
, the Wall Street tycoon who mentors and seduces the hero into dishonest trading practices.