In most parables and fables, the characters are flat. However, this is not to say that flat characters can never take on critical roles. If he or she is round, then he or she may 'steal the show.' The less important the character, the more likely he or she should be flat. If we make her a round character, the audience will probably expect her to play a more important role than simply dropping the protagonist off at The Hilton. Imagine the protagonist takes a taxi to a hotel-if we make the taxi driver a round character, it will usually be problematic she's probably not important enough to be round, and making her round draws attention away from more important things. In fact, trying to make every character deep and complex is often a disaster. Not every character that appears in a story needs to be deep and complex. Flat characters can be great when you need to make a quick impression and move the plot forward-they allow the audience to instantly fill in the blanks and keep reading (or watching). One scene, and the audience pretty much knows who he is. In Back to the Future, Biff is pretty much summed up by his role as a 'bully.' There isn't much depth to him. Flat characters are often 'stock characters.' Their characterization may be summed up with their simple role. Crabbe and Goyle are Malfoy's muscle, which makes Malfoy more intimidating and threatening. It's not necessarily a matter of 'poor character development.'įlat characters fit best in minor roles, and can be great at fulfilling a simple function in a story. He's perhaps the simplest, most straightforward character in the series.įlat characters aren't 'bad characters.' Pretty much every story needs flat characters.

We don't get some heartfelt, tragic backstory to explain his motivations, and we don't ever see him do something totally contradictory to our early impressions of him. Viewers get an impression of him that never really changes.

Likewise, in The Office, Kevin is a flat character. What we thought of them initially, is pretty much the same as what we think of them at the end. Through the series, neither ever really stray from that. Crabbe and Goyle are unintelligent, but strong, and follow Malfoy's bidding. The audience gets an impression of them as soon as they are introduced, and they never really learn more about them. In Harry Potter, Crabbe and Goyle are flat characters. A flat character may have only a couple of traits or character tags within the story, which makes them appear simple and two-dimensional. Flat characters are straightforward and uncomplicated.

What is a flat character?