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One level down from a secondary character
- In the hierarchy of characters, a tertiary character is one level down from a secondary character, who is one level down from your primary character—your hero. If all eyes are on the hero, the secondary characters are slightly less in focus, and then the tertiary characters fill out your worldbuilding from the story’s fringe.
People also ask
What is the difference between secondary and tertiary characters?
What is a tertiary character?
Do tertiary characters play a role in a story?
What is the difference between primary and secondary characters?
What are secondary characters?
Why are tertiary characters not called 'tertagonists'?
Sep 22, 2020 · The three common ‘levels’ of characters are primary, secondary, and tertiary characters. These aren’t titles you’ll prescribe to them in your story, but it can make your plotting and story development a little smoother behind-the-scenes.
However, they’re not going to be a character who only shows up for one or two scenes at max and serves little purpose (this would be a tertiary character, which will get to in just a second). Famous examples of much-loved secondary characters in literature include: Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter. Peeta from The Hunger Games
Secondary main characters, also known as deuteragonists, are the most important characters after the protagonist. They’re present in a good part of the story, and their role is almost as important as that of the main characters, but without carrying the final weight of the main plot.
- Protagonist. The protagonist is likely a pretty familiar concept for most of us: this is the main character, the big cheese, the star of the show. Most of the action centers around them, and they’re the one we’re meant to care about the most.
- Antagonist. If you’re an antagonist, you antagonize — it’s what you do. Specifically, you undermine, thwart, battle, or otherwise oppose one character: the protagonist.
- Deuteragonist. Most stories have a primary protagonist and a secondary deuteragonist (or group of deuteragonists). This is the character who’s not exactly in the spotlight, but pretty close to it.
- Tertiary characters. The reason that tertiary characters aren’t called “tertagonists” is because they’re not important enough to really agonize anything or anyone.
Nov 13, 2020 · What are secondary characters? A secondary character is someone who plays a significant role in your book(s), but your plot doesn’t revolve around them. They probably get dragged into it by your main character, though. Subplots usually revolve around secondary characters, too.
Oct 7, 2024 · Tertiary Characters. Tertiary characters are figures who sparingly appear in the story but still play a role in shaping the narrative. While they don’t receive as much attention as the main or secondary characters, their involvement often helps support the plot or add depth to the story’s world.
Sep 6, 2019 · Secondary Characters: Important but supporting roles, generally appearing in fewer scenes and with a narrower narrative function. Tertiary Characters: Bit players who appear in one scene to perform a single function in relation to the plot.
