Confidant
The confidant (/ˈkɒnfɪdænt/ or /ˌkɒnfɪˈdɑːnt/; feminine: confidante, same pronunciation) is a character in a story whom a protagonist confides in and trusts. Confidants may be other principal characters, characters who command trust by virtue of their position such as doctors or other authority figures, or anonymous confidants with no separate role in the narrative.[1]
Role
The confidant is a type of secondary character in the story, often a friend or authority figure,[1] whose role is to listen to the protagonist's secrets, examine their character, and advise them on their actions. Rather than simply acting as a passive listener for the protagonist's monologues, the confidant may themselves act to move the story forward, or serve to guide and represent the reactions of the audience.[2]
History
The presence of the confidant in
Interpreters such as
References
- ^ a b Lawton 1943, p. 19.
- ^ Patrice 1998, pp. 74–75.
- ^ Worth-Stylianou 1999, p. 2.
- ^ Lawton 1943, p. 20.
- ^ Lawton 1943, p. 25.
- ^ Worth-Stylianou 1992, p. 229.
- ^ Schoff 1956, p. 53.
- ^ Kennedy 1983, p. 67.
Sources
- Kennedy, Andrew K. (1983). Dramatic Dialogue: The Duologue of Personal Encounter. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Lawton, H. W. (1943). "The Confidant in and before French Classical Tragedy". The Modern Language Review. 38 (1): 18–31. JSTOR 3717370.
- Patrice, Pavis (1998). "Confidant". Dictionary of the Theatre: Terms, Concepts, and Analysis. Toronto, Buffalo, and London: University of Toronto Press.
- Scherer, Jacques (2014). La dramaturgie classique (2nd ed.). Paris: Armand Colin.
- Schoff, Francis G. (1956). "Horatio: A Shakespearian Confidant". Shakespeare Quarterly. 7 (1): 53–57. JSTOR 2866115.
- Worth-Stylianou, Valérie (1992). "La querelle du confident et la structure dramaturgique des premières pièces de Racine". Littératures Classiques (in French). 16: 229–46. .
- Worth-Stylianou, Valérie (1999). Confidential Strategies: The Evolving Role of the Confident in French Tragic Drama (1635-1677). Geneva: Librairie Droz.
External links
- The dictionary definition of confidant at Wiktionary