Karaktørenes

Karaktørenes is a possessive form used in Danish (and in some Norwegian texts influenced by Danish) to refer to something belonging to or associated with multiple characters. In English, it translates to the characters’. The term appears in literary criticism, film studies, theatre, and narrative analysis when discussing traits, motives, or relationships shared by a group of characters rather than a single one.

Grammatical background: The base word karaktør means character. In Danish, definite singular forms include karaktøren (the character) and plural definite forms such as karaktørerne (the characters). Possessive constructions attach to the definite form, and forms for multiple characters are used to indicate ownership or association with more than one character. The exact spelling can vary with orthographic standards, and Norwegian texts sometimes adopt Danish patterns or use closely related forms such as karakters or figurer in parallel discussions of characters.

Usage in practice: Karaktørenes is commonly found in phrases discussing collective aspects of a cast, such as karaktørenes motiver (the characters’ motives), karaktørenes forhold (the characters’ relationships), or karaktørenes utvikling (the characters’ development). It enables analysis that treats the ensemble as a unit rather than focusing on individuals alone.

See also: karaktør, karakter, litterær analyse, narrative.