karakteranalyse

Karakteranalyse is the systematic examination of a character’s traits, motivations, and development within a narrative or performance. In literary studies and media analysis, it seeks to understand how characters are constructed and what they reveal about themes, values, and cultural context. In some uses, the term can refer to psychological profiling in real-world settings, but in most academic contexts it concerns fictional figures.

A character analysis considers physical description, personality traits, goals, conflicts, decisions, and relationships; how these elements influence the plot; how narration, point of view, and dialogue reveal interior states; and how symbolism or motifs connect to the character’s arc. Analysts distinguish dynamic characters, who change in response to events, from static characters, who remain largely the same; and protagonists, antagonists, foils, and supporting figures.

Common methods include close reading of scenes, tracking character arcs across the narrative, and applying theoretical lenses (psychoanalytic, feminist, marxist, postcolonial, etc.). The aim is to explain what the character represents, how the author builds meaning, and how readers interpret the character’s actions.

Limitations include subjectivity and interpretive variance; different readers may emphasize different traits, contexts, or intentions. A robust characterization analysis relies on textual evidence and acknowledges multiple interpretations.

See also: literary analysis, character study, narratology.