character [or personage] is the person represented in a dramatic or narrative work, who is interpreted by the reader as possessing particular moral, intellectual, and emotional qualities by inferences from what the person says and their distinctive way of saying it—the dialogue—and from what they do—the action. (Abrams & Harpham, 2012, p. 46) By extension, any entity (animal, object, etc) which in a fictional context has an objective. (Lavandier, 2005) A character may remain essentially “stable,” or unchanged in outlook and disposition, from beginning to end of a work [...], or may undergo a radical change, either through a gradual process of development [...] or as the result of a crisis. Whether a character remains stable or changes, the reader of a traditional and realistic work expects “consistency”—the character should not suddenly break off and act in a way not plausibly grounded in his or her temperament as we have already come to know it. (Abrams & Harpham, 2012, p. 46) The main character of the story is called "protagonist". Also see characterization, protagonist, antagonist
