FOIL CHARACTER

ISMAEL:
Foils are used in all types of literature. A character that exhibits opposite or conflicting traits
to another character is called a foil. Foil characters can be antagonists, but not always.
Sometimes, foils will even be other characters alongside the protagonist. When an author
uses a foil, they want to make sure that the reader is picking up on important attributes and
characteristics of a main character. For this reason, foils are important to watch out for!
Occasionally, a foil can refer to a subplot which is used to foil the main plot.

Foils Help You:

● Understand a character's traits and motivations more clearly

● Know good from evil, smart from obtuse, or strength from weakness
● Reflect more accurately on who the protagonist is

ANGEL:

An antagonist is the person, or thing acting against the protagonist, or hero. It does not have
to be the same species as the protagonist, or even alive at all.

The foil always is.The foil is a character who has contrasting/complementary characteristics
to the protagonist.

It's easiest to think of Hamlet, and realize that although King Claudius was the antagonist, it
was Laertes who played the foil.

The foil can be the antagonist, or a side kick, or anywhere in between.

EXAMPLES:

● The importance of being Earnest: Algernon - Jack

● Romeo and Juliet: Romeo - Mercutio
● Wuthering Heights: Healthcliff - Edgar
● Frankenstein: Victor Frankenstein, Robert Walton, and the monster
● Don Quijote de la Mancha: Don Quijote - Sancho Panza

NATALIA:
Yesterday we talked about the importance of being earnest so, I’m going to talk about
Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff as an example of foil character.

They’re both single men out to find the girls of their dreams. They both lead morally
ambiguous double lives through the nonexistent characters of Ernest and Bunbury,
respectively. And they both pretend their names are Ernest to get their girls.

This type of repetition shows that Jack and Algernon are practically identical in both
character and predicament. They’ve both been caught lying. Both their gals are mad at
them. And they both react the same way, repeating almost word-for-word what the other just
said. In the end, the big punch line that they really are brothers isn’t all that unexpected. With
all their scheming, bickering, and making-up, they’ve been acting like siblings all along.
EMILIO:
Gwendolen and Cecily

In the same way that Jack and Algernon are foils, Gwendolen and Cecily are too. They
share the same basic character traits—two romantic girls out to catch and wed their
respective Prince Charmings. They are both rich. They are both beautiful. And they’re both
outrageously in love with the name Ernest. The only things that really distinguish the two
women are Cecily’s relatively younger age and sharper wit.

In the same way that the two guys echo each other, Gwendolen and Cecily repeat each
others' lines, particularly in the twin scenes (in Act II) where the boys arrive and straighten
out exactly who is engaged to whom.