Free The Anatomy of Story by John Truby

friend.
    ■ Main Opponent in Hamlet King Claudius
    ■  Second Opponent Queen Gertrude
    ■  Third Opponent Polonius, the king's adviser
    Ally
    The ally is the hero's helper. The ally also serves as a sounding board, allowing the audience to hear the values and feelings of the lead character. Usually, the ally's goal is the same as the hero's, but occasionally, the ally has a goal of his own.
    ■ Ally in Hamlet Horatio Fake-Ally Opponent
    The fake-ally opponent is a character who appears to be the hero's friend bur is actually an opponent. Having this character is one of the main ways you add power to the opposition and twists to the plot.
    The fake-ally opponent is invariably one of the most complex and most fascinating characters in a story because he is usually torn by a dilemma. While pretending to be an ally of the hero, the fake-ally opponent comes to actually feel like an ally. So while working to defeat the hero, the fake-ally opponent often ends up helping the hero win.
    ■  Fake-Ally Opponents in Hamlet Ophelia, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern
    Fake-Opponent Ally
    This character appears to be fighting the hero but is actually the hero's friend. The fake-opponent ally is not as common in storytelling as the fake-ally opponent, because he is not as useful to the writer. Plot, as we will see in Chapter 8, comes from opposition, especially opposition that is hidden under the surface. An ally, even one who appears at first to be an opponent, cannot give you the conflict and surprises of an opponent.
    ■ Fake-Opponent Ally in Hamlet None Subplot Character
    The subplot character is one of the most misunderstood in fiction. Most writers think of this character as the lead in the second story line—for example, as the love interest in a detective story. But that is not a true subplot character.
    The subplot character has a very precise function in a story, and again it involves the comparative method. The subplot is used to contrast how the hero and a second character deal with the same problem in slightly different ways. Through comparison, the subplot character highlights traits and dilemmas of the main character.
    Let's look more closely at Hamlet to see how you might create a true subplot character. We might say that Hamlet's problem, reduced to one line, is to take revenge on the man who killed his father. Similarly, Laertes' problem is to take revenge on the man who killed his father. The contrast focuses on the fact that one killing is premeditated murder and the other is an impetuous, misguided mistake.
    KEY POINT: The subplot character is usually not the ally.
    The subplot character, like the ally and the opponent, provides another opportunity to define the hero through comparison and advance the plot. The ally helps the hero reach the main goal. The subplot character tracks a line parallel to the hero, with a different result.
    ■ Subplot Character in Hamlet Laertes, son of Polonius
    Let's break down a couple of stories so you can see bow characters contrast through function.
    The Silence of the Lambs
    (novel by Thomas Harris, screenplay by Ted Tally, 1991) This is a story about an FBI trainee named Clarice who is searching for a serial killer known as Buffalo Bill. At the suggestion of her boss, Jack, she seeks the help of another serial killer already in prison, the infamous Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter. He is initially hostile to her, but ends up giving her far better training than she receives at the FBI.
    ■  Hero Clarice Starling
    ■  Main Opponent Buffalo Bill, the serial killer
    ■  Second Opponent Dr. Chilton, the warden
    ■  Fake-Ally Opponent None
    ■  Ally Jack, her boss at the FBI
    ■   Fake-Opponent Ally Hannibal Lecter
    ■  Subplot Character None
    American Beauty
    (by Alan Ball, 1999) American Beauty is a comedy-drama set in suburbia, so Lester's main opposition is within the family, with his wife, Carolyn, and his daughter, Jane, both of whom dislike him. He soon becomes