Character Type: Martyr
“A martyr has seen or experienced something so profoundly true, at least to them, they are willing to sacrifice everything on its behalf…
“A martyr has seen or experienced something so profoundly true, at least to them, they are willing to sacrifice everything on its behalf, including their own lives.”
Those of you who have followed my blog for some time or taken courses with me through Screenwriting Master Class know how fascinated I am with character archetypes, specifically how there are five — Protagonist, Nemesis, Attractor, Mentor, Trickster — which recur in movies over and over and over.
Some might see archetypes as a sort of reductionist approach to writing when in my experience, it is precisely the opposite.
By working with these five Primary Character Archetypes, we can identify the core narrative function of every key character, then use that knowledge as a guide as we build them out in a limitless number of ways.
One approach is to use an extensive array of Character Types available to us. So this month, I am running a series in which we will explore 20 Character Types, and consider how writers can use them to create unique, compelling figures in our stories.
Today: Martyr.
Typically, we associate the term with someone who suffers persecution or even death for their religious or political beliefs. There are plenty of movie examples of this iteration including Braveheart, Ghandi and Silkwood.
Their suffering can be simply tragic, but more often than not, their deaths are a cause of inspiration for others.
This hearkens back to the original root of the word from the Greek μάρτυς which means “witness.” A martyr has seen or experienced something so profoundly true, at least to them, they are willing to sacrifice everything on its behalf, including their own lives.
More generally, a martyr can commit an act of self-sacrifice on behalf of someone or something other than him/herself. The death of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope is a case in point:
There is another narrative possibility whereby a character uses their suffering to manipulate others into doing the bidding of the martyr or pretends to suffer to garner sympathy.
What sort of brainstorming can you do with the martyr character type?
What if your Protagonist is a martyr? What cause or belief could they have which would lead them down a path of suffering and potential death? The belief might prove to be true or it can be shown to be a lie, forcing the Protagonist to question the very foundation of their world view.
Perhaps it is someone the Protagonist is willing to suffer for. Who might that someone be? Why would the Protagonist commit to this course of action? For example, Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) in Saving Private Ryan sacrifices his own life to save that of Private Ryan, not for any great cause, but rather at first merely following orders, then eventually to pass on the mantle of responsibility with two words: “Earn this.”
You can apply the martyr type to any of the Primary Character Archetypes: Mentor as martyr. Attractor as martyr. Trickster as martyr. Even Nemesis as martyr at least their own self-perception.
As heroes, it’s hard to imagine any bigger character type than a martyr. If we care about a character and they suffer grievously, even dying for a cause greater than themselves, it’s pretty hard not to feel a strong emotional connection.
What other movie characters can you think of who are martyr types? What do you see as some of the strengths of this character type?
For other Character Types, go here.