: Term for a character that only exists to be talked to I just saw a two-person play where one character did the majority of the talking and the other seemed to exist only to give the other
I just saw a two-person play where one character did the majority of the talking and the other seemed to exist only to give the other character someone to talk to. I've seen this happen in books and TV as well, and sometimes a normally strong character will take this role temporarily. Usually the conversation plays out something like this:
A: < Talks for 3 minutes about ducks >
B: Oh, interesting, so you're saying that ducks can fly and swim?
A: Exactly! < Talks for 3 more minutes >
B: So what about geese? I've heard about them too.
A: Oh, those are similar, but there are some differences. < Talks about geese >
And so on and so forth. Character B never really contributes anything meaningful to the conversation and seems to only be there so it's not a 90-minute monologue. I would certainly view this as Bad Writing, and something that would be more appropriate in an children's educational video.
Is there a term or trope for this type of character or scene?
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@Sarah872
The term for this person is the interlocutor, from the Latin. It means the one who "speaks between," and often used for a character in a dialog --for example, the Platonic dialogs --whose role is secondary to the main speaker.
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interlocutor
If the person only asks questions, you could also call them the querent.
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@Debbie451
This is an "info dump" or "exposition dump". The character doing it is Mr Exposition. (Warning: TV Tropes links.)
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@Jessie137
Straight Man
A member of a team of comic performers who plays a supporting role by helping to set up jokes and punch lines through engaging in preparatory dialog with the principal comedian. en.wiktionary.org/wiki/straight_man
See also: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_man
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@Candy753
I don't believe there is a single term for this kind of character. The terms usually applied to those characters roll in relation to the protagonist are Foil, Confidante, and stooge -- or as I call them Chumley.
The Foil serves to highlight the protagonist's qualities and make them stand out stronger by the comparison.
The Confidante permits deeper insight into the protagonist virtues, but not their flaws -- else they'd be a foil.
Stooge is someone that asks questions so the protagonist can speak to them. I call them Chumleys because that was Chumley's role in the Tennessee Tuxedo Cartoons.
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@Megan928
I believe in this case, a 'sounding board' fits the bill, simply a person to bounce concepts, dialogue, and ideas off of. Just how some characters act as nought but mouthpieces, this one acts as nothing but an earpiece.
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