The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of the work might consist solely of the title character's name – such as Michael Collins[1]orOthello – or be a longer phrase or sentence – such as Alice in WonderlandorThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The title character is commonly – but not necessarily – the protagonist of the story. Narrative works routinely do not have a title character and there is some ambiguity in what qualifies as one.
The title character need not be the subject of the title in a strict grammatical sense: Uncle Tom is considered the title character of Uncle Tom's Cabin[16] and Lee Marvin is often described as playing the title character in the film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, as his character (Liberty Valance) is named in the title, even though the grammatical subject of the title is the person who shot him.[17]
The general noun phrase "title character" can be replaced with a descriptive noun or phrase which is then further described using the adjective "titular". For example, the title character of Dracula can be referred to as the book's "titular vampire",[23] the title character of Hamlet is the "titular prince of Denmark",[24] and the title character of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the "titular wizard".[25][26]
^Hoffman, Warren (February 18, 2014). The Great White Way: Race and the Broadway Musical. Rutgers University Press. p. 57.
^Hammer, Tonya R (April 2008). Myths, Stereotypes, and Controlling Images in Film: A Feminist Content Analysis of Hollywood's Portrayal of Women's Career Choices. p. 58. ISBN9781243451705.
^The Best Test Preparation for the Advanced Placement Examination in English Literature & Composition. Research and Education Assocn. 1990. p. 83.
^Skogemann, Pia (2009). Where the Shadows Lie: A Jungian Interpretation of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Chiron Publications. p. 145.
^Constanzo, William V (November 18, 2013). World Cinema through Global Genres. John Wiley & sons. p. 211.
^Robinson, Sara Libby (2008). Blood Will Tell: Blood and Vampires as Metaphors in the Political and Popular Cultures of Great Britain, France, Germany and the United States, 1870--1914. p. 131.
^Saxon, Theresa (October 11, 2011). American Theatre: History, Context, Form. Oxford University Press.