Confidant
Encyclopedia
The confidant (ˈkɒnfɪdænt or ˌkɒnfɪˈdɑːnt; feminine: confidante, same pronunciation) is a character in a story
that the lead character (protagonist
) confides in and trusts. Typically, these consist of the best friend
, relative
, doctor
or boss
.
of the story with a plausible device for communicating to the audience the mind and intention of their principal character (protagonist
). The protagonist may reveal their secrets
, personal problems and character flaws to the audience through their conversations and interactions with the confidant character, often entrusting them with important information about themselves (as well as information critical to the plot) that they would not entrust to other characters. The type of character used as a confidant is most commonly the protagonist's closest friend, but may also be a family member such as a spouse, sibling or parental figure, co-worker, trainer or a health professional such as their psychiatrist
.
Confidants may not only be used for conveying information about the plot to the audience, but may also be used to share information about the protagonist (such as their feelings about certain subjects or personal fears). In this way, the audience can get to know the protagonist and their goals, as well as their personality and role in the story. Therefore, the confidant is likely to be the only character in the story to know the protagonist's secrets or hidden agendas (and even if they are not the only ones to know, they would at least be the very first ones to know other than the protagonist themselves).
Story
Story or Stories may refer to:*Story, a recounting of a sequence of events* Narrative* Bedtime story, a traditional form of storytelling, told to children to prepare them for sleep* Organization story, a narrative used in organization studies...
that the lead character (protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
) confides in and trusts. Typically, these consist of the best friend
Friendship
Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association are often thought of as spanning across the same continuum...
, relative
Kinship
Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....
, doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
or boss
Supervisor
A supervisor, foreperson, team leader, overseer, cell coach, facilitator, or area coordinator is a manager in a position of trust in business...
.
Role
The confidant provides the writerWriter
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
of the story with a plausible device for communicating to the audience the mind and intention of their principal character (protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
). The protagonist may reveal their secrets
Secrets
Secrets may refer to:*Secrecy, the quality or condition of being secret or hidden- Literature :*Secrets , a 1985 novel by Danielle Steel*Secrets , a 2002 novel by Jacqueline Wilson...
, personal problems and character flaws to the audience through their conversations and interactions with the confidant character, often entrusting them with important information about themselves (as well as information critical to the plot) that they would not entrust to other characters. The type of character used as a confidant is most commonly the protagonist's closest friend, but may also be a family member such as a spouse, sibling or parental figure, co-worker, trainer or a health professional such as their psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
.
Confidants may not only be used for conveying information about the plot to the audience, but may also be used to share information about the protagonist (such as their feelings about certain subjects or personal fears). In this way, the audience can get to know the protagonist and their goals, as well as their personality and role in the story. Therefore, the confidant is likely to be the only character in the story to know the protagonist's secrets or hidden agendas (and even if they are not the only ones to know, they would at least be the very first ones to know other than the protagonist themselves).
Plays and Literature
- Sam GamgeeSamwise GamgeeSamwise Gamgee, later known as Samwise Gardner and commonly as Sam, is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. Samwise is one of the chief characters in Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, in which he fills an archetypical role as the sidekick of the protagonist, Frodo...
to Frodo BagginsFrodo BagginsFrodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...
in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in... - Maria Temple to Jane Eyre in Charlotte Brontë'sCharlotte BrontëCharlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood, whose novels are English literature standards...
Jane EyreJane EyreJane Eyre is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in London, England, in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. with the title Jane Eyre. An Autobiography under the pen name "Currer Bell." The first American edition was released the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York... - IagoIagoIago is a fictional character in Shakespeare's Othello . The character's source is traced to Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinthio's tale "Un Capitano Moro" in Gli Hecatommithi . There, the character is simply "the ensign". Iago is a soldier and Othello's ancient . He is the husband of Emilia,...
to OthelloOthelloThe Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
in Shakespeare'sWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
OthelloOthelloThe Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565... - Hermione GrangerHermione GrangerHermione Jean Granger is a fictional character and one of the three protagonists in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. She initially appears in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as a new student on her way to Hogwarts...
to Harry PotterHarry Potter (character)Harry James Potter is the title character and main protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The majority of the books' plot covers seven years in the life of the orphan Potter who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard...
in J.K. Rowling's Harry PotterHarry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
series - Grover Underwood to Percy Jackson in Rick Riordan'sRick RiordanRichard Russell "Rick" Riordan, Jr. is an American author best known for writing the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. He also wrote the Tres Navarre mystery series for adults and helped to edit Demigods and Monsters, a collection of essays on the topic of his Percy Jackson series...
Percy Jackson and the OlympiansPercy Jackson and the OlympiansPercy Jackson & the Olympians is a pentalogy of adventure and fantasy fiction books authored by Rick Riordan. The series consists of five books, as well as spin-off titles such as The Demigod Files and Demigods and Monsters. Set in the United States, the books are predominantly based on Greek...
series - George Milton to Lennie Small in John Steinbeck'sJohn SteinbeckJohn Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
Of Mice and MenOf Mice and MenOf Mice and Men is a novella written by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it tells the tragic story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers during the Great Depression in California, USA....
Films
- Stan to Ben Jordan in The Story of UsThe Story of UsThe Story of Us is a 1999 American film directed by Rob Reiner, and starring Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer as a couple married for fifteen years....
- Huey to Gene Watson in Nick of TimeNick of Time (film)Nick of Time, starring Johnny Depp, Christopher Walken, Charles S. Dutton and Courtney Chase, is a 1995 thriller movie. It was directed by John Badham. The film is rated R for "Violence and Language" by the MPAA...
TV Shows
- Doctor James Wilson to Doctor Gregory HouseGregory HouseGregory House, M.D., or simply referred to as House, is a fictional antihero and title character of the American television series House, played by Hugh Laurie. He is the Chief of Diagnostic Medicine at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, where he leads a team of diagnosticians...
in House, M.D.House (TV series)House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in... - Sharona FlemingSharona FlemingSharona Fleming is a fictional character in the award-winning series Monk. Sharona is a divorced practical nurse from New Jersey and a single mother with a young son named Benjy. She was played by Bitty Schram. Schram was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance.-Biography:Sharona's...
to Adrian MonkAdrian MonkAdrian Monk is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Shalhoub and the protagonist of the USA Network television series Monk. He is a renowned former homicide detective for the San Francisco Police Department...
in MonkMonk (TV series)Monk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular character, Adrian Monk. It originally ran from 2002 to 2009 and is primarily a mystery series, although it has dark and comic touches.The series debuted on July... - Insectosaurus to The Missing Link in the animated series Monsters vs Aliens
- Whitney RussellWhitney RussellWhitney Harris-Crane is a fictional character on the NBC/DirecTV soap opera Passions. She is played by Brook Kerr from the series' debut in July 1999 and departed in September 2007 when Whitney moves to New Orleans...
to Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald in the soap operaSoap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
PassionsPassionsPassions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008.... - Doctor Watson to Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
in the Sherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes (disambiguation)Sherlock Holmes is a character created by Arthur Conan Doyle.Sherlock Holmes may also refer to:- Cinema :*Sherlock Holmes , starring William Gillette*Sherlock Holmes , starring John Barrymore...
series - Will TrumanWill TrumanWilliam Pierce "Will" Truman is a fictional character on the American sitcom Will & Grace, portrayed by Eric McCormack. He is a gay lawyer who lives in the Upper West Side of New York City with his best friend, Grace Adler.-Fictional character history:...
to Grace AdlerGrace AdlerGrace Elizabeth Adler-Markus is a fictional character on the American sitcom Will & Grace, portrayed by Debra Messing. She is a Jewish interior designer , living in New York City with her gay best friend Will Truman...
in the sitcom Will & GraceWill & GraceWill & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
Anime
- Krillin to GohanSon Gohanis a fictional character from the Dragon Ball universe created by Akira Toriyama as a protagonist for the media franchise, which consists of a series of manga, anime, soundtracks, movies, television specials, video games, and other collectibles...
in Dragon BallDragon Ballis a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995; later the 519 individual chapters were published into 42 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. Dragon Ball was inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the... - Kenny (the Chief)Kenny (Beyblade)Kenny, known in the original Japanese version as Professor and in the English version as the Chief, is a fictional character in the popular anime and manga series of Beyblade. He is voiced by Houko Kuwashima in the Japanese version, and Alex Hood in the English dub...
to Tyson GrangerTyson GrangerTyson Granger, known in Japan as ', is the main character of the anime and manga series of Beyblade.-About Tyson:Tyson is a strong-willed kid who is not afraid to speak his mind and in so doing, he seems to get into more trouble than most kids his age...
in BeybladeBeybladeis a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takao Aoki. Originally serialized in CoroCoro Comic from 2000 to 2002, the individual chapters were collected and published in 14 tankōbon by Shogakukan... - Pyrus Dragonoid (Drago) to Dan Kuso in Bakugan Battle BrawlersBakugan Battle Brawlersis a Japanese action adventure anime television series produced by TMS Entertainment and Japan Vistec under the direction of Mitsuo Hashimoto. The story centers on the lives of creatures called Bakugan and the battle brawlers who possess them...
- Téa GardnerAnzu Mazaki, known in the English anime and English video games as Téa Gardner, is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!.Anzu's given name is sometimes written in hiragana next to the kanji in order to emphasize the fact that her name is read as "Anzu" instead of "Kyoko."-Character...
to Yugi MutouYugi Mutouis the protagonist of the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!. He is a young boy whose body becomes inhabited by the spirit of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh named when he completes the Millennium Puzzle.-Character design:...
in Yu-Gi-Oh!Yu-Gi-Oh!is a Japanese manga created by Kazuki Takahashi. It has produced a franchise that includes multiple anime shows, a trading card game and numerous video games... - Keiko to Yusuke in Yu Yu Hakusho
Games
- Tifa LockhartTifa Lockhartis a player character in Square Enix's role playing game Final Fantasy VII. Created by character designer Tetsuya Nomura, she has since appeared in the fighting game Ehrgeiz and cameo appearances in other titles, as well as the CGI film sequel to Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children and related games...
to Cloud StrifeCloud Strifeis a fictional character and the main protagonist in Square's role-playing game Final Fantasy VII and several of its sequels and spin-offs. His original design was created by Final Fantasy VII character designer Tetsuya Nomura...
in Final Fantasy VIIFinal Fantasy VIIis a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009... - Rose to RaidenRaiden (Metal Gear), whose real name is , is a video game character in the Metal Gear series of stealth games by Konami. Created by Hideo Kojima and designed by Yoji Shinkawa, Raiden was introduced in the series as the main playable character of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty...
in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Libertyis a stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 in 2001.... - Kyle Hyde to almost all secondary characters in Hotel Dusk: Room 215Hotel Dusk: Room 215Hotel Dusk: Room 215, released in Japan as , is a graphic adventure game for the Nintendo DS. Originally announced on October 5, 2005 as Wish Room, the game made its first public appearance on May 9, 2006 at that year's E3 convention. It was released in North America on January 22, 2007, before...
and Last Window: The Secret of Cape West