Romantic interest (theater)
Encyclopedia
The romantic interest is a stock character
, an object of romantic admiration
and attraction for the main character(s), or hero
/heroine e/s. It is also the plot element, the romantic subplot
, thus introduced.
This person is often a female acquaintance of the protagonist
, as in the case of Jane in Tarzan
but can be a male, as in the case of Disney's Pocahontas. The primary characters and romantic interests may be the two main characters, as in the case of Brokeback Mountain
.
This term is often used in movie reviews, less so in classic literature, though such characters are common. Nearly all of the Disney animated features have main characters, villain
s and romantic interests that even children can easily identify.
"Love interest" is a more distant term than "The Hero's Beloved" or "Sweetheart", often used earlier for such characters. (The replacement of "hero
" with "protagonist
" or "main character" serves a like purpose").
The term "love interest" is also sometimes used in real life to designate someone's potential sweetheart or target of infatuation
.
Stock character
A Stock character is a fictional character based on a common literary or social stereotype. Stock characters rely heavily on cultural types or names for their personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics. In their most general form, stock characters are related to literary archetypes,...
, an object of romantic admiration
Romantic love
Romance is the pleasurable feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.In the context of romantic love relationships, romance usually implies an expression of one's love, or one's deep emotional desires to connect with another person....
and attraction for the main character(s), or hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
/heroine e/s. It is also the plot element, the romantic subplot
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
, thus introduced.
This person is often a female acquaintance of the 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...
, as in the case of Jane in Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
but can be a male, as in the case of Disney's Pocahontas. The primary characters and romantic interests may be the two main characters, as in the case of Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee. It is a film adaptation of the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx with the screenplay written by Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry...
.
This term is often used in movie reviews, less so in classic literature, though such characters are common. Nearly all of the Disney animated features have main characters, villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
s and romantic interests that even children can easily identify.
"Love interest" is a more distant term than "The Hero's Beloved" or "Sweetheart", often used earlier for such characters. (The replacement of "hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
" with "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...
" or "main character" serves a like purpose").
The term "love interest" is also sometimes used in real life to designate someone's potential sweetheart or target of infatuation
Limerence
Limerence is a term coined c. 1977 by the psychologist Dorothy Tennov to describe an involuntary state of mind which seems to result from a romantic attraction to another person combined with an overwhelming, obsessive need to have one's feelings reciprocated...
.
See also
- ProtagonistProtagonistA 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...
- AntagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...