Even though I didn’t know it at the time, Buffy the Vampire Slayer introduced me to parallel characters. For one, Buffy and Faith are textbook parallel characters: two women “chosen” and who also chose very different paths. However, I have to admit that Angel and Spike were my favorite parallel characters (I mean, all that hair gel. How could you resist?).
I don’t remember when or who first formally taught me about parallel characters, but they are a cornerstone of classic literature. First, discussing character patterns and tropes opens a discussion into plot structure and tension. Second, parallel characters are an avenue into archetypal literary criticism.
Because discussing parallel characters can be an important part of English class, I wanted to share some of my favorite parallel pairs.
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How to Introduce Parallel Characters
One way to introduce parallel characters it to begin with familiar characters or figures from pop culture or mythology. As you decide where to begin, think about two characters with a lot in common, but those two characters have a key difference–perhaps they respond to challenges differently or perhaps they have divergent motives. Either way, you’re looking for a key difference that defines the relationship between the characters and underlines an important lesson from the text.
An easy place to begin is popular culture. I like to use T’Challa and Killmonger from Black Panther as an example of parallel characters. Both men have a lot in common, but their differences are significant and underline important lessons about leadership.
Another familiar pairing would be Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. The characters share essential experiences as students at Hogwarts, but their choices are continually different and help readers understand the value of bravery and integrity.
Similarly, Frodo Baggins and Gollum from Lord of the Rings also act as parallel characters, and their similar (but different) reactions to the ring communicate valuable lessons about friendship and greed.
Regardless of which characters you begin with, it’s helpful to explore the characters with a graphic organizer. A Venn Diagram or a T-chart can be an easy way to help students compare and contrast characters. Based on the graphic organizer, students can then begin to evaluate how the characterization relates to theme or author’s purpose.
Pro-Tip: Students often confuse parallel characters and parallelism (or parallel structure). Explicitly point out that these are not the same and that the terms cannot be used interchangeably. Parallel characters are a story element, and parallelism is a grammatical or rhetorical structure.
Parallel Characters in Shakespeare
Theatre is an ideal place to find parallel characters. Since a playwright has a limited amount of stage time in which to unfold their story, they often use parallel characters to help audiences understand competing motives and tensions.
Playwrights can also assign characters specific color schemes, musical accompaniments, or lighting arrangements to signal similarities and differences. These are visual cues students can also use in their study of parallel characters.
First, when I started to write this post, I instantly thought of Caesar and Brutus from Julius Caesar. Both men share a lot in common–they are respected and successful politicians faced with difficult choices. However, they make different choices. At first, readers may think of Antony as Brutus’ parallel, but Shakespeare actually takes time to signal that Brutus and Caesar mirror one another:
In Act II, both men have discussions with their wives. Each wife tries to persuade her husband–Portia tries to persuade Brutus to confide in her, and Calpurnia tries to persuade Caesar to stay home and safe. Each wife even gets down on her knees to beg her husband. Both domestic scenes also include a lie about sickness. Based on all of those details, there’s no mistaking that Shakespeare set these characters up as parallels.
Second, Romeo and Juliet provides readers with parallel characters and foils. Just after Romeo kills Tybalt in Act III, I ask students to complete a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting Benvolio, Tybalt, and Mercutio. All three characters are motivated by the family feud, but where Tybalt and Mercutio (the foils) edge on each other and continually raise the stakes, Benvolio tries to act as peacemaker. In this way, Benvolio becomes Tybalt’s parallel. That Benvolio alone survives the play suggests the consequences of impulsive behavior.
In reading Romeo and Juliet, students often wonder why Romeo and Juliet aren’t parallel characters. To answer this, I encourage students to think about parallel lines in math. Parallel lines do not intersect, but Romeo and Juliet do intersect. Their motive is love, and when faced with the possibility of life without their loved one, both characters choose death. In other words, Romeo and Juliet have too much overlap to be parallel.
Parallel Characters in American Literature
In American literature, I often find that teachers overlook the parallel characters in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. To my mind, Thomas Putnam and John Proctor are a compelling pair of parallel characters. Both men are well-regarded and well-respected, but when the trials begin, Putnam uses them for his own personal gain while Proctor initially refuses to engage them before accepting that his conscience cannot abide hypocrisy.
The Reverends Hale and Parris act as a secondary set of parallel characters: both initially endorse the Salem Witch Trials and both experience significant internal conflict as the trials continue. However, their actions in the final act underline the differences between these two “men of God.” Both sets of parallel characters emphasize lessons about integrity, especially in the face of extraordinary pressure and, in the case of Hale at least, divine retribution.
In my classes, we always “act out” plays like The Crucible. In this case, we wear specific “costumes” to help students differentiate between the characters. For the parallel characters, I give students identical “costumes” but in different colors. For Putnam and Proctor, we have basic, plastic Pilgrim hats, but the buckles are different colors. For the reverends, we have robes (left from graduations past), but they are in different colors. These visual cues help students track the parallel characters.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is another piece of American literature full of parallel characters. There are lots of characters in this novel that parallel one another, but I tend to focus on Daisy and Myrtle; Jordan and Nick; and Tom, George, and Gatsby.
- First, Daisy and Myrtle are parallel in that they are both in relationships with Tom, both cheating on their husbands, and both seeking to achieve fulfillment or actualization in a society that does not want women to achieve that goal. This set of parallel characters highlights lessons about deception (perhaps self-deception), trust, and womanhood under the American Dream.
- Second, Jordan and Nick are parallel in that they have a romantic relationship, play the confidants to their friends, and act as witnesses or facilitators of Daisy and Gatsby’s affair. However, their approaches to honesty and the truth are the greatest point of fiction between the characters. Like Daisy and Myrtle, these characters may also engage in self-deception, but their role as parallel characters points to themes related to truth and honesty.
- Finally, Tom, George, and Gatsby all act as funhouse mirrors for one another. Each character represents a different social class: Tom has Old Money, Gatsby as New Money, and George has No Money. Each man is also struggling with their romantic relationships: they are pursuing women they cannot never completely “win.” Tom courts Myrtle, a women he would never want to be with long term; George also courts Myrtle, a woman who will never fully give herself to him; and Gatsby has an affair with Daisy, a woman who also will never be with him long term. In this case, this set of complicated parallel characters paints a picture of accountability and responsibility. Teachers often ask students who is responsible for Gatsby’s death. Answering that question through the lens of parallel characters suggests all three of these men are responsible. To put it simply, Tom loads the gun, George pulls the trigger, and Gatsby threw himself in front of the bullet when he refused to let Daisy take responsibility for her actions.
Parallel Relationships
One of the most intricate and compelling examples of parallel characters is the parallel relationships and marriages in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. To help students keep track of all the characters and their relationships, I provide students with this Marriage Chart. As students read the novel, they add to the chart, looking for the different ways Austen presents “love.”
- Mr. and Mrs. Bennet
- Mr. Collins and Charlotte
- Wickham and Lydia
- Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner
- Jane and Bingley
- Elizabeth and Darcy
Each of these relationships provides a different perspective of love and marriage. For some, marriage is about equality (Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, perhaps). For others, marriage is about social duty or comfort (Mr. Collins and Charlotte). Still others come from ill-conceived impulses and are almost certainly unhappy (Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, perhaps, and Wickham and Lydia certainly). Yet, the marriages Austen celebrates are those found in love, not duty or charity (Jane and Bingley, Elizabeth and Darcy).
Honorable Mentions
Of course, there are countless options in discussing parallel characters, so here are a few honorable mentions:
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte may be the piece de resistance in discussing parallel characters. In this novel, the parallel characters sometimes even share names. I’ve only taught this novel once, so I’m not as familiar with the pedagogy of this title. One of my favorite lessons for this novel compares Cathy Earnshaw to Catherine Moreland from Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey.
- Henry IV, Part I by William Shakespeare features my favorite parallel characters ever: Prince Hal and Hotspur. The way Shakespeare sets up these parallel characters is nothing short of a masterwork. Because of Falstaff, this is not a play I’ve ever taught, but it’s still a personal favorite.
- Jack and Ralph in Lord of the Flies by William Golding are quintessential parallel characters. This is a novel I taught several times my first few years of teaching, but I haven’t taught it recently. However, I do think it will be back in my rotation for next year.
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