Actant Vs. Character

x actants must not be confused with characters
x An actant can be an abstraction, a collective character or even a group of several characters
x A character can simultaneously or successively assume different actantial functions
x An actant can be absent from the stage or the action and its presence can be limited to its
presence in the discourse of other speakers
x An actant, says Greimas, is an extrapolation of the syntactic structure of a narrative. An actant is identified with what assumes a syntactic function in the narrative




:x Six Actants, Three Axes

x The six actants are divided into three oppositions, each of which forms an axis of the actantial :description


1The axis of desire - Subject – Object : The subject wants the object. The relationship
established between the subject and the object is called a junction. Depending on whether the
object is conjoined with the subject or disjoined ,it is called a conjunction or a disjunction.


2The axis of power – Helper – Opponent : The helper assists in achieving the desired junction
between the subject and object; the opponent tries to prevent this from happening


3The axis of transmission – Sender – Receiver : The sender is the element requesting the establishment of the junction between subject and object. The receiver is the element for which the quest is being undertaken. To simplify, let us interpret the receiver (or beneficiary-receiver) as that which benefits from achieving the junction between subject and object ,The Senders are often also Receivers.