Overview

Square mechanics is the branch of our archetypal theory that deals with the relationships between characters on the squares. In the introductory course, we looked at the most basic relationships:

This is how the relationships on the square would ordinarily look from the perspective of the hero, although there are numerous variants that can crop up, particularly when you use villains as perspective characters, or get into the stories of left-hand protagonists. For example, in Roman Holiday, because the hero is left-handed, not right handed, the female lead, although she is in the “Hapless Lover” position, is something much more like an “Unattainable Beloved.” In a villain perspective piece, on the other hand, you might find that the “Hapless Lover” looks more like a “Servile Dupe.” Ultimately these are variations on the same theme, but the question of whether the persective character is left or right, male or female, good or evil can alter the appearance and flavour of the relationships.

The simple square is, however, enough to begin with, and it is enough for most straightforward plots. In general, the corners of the squares are more fixed: a villain perspective character might despise his lover, but she will still, in almost every case, be either his lover or his partner. A left-handed heroine might fall in love with her nemesis, but the inevitable destructive qualities of the nemesis relationship will still define the archetypal action of the plot.

Secure in these certainties, it is possible to proceed with the business of forming of a plot. The most important decision, and the first one that must be made, concerns the perspective character. This is the person who is going to function as the hero of the story, and whose concerns, desires, needs, and sufferings will define the shape of the story. Once a perspective character has been selected, the primary relationship within the story must be defined, and then the secondary relationships, and so forth until a complete cast of characters has been assembled, and each assigned their role. As a general principle, the characters who are most important to the plot are the characters who get the most screen time – but that is not always the case. In a murder mystery, for example, the primary relationship is always that between the detective and the murderer; if the detective is Columbo, then these two characters will grab up most of the audience's attention. If, however, the author desires to keep the identity of the murderer a secret from her audience, it is often to her advantage to hide him in the background as much as possible and to present, instead, a parade of red herrings to amuse and distract her reader.

The choice of relationships within a plot governs the sort of plot that will emerge, the kind of tensions that will be central to the story, and the role that different characters will play. If, for example, the primary relationship is between Hero and Lover, then the Villain is likely to become a rival, and the Nemesis a Tempter or Temptress who tries to lure the Hero away from his own true love. On the other hand, if the story is primarily about the fierce competition between the Hero and the Villain for the buried treasure, then the Lover, if she exists at all, is likely to become a side-plot love interest, or a sort of female sidekick with romantic overtones.

Once the most important relationships have been established, it becomes possible to work out the balance of power within a square – to determine, in short, whether the plot will resolve happily or unhappily for the Hero. In simple plots, of the “Frog and Toad are Friends” variety, this is very simple: sweet childhood tales of brotherly love generally lack villains, and therefore they always work out happily in the end. In more complicated plots, however, there are protagonists and antagonists. This can work according to the simple “good guy/bad guy” formula, but if your perspective character is a Macbeth, or a Faust, the protagonists may not actually be good. In either case, one side is going to “win” and the other is going to “lose.” (Stalemate plots are possible, but usually unsatisfying.) There are relatively simple formulae for working this out, and it is often necessary for a writer to introduce a couple of extra, minor characters to tip the balance in whichever direction they prefer.

All of these decisions, added together, form the basis for the plot of a story, and allow it to work itself out and resolve in a satisfying, archetypally sound manner.

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