Don Quixote and his sidekick Sancho Panza, by Gustave Doré: their character contrasts are made manifest not only by their behavior, but their physical appearance. es '''''Don Quixote''''' (, see spelling and pronunciation below fully titled es '''''El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha''''' ("The Ingenious Hidalgo Don

A foil is a character that contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist, and so highlights various facets of the main character's personality. A foil usually has some important characteristics in common with the other character, such as, frequently, superficial traits or personal history. The author may use the foil to throw the character of the protagonist into sharper relief. The term refers to the practice of putting polished foil underneath a gemstone to make it shine more brightly. ^[1] It is also likely that widespread use of the word "foil" in literature comes from the play Hamlet by Shakespeare, in which Hamlet says that "I'll be your foil, Laertes: in mine ignorance / Your skill shall, like a star i' the darkest night, Stick fiery off indeed" (Act 5 Scene 2). Hamlet is a Tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601 William Shakespeare ( baptised

A foil's complementary role may be emphasized by physical contrasts. Dreamy and impractical Don Quixote is thin; realistic, practical Sancho Panza is fat. es '''''Don Quixote''''' (, see spelling and pronunciation below fully titled es '''''El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha''''' ("The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Sancho Panza is a Fictional character in the novel Don Quixote written by Spanish author Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in Sherlock Holmes is tall and lean; Doctor Watson, at first described as lean upon his return from Afghanistan, is later said to be "middle-sized, strongly built. Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who first appeared in Publication in 1887 "

In some cases, a subplot can be used as a foil to the main plot. This is especially true in the case of metafiction. Metafiction is a literary term for a type of Fiction that systematically and self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction including the relationship between fiction and One example of a plot being used as a foil can be seen in the graphic novel Watchmen, in which a comic book within the Watchmen universe presents a story similar to that of one of the main characters. Watchmen is a twelve-issue Comic book Limited series written by Alan Moore, and illustrated by Dave Gibbons and John Higgins

The "straight man" in a comedy duo is a comic foil. Straight Man (New York Random House, 1997 is a Novel by Richard Russo set at the fictional West Central Pennsylvania State University in Railton A double act, also known as a Comedy duo, is a comic device in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners usually of the same A double act, also known as a Comedy duo, is a comic device in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners usually of the same While the straight man portrays a reasonable and serious character, the other portrays a funny, dumb, or simply unorthodox one. The humor in these partnerships derives from the interactions between these drastically different personalities.

See also

• Sidekick

References