Propp's Theory

In Propp's theory, he looked at hundreds of fairy tales and came to the conclusion that within every story there is 8 main characters within the story these include;

The villain - represents evil and struggles against the hero

The dispatcher - character who makes the problem in the narrative known and sends the hero on his way

The helper - helps the hero in his quest 

The princess/heroine - the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. The hero's journey is often ended when he marries the princess, usually by beating the villain 

Her father - often rewards the hero with the princess/heroine 

The donor - prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object to help him in his quest  

The hero - the centrail protagonist who leads the way in the narrative   

False hero - takes credit for the hero’s actions, is usually good looking and is often actually a coward