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A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a fictional character in a work of art such as a novel, play, or a film whom audiences recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition. There is a wide range of stock characters, covering men and women of various ages, social classes and demeanors. There are several purposes to using stock characters. Stock characters are a time- and effort-saving shortcut for story creators, as authors can populate their tale with existing well-known character types. Another benefit is that stock characters help to move the story along more efficiently, by allowing the audience to already understand the character and their motivations.

There is often confusion between stock characters, archetypes, stereotypes, and clichés. In part this confusion arises due to the overlap between these concepts. Nevertheless, these terms are not synonyms. Swain, a creative writing professor and prolific fiction author, all characters begin as stock characters and are fleshed out only as far as needed to advance the plot. The Troublesome Reign, where the “weeping woman” type is used to dramatic advantage.

This stock character provides pathos as yet another counterpoint to the plays’ comic business and royal pomp. Tara Brabazon discusses how the “school ma’am on the colonial frontier has been a stock character of literature and film in Australia and the United States. She is an ideal foil for the ill mannered, uncivilised hero. Stock characters can be further identified as an alazon, the “impostor and self-deceiving braggart” in a story, or an eiron, a “self-derogatory and understating character”. Stock characters in American films have changed over the decades. Stock characters in American popular culture, especially racial and ethnic stereotypes, often came to be seen as offensive in later decades and were replaced with new stereotypes. Even in timeless occupations, the person in the job has changed, reflecting cultural and demographic changes.