Alazon
In the third essay of Anatomy of Criticism, which is on “Myth,” Frye argues that there are four main character types that recur in comedy, tragedy, romance, and satire. These are the stock characters at play throughout Western literature, in other words. Each is derived from ancient Greece. The first character is alazon, meaning imposter. Characters on the "alazon" model are usually either hypocritical or simply ignorant, and they tend to view themselves as more important than they actually are. In comedy, this might be such stock characters as the angry father or the self-righteous soldier. In romance, the alazon is any character that stands in the way of the hero. That means the villains are all examples of alazon.
Eiron
The second primary stock character Frye considers is the eiron, who, in contrast to the alazon, is self-deprecating. He may be inferior like the alazon, but in contrast, he knows he is inferior and makes a joke of it. This character is often a sarcastic joker in comedy, or else a clever and mischievous trickster. In adventure stories, they aid the quest rather than hinder it.
Bomolochos
A bomolochos is a buffoon. This includes such stock characters as fools and drunkards. All the people that bring festivity to a story and revel in the good times are an example of bomolochos. These characters can also be supernatural, such a nymphs and playful giants.
Agroikos
The final stock character explored by Frye is the agroikos, who is the opposite of the bomolochos in the same way that the eiron is the opposite of the alazon. It is not so much that they are anti-festivity as that they are pro-reality. In other words, they see the world as it is and call attention to the danger and fear that the real world truly contains. This pessimistic character can take the form of cranky dwarves and abstinent mercenaries.
