The story of the protagonist is sometimes best developed by the presence of minor characters. Generally the minor characters are used to bring along a change in the lives of the major characters. They are the tools employed to shift the plot or to cause a change. Like in Macbeth it was three witches who set the climax of the play for the way it appears to the audience. Sometimes when the plays become excessively serious or too heavy for the audience to imbibe, the minor characters are employed to add humour and ease the tension. Easing the tension builds up more pity and fear in case of a cathartic climax and in case of other kinds of climax as well the easing of tension is what brings out the final element of shock at the climax. Without the minor characters, the playwright is left with very little space to alter and add layers to the play. A protagonists way of thinking cannot be changed instantly without any external influence, without minor characters, the play becomes predictable and sometimes boring. Sometimes, the audience however might feel that the minor character is not required for the story to develop, this is only a misconception because minor characters play an important role but in furtive ways.
In the play A Doll’s House, the couple Mrs Linde and Krogstad play a major role in contrasting the relation of that between Nora and Torvald; the major characters. Nora and Torvald are shown to be a couple that seems perfect but in reality is nothing but fake. Nora, the rebellious girl wants to establish self identity. She has absolutely no desire to follow the norms of the society. To bring out this character and highlight the tragic flaw, Mrs Linde appears in the scene. She is the idealistic woman, just the kind of woman that the 19th century