(Loved Trope) Aptronyms

[u/dream_monkey]

Aptronyms are characters whose name is heavily symbolic or represent them as a character. Sometimes it is a subtle play on words, sometimes it’s just a clunky transliteration. Either way, it can help characterize a character and provide more allegorical depth. Authors must be careful not to delve into the realm of cliche, though.

1. Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter series) His name means Evil Dragon, and he tries really hard to live up to his name.

[Many commenters have pointed out that Darth Vader is not a true aptronym. I stand corrected .]

1. Darth Vader (Star Wars series) His name means Dark Father, which cleverly conceals one of the biggest reveals in cinema history.

2. Cthulhu (Lovecraft mythos) Cthulhu may just sound like a nonsense syllable, unpronounceable by a human mouth. The name is derived from the word “cthonic” which means a being that lives under the earth or in the underworld, so an ancient and terrible god that lies dreaming in death at the bottom of the ocean would definitely fit the description.

[u/Art3m1sArty]

Absolutely love this when either done so over the top you can't miss it or so subtly the audience doesn't really see it and it's more of a fun easteregg.

I'm in a theater group and the piece we're preparing this season has someone with the lastname "Ingannatore". Italian for deceiver. He ends up running off with a lot of money sneakily stolen from another character. When saw it, i immediately texted my Italian friend about it xD But most of the group don't speak Italian and it went right over their heads, but when i pointed it out, they absolutely loved that the writer has put in such a small detail