In A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller, there are some characters who are round, dynamic, or both. A round character has a well-developed personality who engages with others in the narrative, and a dynamic character is one who changes throughout the story by learning and growing.

In this play, Captain Richard Davenport is certainly a round character. His personality shines through as he tries to solve Vernon Waters’s murder. He is also a dynamic character because he comes to some important realizations by the end of the play.

Somewhat unusually, Vernon Waters is both round and dynamic even though he is dead at the beginning of the play. A series of flashbacks gives us plenty of insight into his personality and motives. He is a cruel man who has many ideas about what Black men should be like. Before he dies, though, he does realize that he was wrong and feels guilty.