In crafting a compelling character, you need to determine what kind of character you want them to be. Are they going to be characters that change over the course of the story, characters that remain the same throughout the story, or characters that represent a concept that is crucial to the theme of your story? Understanding the quality of your character helps you fill out their profile and craft them for the desired effect. To help with that, here is an overview of the five kinds of characters based on their quality.

Dynamic Character

Simply put, this character changes over the course of the story. The conflict in the story affects these characters, forcing a change in their outlook on life. In the end, they either become better or worse. The protagonist should always be a dynamic character, and the changes to his qualities should be realistic and subtle. It is also not out of place for the antagonist and deuteragonists to be dynamic characters. 

Examples include Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice, and The Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Round Character

This character is complex. These are not the stereotypical good or evil characters; instead, they have a complicated backstory with some good and bad deeds. The reader gets to appreciate this character's pedigree, motivation, dilemmas, and poor decisions. Round characters have their human qualities fully expressed and explored throughout the story and thus are highly relatable and riveting. These characters display flexibility and the potential for change from their first moment in the story. Yet they are interesting enough to keep the reader guessing how and what kind of change will occur in them. 

Famous examples include Humbert Humbert in Lolita, Michael Corleone in The Godfather, and Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby.

Static Character

A static character is the opposite of a dynamic character. These characters are often flat and remain the same from the beginning to the end of the story. They are who they have always been and who they will always be. You don't want to have too many of these, as that may show laziness in writing. Tertiary characters and typical antagonists are usually static, and the reader often ignores or roots against them. But there are a few instances of static protagonists. 

Examples include Sherlock Holmes, Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice, and Scar in The Lion King.

Stock Character

These characters seem to have fixed personality traits like archetypical characters. They play the familiar roles that feature in stories every once in a while, such as the hero, the love interest, the orphan, the innocent, the jester. They help make the lead characters more complete, but they can also be main characters and not necessarily be flat. Usually, when fleshing out a character, you can start by making them stock characters. Then proceed by giving them nuances and an opportunity for change, and that's how you end up with compelling stock characters like Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. 

Other notable examples include Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter Series, Lady Tremaine in Cinderella, and the Evil Queen in Snow White.

Symbolic Character

These are characters that stand for something bigger than themselves. They represent a broader concept linked to the grand theme of the story. They may be static, dynamic, or stock characters; most are deuteragonists, but there are some examples of symbolic protagonists. When using this kind of character, make their symbolism subtle, let it become obvious only at the end of the story, and use them moderately. 

Popular examples include Boo Radley in To Kill A Mockingbird, Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia, and Gregor Samsa in The Metamorphosis.