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The personality traits of protagonists and antagonists are crucial to plot and literary meaning of a piece of literature. Whether it be a poem, a play, or a novel, any work will be fundamentally altered along with alterations made to its main characters' personalities. The characters' complexity is at the heart of the meaning of Hamlet, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, and Pride and Prejudice. Apprehension is a personality trait that is present in all three works. Hamlet's apprehension is what drives the plot of Shakespeare's play, Elizabeth's lack of apprehension in assigning value to Mr. Darcy's character is the focus of Elizabeth's entire character arc, and the apprehension and anxiety of Prufrock doom him to a life of anonymity. All together, the characters of any work of literature compose its content and meaning equally.