Thanks for reaching out. Disentangling a virtue from a personality trait can be difficult because they can be similar, and we are limited by the scope of the narrative itself (i.e. what scenes and events we see the character interacting or reacting to things). Put simply, a personality or character trait is a person's natural tendencies and temperament (e.g. cheerful, quiet, intelligent, adventurous, etc.). Therefore, a trait is a natural expression of who they are; they do not need to intentionally practice the trait; they simply reflect how they are.
Virtue, on the other hand, is the habit of choosing the good. Through intentional and conscious effort and supported/prompted by grace, a person develops virtues ranging from hope and charity to fortitude and chastity.
However, it becomes difficult to differentiate between a character's personality trait (natural, innate part of who they are) and their virtue (practiced, intentional habit to do good) because:
1. we are not given an expansive view of the entire character's life; we are limited by the narrator's perspective
2. it is normal for grace to act upon and work with a person's natural tendencies (i.e. traits) to help one to form virtues. Furthermore, it might be easier for a person to exercise a virtue if their temperament or personality is aligned with that particular virtue. For example, a person who is cheerful (trait) might more easily practice hope (virtue) because their are naturally disposed to this virtue.
If you are writing a character sketch essay but are worried about virtue overlap, you can contact our HS English Academic Counselors (
hsenglish@setonhome.org), and they can give you some guidance depending on the particular text and character you are writing on. Some characters are highly virtuous, and it is expected the traits you focus on will be comparable to virtues. However, some characters do reveal more innate character traits. Therefore, the HS English counselors would be happy to help point you in the right direction.