What term describes the role or facade that a character presents to an audience?

The term that describes the role or facade that a character presents to an audience is "persona." A persona refers to the voice or character that an author adopts to express a narrative or character's identity, often serving as a distinct identity that may differ from the author's true self or the character's true nature.

In literature, the persona shapes how the audience perceives the character and can influence the themes and emotions conveyed in the story. This idea is crucial for understanding how characters communicate their perspective and governmental influence on the narrative, making it a central element in character study and literary analysis.

On the other hand, allegory refers to a storyline with a hidden message or moral, primarily used for symbolic representation rather than character presentation. The term protagonist describes the main character in a story, who may or may not embody a specific persona; thus, it does not inherently relate to the facade presented to the audience. Characterization involves the techniques used by an author to create and develop characters, which may include the persona among other elements, but does not specifically encompass the idea of a facade itself.