Aprotagonist(fromAncient Greekπρωταγωνιστήςprōtagōnistḗs'one who plays the first part, chief actor')[1][2][3]is the maincharacterof a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect theplot,primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a story contains asubplot,or is a narrative made up of several stories, then each subplot may have its own protagonist.[4]
The protagonist is the character whose fate is most closely followed by the reader or audience, and who is opposed by theantagonist.The antagonist provides obstacles and complications and creates conflicts that test the protagonist, revealing the strengths and weaknesses of the protagonist's character, and having the protagonist develop as a result.
Etymology
editThe termprotagonistcomes fromAncient Greekπρωταγωνιστής(prōtagōnistḗs)'actor who plays the chief or first part', combined ofπρῶτος(prôtos,'first') andἀγωνιστής(agōnistḗs,'actor, competitor'), which stems fromἀγών(agṓn,'contest') viaἀγωνίζομαι(agōnízomai,'I contend for a prize').[5]
Ancient Greece
editThe earliest known examples of a protagonist are found inAncient Greece.At first, dramatic performances involved merely dancing and recitation by the chorus. Then inPoetics,Aristotledescribes how a poet namedThespisintroduced the idea of one actor stepping out and engaging in a dialogue with the chorus. This was the invention of tragedy, and occurred about 536 B.C.[6]Then the poetAeschylus,in his plays, introduced a second actor, inventing the idea of dialogue between two characters.Sophoclesthen wrote plays that included a third actor.[7][8][9][10]
A description of the protagonist's origin cited that during the early period of Greek drama, the protagonist served as the author, the director, and the actor and that these roles were only separated and allocated to different individuals later.[11]There is also a claim that the poet did not assign or create the protagonist as well as other terms for actors such asdeuteragonistandtritagonistprimarily because he only gave actors their appropriate part.[12]However, these actors were assigned their specific areas at the stage with the protagonist always entering from the middle door or that the dwelling of the deuteragonist (second most important character) should be on the right hand, and the tritagonist (third most important character), the left.[12]
In Ancient Greece, the protagonist is distinguished from the term "hero", which was used to refer to a human who became a semi-divine being in the narrative.[10]
Types
editHero/Heroine
editIn literary terms, ahero(masculine) or heroine (feminine) protagonist is typically admired for their achievements and noble qualities.[13]Heroes are lauded for their strength, courage, virtuousness, and honor, and are considered to be the "good guys" of the narrative.[14]
Examples include DC Comics'Superman(hero) andKatniss EverdeenfromThe Hunger Games(heroine).
Antihero
editAn antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who lacks conventional heroic qualities and attributes such as idealism, courage, and morality.
Examples includeHolden CaulfieldfromThe Catcher in the Rye,Scarlett O'HarafromGone With the Wind,Jay GatsbyfromThe Great Gatsby,andWalter WhitefromBreaking Bad.
Tragic hero
editA tragic hero is the protagonist of a tragedy.
Examples includeOedipusfromOedipus RexandPrince Hamletfrom Shakespeare'sHamlet.
Villain protagonist
editThe protagonist is not always conventionally good.[15]Contrasting the hero protagonist, a villain protagonist is a protagonist who is avillain,driving the story forward regardless of the evil qualities the main character has. These traits can include being cruel, malicious, and wicked.[16]
Examples include Humbert Humbert inVladimir Nabokov'sLolita[17]and Richard III in theeponymous playbyWilliam Shakespeare.[18]
Supporting protagonist
editWhen a supporting protagonist appears, the story is told from the perspective of a character who appears to be minor. This character may be more peripheral from the events of the story and are not as involved within the "main action" of the plot. The supporting protagonist may be telling the story while viewing another character as the main influence of the plot.[19]
One example is Nick inThe Great Gatsby.[citation needed]
Further examples
editEuripides' playHippolytusmay be considered to have two protagonists, though one at a time. Phaedra is the protagonist of the first half, who dies partway through the play. Her stepson, the titular Hippolytus, assumes the dominant role in the second half of the play.[20]
InHenrik Ibsen's playThe Master Builder,the protagonist is the architect Halvard Solness. The young woman, Hilda Wangel, whose actions lead to the death of Solness, is the antagonist.[21]
In Shakespeare's playRomeo and Juliet,Romeo is the protagonist. He is actively in pursuit of his relationship with Juliet, and the audience is invested in that story. Tybalt, as an antagonist, opposes Romeo and attempts to thwart the relationship.[22]
In Shakespeare's playHamlet,Prince Hamlet, who seeks revenge for the murder of his father, is the protagonist. The antagonist is the character who most opposes Hamlet, Claudius (though, in many ways, Hamlet is his own antagonist).[23]
Sometimes, a work will have afalse protagonist,who may seem to be the protagonist, but then may disappear unexpectedly. The character Marion inAlfred Hitchcock's filmPsycho(1960) is an example.[24]
A novel may contain a number of narratives, each with its own protagonist.Alexander Solzhenitsyn'sThe First Circle,for example, depicts a variety of characters imprisoned and living in agulagcamp.[25]Leo Tolstoy'sWar and Peacedepicts fifteen major characters involved in or affected by a war.[26]
Though many people equate protagonists with the term hero and possessing heroic qualities, it is not necessary, as even villainous characters can be protagonists. For exampleMichael CorleonefromThe Godfather(1972–1990) film series (1978–1983).
In some cases, the protagonist is not a human: inRichard Adams' novelWatership Down,a group ofanthropomorphisedrabbits, led by the protagonist Hazel, escape their warren after seeing a vision of its destruction, starting a perilous journey to find a new home.[27]
References
edit- ^πρωταγωνιστής,Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott,A Greek–English Lexicon,on Perseus Digital Library.
- ^"protagonist".Dictionary,Random House.Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- ^Harper, Douglas."protagonist".Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ^Duncan, Stephen.A Guide to Screenwriting Success: Writing for Film and Television.Rowman & Littlefield (2006)ISBN9780742553019
- ^"Protagonist".Online Etymology Dictionary.Retrieved28 April2021.
- ^Müller, K.O.History of the literature of Ancient Greece.[Library of Useful Knowledge.] Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. London (1840) page 306
- ^"Protagonist – literature".Encyclopaedia Britannica.1 April 2016.
- ^Aristotle.Poetics.Oxford University Press (January 20, 2013)ISBN978-0199608362
- ^Packard, William.The Art of the Playwright.Thunder's Mouth Press. 1997ISBN1-56025-117-4
- ^abStorey, Ian; Allan, Arlene (2008).A Guide to Ancient Greek Drama.Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. pp.84.ISBN978-1405102148.
- ^Telias, Rozei (2018-07-06).Moreno's Personality Theory and its Relationship to Psychodrama: A Philosophical, Developmental and Therapeutic Perspective.Routledge.ISBN9781351021081.
- ^abBart, M. P. (2018-03-22).History of the Literature of Ancient Greece.Charles River Editors.ISBN9781632956316.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Hero".Britannica.Retrieved28 April2021.
- ^"Hero".Merriam-Webster.Retrieved28 April2021.
- ^"A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory".John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.Retrieved28 April2021.
- ^"Villain".Dictionary.Retrieved28 April2021.
- ^Byford, Andy; Doak, Connor; Hutchings, Stephen (2020-01-30).Transnational Russian Studies.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-1-78962-087-0.
- ^The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge.Encyclopedia Americana Corporation. 1918.
- ^"Protagonist".LitCharts.Retrieved28 April2021.
- ^Euripides.Hippolytos.Oxford University Press (October 29, 1992)ISBN978-0195072907
- ^Ibsen, Henrik. Meyer, Michael Leverson. editor.Ibsen Plays: 1: Ghosts; The Wild Duck; The Master Builder.Dramatists Play Service Inc. (1980)ISBN9780413463302.page 241
- ^Shakespeare, William.Romeo and Juliet.Bloomsbury Arden Shakespeare; Third edition (July 15, 2012)ISBN9781903436912
- ^Shakespeare, William.Hamlet.Simon & Schuster (July 1, 1992)ISBN978-0743477123
- ^Kolker, Robert Phillip.Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho: A Casebook.Oxford University Press (2004)ISBN9780195169195
- ^The Solzhenitsyn Reader: New and Essential Writings, 1947–2005: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn,Edward E. Ericson, Jr., Daniel J. Mahoney.
- ^Moser, Charles. 1992.Encyclopedia of Russian Literature.Cambridge University Press. pp. 298–300.
- ^Adams, Richard, 1920–2016. Watership Down. London: Rex Collings Ltd, 1972. Print.
