A protagonist is the main character in a work, often the hero or heroine. The antagonist is the character who conflicts with the protagonist. Tragic flaws can lead to the protagonist’s downfall, while in comedy, the protagonist develops from chaos to order. In some works, there is no defined protagonist.
A protagonist is the protagonist of a work, often playing the role of the hero or heroine. The word “protagonist” comes from the Greek word protagonisti, meaning “first fighter”, and referred to the main character, aided by the chorus, in classical Greek tragedy. Examples of classic literary protagonists are Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Holden Caulfield in JD Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Jane Austen’s Emma Woodhouse, and Howard Roark in Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead.
If the lead actor is hindered by conflict with another character, that character is referred to as an antagonist. An evil antagonist is often referred to as a villain, and this battle between the protagonist and the evildoer is often what sets the play’s plot in motion. For example, in his play Antigone, Sophocles uses the classic struggle between the antagonist and the protagonist. The protagonist, Antigone, must fight against Creon in an attempt to give her brother a proper burial. King Creon declares that by law his brother is a traitor and must be left to rot without burial, thus attempting to hinder Antigone’s progress. His struggle to get a decent burial for his brother is what sets the characters and plot in motion.
A developing character change is often seen in a protagonist from the beginning to the end of the word. A tragic flaw, or hamartia, can be found in a character operating in a tragedy. This flaw often leads to her downfall. For example, William Shakespeare’s Hamlet suffers his downfall due to his tragic flaw of indecision when he hesitates to kill his wicked uncle. Hamlet’s indecision and struggle against his antagonist sets the plot in motion. In this example, the main character accompanies the plot from order to chaos, resulting in tragedy.
In comedy, the development of a protagonist also follows the plot, but is instead brought from chaos to order. For example, in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, Katarina improves and develops her character from that of a shrew to that of an obedient wife.
A protagonist can also carry many of the traits of a villain. For example, readers follow the progression of Becky Sharp, the protagonist of William Makepeace Thackery’s Vanity Fair, who often schemes to make her way in the world, obtaining her fortune at the expense of others.
In many operas, especially those with an ensemble cast, there is no defined protagonist. In William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying, Addie Bundren’s death leads her family on a long journey to bury her. Since the story is told from the point of view of several characters, who can all be considered protagonists of the struggle, it is possible to identify several protagonists.
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