An antagonist is a character who opposes the protagonist in literature and movies. They are not always evil, but often portrayed negatively. Examples include King Creon in Antigone and Iago in Othello. Even virtuous characters can be antagonists if they block the protagonist’s progress, as seen in Amy Tan’s works. Joanna Kramer in Kramer vs. Kramer is an example of an antagonist with good intentions.
An antagonist is the person who works against the protagonist, or main character. The origin of the word “antagonist” is the Greek antagonisti which means adversary, competitor or rival. While the antagonist is not necessarily a villain, a character pitted against the main character is typically portrayed in a negative manner. Many forms of entertainment utilize the battle between a protagonist and his antagonist, including movies and literature.
Many antagonists are evil and block the main character’s progress through evil plots and deeds. King Creon, in Sophocles’ play Antigone, is a classic example of an evil villain. The protagonist, Antigone, has to fight against him in an attempt to give her brother a proper burial. Creon hinders his success in this endeavor by declaring his brother a traitor and decreeing that he must be left to the elements.
Another example of an evil villain would be Iago in Shakespeare’s Othello. The jealous Iago devises ways to bring about Othello’s downfall, eventually getting Othello to kill his wife.
This battle between “good guys” and “bad guys” can also be seen in movies. Cowboy Westerns, for example, typically revolve around a storyline in which a law-abiding, honest, and courageous man battles a ruthless and cruel villain or gang of villains. In this type of film the protagonist, often wearing light colored clothes or the uniform of a lawman, fights against the obstacles put in place by the antagonist, who usually wears black clothes and is often shown in dark shadows to enhance the his threatening actions.
However, a virtuous character may be considered an antagonist if he otherwise blocks the protagonist’s progress. An example of this would be the mother-daughter relationships found in Amy Tan’s works on Chinese-Americans, such as The Joy Luck Club. The mothers in these novels and short stories often block their daughters’ progression through the stories, not in evil or maniacal ways, but in an attempt to continually bring them back to Chinese tradition and culture.
Another example of an antagonist with no bad intentions would be Joanna Kramer in the movie Kramer vs. Kramer. After leaving her family, Joanna, played by Meryl Streep, reappears in the life of her son, threatening the relationship that her father, Ted Kramer – played by Dustin Hoffman – has established with him. Her intentions are to reconnect with her son, but she hinders the progress Ted, the protagonist, has made throughout the film.
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