Definition of a Protagonist in Literature, With Examples

Definition of a Protagonist in Literature, With ExamplesDefinition of a Protagonist in Literature, With ExamplesCharacters in a story have many roles and purposes, all of them dictated by the writers intent and style. The protagonist is the main character in a story, novel, drama, or other literary work. He or she is usually a character that the reader or audience empathizes with, or at least cheers for, whether its rooting for that persons success or demise. More importantly, however, this character acts as a catalyst to the storys plot by making or causing an action that moves things along. Without a protagonist, literally nothing happens. History of the Protagonist The term protagonist comes from ancient Greek and roughly translates to one who plays the first part. Ancient Greek playwrights such as Thespis, Aeschylus, and Sophocles all incorporated protagonists, as Greek plays evolved from having mainly static Greek choruses to featuring complex plots and characters with diffe rent dramatic purposes. Identification In many stories, the reader experiences the tale through the protagonists eyes. But in some instances, the story is revealed through several characters who describe their perspectives to the reader or the audience. The protagonists nature and moral fiber can also vary. The protagonist may be an anti-hero or another character whom the reader or audience dislikes. The protagonist should not be confused with another important lead character in a story, theantagonist, who opposes the protagonist. In the most archetypical of narratives, this dynamic boils down to bad guy versusgood guy. A prime example in modern-day cinema is ?good-guy Luke Skywalker going head to head with bad guy Darth Vaderin the Star Warsmovies. However, one also could make the argument that two other characters in the Star Warsuniverse could be considered protagonists Princess Leia and Han Solo. After all, if not for Leia sending a coded message to Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke woul d likely have remained a farmer on Tattooine. And if not for Han Solos ship the Millennium Falcon, Luke and Obi-Wan would not have gotten very far. But since the story is told primarily from Lukes point of view, hes probably the strongest example of a protagonist in the original Star Warstrilogy. Usually, the audience sees the action through the protagonists eyes. Examples in Literature In movies as well as in works of literature, the protagonist may be hard to identify, especially if youre looking for a heroic character. Becky Sharpe is one of the main protagonists in Vanity Fair, but shes extremely flawed. By the end of the book, Becky is almost unlikable. In this way shes a very good example of another truth in literature well-written protagonists are well-rounded characters. In Hamlet, the titular character is also the protagonist he seeks revenge for his fathers murder and takes action to find and punish the killer. Many literary arguments exist about who serves as Hamlets antagonist is it his uncle, the murderous Claudius, or is it Laertes, son of Polonius, who seeks revenge for his own fathers death at Hamlets hand? Some scholars even have argued that Hamlet himself is his own antagonist, i.e., his own worst enemy. False Protagonists Sometimes a character who appears to be a storys protagonist is abruptly removed from the plot. These characters are known as false protagonists. They often appear in mysteries and are usually killed off at the beginning of the story. A false protagonist usually represents an authors deliberate attempt at deception. An example of a false protagonist in modern cinema is the character of Dallas in the 1979 sci-fi horror film Alien. Played by actor Tom Skerritt, Dallas is captain of the doomed ship Nostromo, which is infested with a malicious alien creature. Once the alien is loose, however, Dallas is one of the first to be killed, and- spoiler alert- Ripley is the sole survivor.