Sta.sh
Protagonist & Antagonist ~ A Different Definition
There are Three Essential Characters in Every Story. There may be any number of side characters, but in traditional Adventures, and Romances of every stripe the main conflict is usually, if not always, a triangle of complimentary opposites.
Translation: You could tell the WHOLE story with ONLY these Three Characters; perhaps not with any real detail, but you could still do the entire basic plotline. (Yes I know, I've said some of this before. Bear with me.)
THREE Characters?
Yep. I'm sure you're familiar with: Hero – Villain – Heroine (or Sidekick) already. Those are pretty darn standard. So, let's define them in a more Literary, (and complicated,) fashion shall we?
Antagonist - Protagonist - Ally
ALLY? Who the heck is That?
The Ally
Always there, though seldom named is: the Ally -- the Companion to the Hero. The ALLY's function is to be the Middle-Man, the nay-sayer that presents an opposing view to both the Hero and the Villain. The ALLY is the Obstacle Character who adds complications to the plot, making matters worse for both the Hero and the Villain, generally by getting in the way.
In Romances, this character is the Love Interest, in modern mainstream fiction, and tons of movies, this is the trouble-inducing Best Friend or Interfering Relative, (often a younger sibling). In traditional fiction, they were known as the Victim.
In ALL cases, this character's FATE turns the plot at the Climax, and more often than not, is the story's VIEWPOINT CHARACTER.
The HEROINE
Lady Hero or just another Ally?
Traditionally, fictional Females were NOT allowed to hurt anybody, and they NEVER Killed anybody. The Heroine was not allowed to defeat her own Villain. Her male companion did all her dirty work for her. However, since only the Protagonist faces the Antagonist in the final battle, this made the Heroine's male companion the actual Protagonist, and the Heroine, the most common viewpoint character in a Romance novel – the Ally or designated Victim.
Does the term: 'Damsel in Distress', ring any bells?
The Heroines in traditional stories served two purposes only:
-- To get into trouble, so they could be Saved by the hero
-- As a reward for the hero's heroic efforts. (I know, I know... Don't gag on me.)
Lately, fictional Heroines have begun to defeat their Villains all by themselves, (Lara Croft anyone?) so that rule is changing. But it's still not acceptable for the Heroine to battle the Villain in some arenas.
In Walt Disney's Mulan, Mulan is clearly the viewpoint character and presented as the story's Protagonist, and yet Walt Disney still made her male companion, Mushu, the story's Comic Relief character, take out the Villain – not her, (or her designated Hero!)
In Walt Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Belle is the clearly the viewpoint character and presented as the story's Protagonist, and yet Walt Disney still made her male companion, Beast, take out the Villain – not her.
However, in Tomb Raider, Lara Croft not only does her own butt-kicking, she frequently rescues everyone else!
Antagonist - Protagonist - Ally / Hero - Companion - Villain?
Who is supposed to be What?
Well, that depends on the character's ACTIONS in the story and their effect on the PLOT. Lets look at some literary Definitions that came from one of the ancient Greeks, Aristotle to be exact. (*Based on Aristotle's "Elements of a Greek Tragedy".)
ANTAGONIST: Traditionally the Villain, the one causing all the trouble. (Anti = against: "The one who struggles AGAINST.")*
PROTAGONIST: Traditionally the Hero, trying to keep the Antagonist at bay and keep things the way they are. (Pro = for: "The one who struggles FOR.")*
ALLY: In Greek Tragedies, this character was the designated Victim of the Protagonist's poor judgment whose fate brought on the tragic ending, OR the Only Survivor, who played official witness to the heroic struggle between the Antagonist and the Protagonist. They "Lived to tell the Tale."
In modern fiction, ANY of these three character positions can operate under ANY of the three master character drives: Motive - Action - Emotion, and the Protagonist does NOT necessarily have to be the story's Hero -- just who the story is ABOUT. Additionally, the Viewpoint Character, the one telling the story, does NOT have to be the Protagonist. In fact, it's very traditional for the ALLY to be the story's Narrator -- not the Protagonist.
"But I thought that the Protagonist was always the Main Character?"
In The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Watson was the Viewpoint Character, he told the stories, and yet those stories were all about Holmes who solved the mysteries and faced all the villains. Holmes was obviously the Protagonist; making Watson the Ally.
The Problem with"Protagonist"
In a story's Grand Finale, the Antagonist & Protagonist do battle, and 'winner take all'. Therefore, the one character who does battle with the Antagonist is, by definition, the Protagonist, (and vice versa.)
BUT ~ No one wants to think of the Protagonist as being anything other than the Main Viewpoint Character, whether or not they do battle with the Antagonist. Literary Scholars don't like their definitions changed. Unfortunately, their educated opinions are not having any effect on the characters appearing in modern Fiction -- such as the Anti-Hero, Honorable Villain and the Trickster Ally.
In Moby Dick, the main character Ishmael, is commonly thought of as being the Protagonist because he told the story. However, Ishmael did NOT do battle with the white whale – Captain Ahab did, therefore Ishmael was NOT the Protagonist at all.
Then… What was Ishmael?
Moby Dick
A CLASSIC Greek Tragedy
Aristotle's Elements of a Tragedy, in short:
• The reversal of the protagonist's fortune is brought on by a personal flaw.
• The eventual recognition by the protagonist of this tragic flaw
• The resulting moral consequences of their actions.
• The final moral re-affirmation of the audience -- delivering catharsis.
• Protagonist = Main or Central Character. "The one who struggles FOR."
• Antagonist = Obstacle to the Protagonist. "The one who struggles AGAINST." The obstacle that stands in the way of the protagonist.
In Moby Dick, the White Whale was minding his own business when Captain Ahab attacked him the first time. Seriously pissed off, the whale ate Ahab's leg. Ahab of course, decllares revenge against the monster.
And Ishmael?
-- He's not there yet. This is the Back Story, all the stuff that happened before Ishmael stepped on Ahab's ship for the first time.
The story Moby Dick is all about Captain Ahab's struggles with the white whale, making AHAB the main character – though no one I know would ever call him Heroic or a Protagonist.
From: Aristotle's Elements of a Tragedy…
• Harmatia = Fatal flaw of the Protagonist. In a classical tragedy, the protagonist falls from a great position of power due to a flaw in their character, usually an emotional instability, like pride (hubris), in the case of Oedipus.
In Moby Dick, Ahab's overwhelming pride, "I WILL kill that whale!" causes him to pit his ship, and the lives of his men, against a monster far too big for him. The Whale's thirst for revenge is also driven by Pride.
The Whale and Ahab BOTH have the same flaw; a VERY traditional trademark of the Protagonist and Antagonist.
From: Aristotle's Elements of a Tragedy…
• Peripetia = Reversal of Fortune. The reversal of fortune that besets the protagonist and is intended to elicit our pathos. our pity, and sympathy.
In Moby Dick, Ahab finds the white whale (again minding his own business,) and attacks. The Reversal happens when the whale obviously realizes who is attacking him, and goes after Ahab, attacking the part of the ship Ahab occupies.
From: Aristotle's Elements of a Tragedy…
• Anagnorisis = Recognition of Deeds. When the protagonist understands that their plight has been brought about by their own harmatia, their Fatal Flaw.
In Moby Dick, Ahab's ship is sinking and his men are dying. He REALIZES that the whale has made Ahab a personal enemy – and it's his Own Fault. If Anyone is to survive, he must face the whale HIMSELF.
From: Aristotle's Elements of a Tragedy…
• Catharsis = Purgation of Pathos / Establishment of Ethos. A play is considered complete when the audience is cleansed morally or emotionally by the closure of the tragedy. The catharsis is intended to fortify the ethos, the cultural framework, of the audience.
In Moby Dick, Ahab dies and the whale goes away, leaving the survivors alone. Which proves that the whale had more honor than Ahab. The whale does not attack innocent bystanders -- unlike the insane sea captain.
And Ishmael? He's left behind, floating in the sea after witnessing the entire battle.
Aristotle in a Nutshell:
• Glorious Hero does something he really shouldn't do.
• Not-so-glorious Hero realizes that it's his own damned fault.
• Hero crashes and burns. (He dies, she dies, everybody dies...)
• The audience feels good because they didn't make the protagonist's mistakes.
In Moby Dick, Who is the REAL Protagonist?
-- In Moby Dick, the White Whale is fighting FOR his Life. He's the Protagonist.
-- Ahab is fighting AGAINST the whale's right to live. He's the Antagonist.
So, what was Ishmael?
Ishmael did not agree with either the Whale, for its fierce attacks, or with Captain Ahab's reasons for chasing Moby Dick. He possessed an opposing opinion to both. He was an Obstacle Character, but he worked for Ahab, technically putting him on Ahab's side.
Ishmael did not affect the plot in any major way. He was merely an Observer, the official witness to the epic battle between the whale and the sea captain – he was an ALLY.
Moby Dick is a prime example of modern literature proving that Protagonists are Not always heroic, Antagonists are Not always the bad guys, and the designated Victim (the Ally,) is not always a damsel in distress – or even a Victim.
And yet, literary professionals INSIST that Ishmael is the Protagonist on the grounds that Ishmael Told the Story, therefore he HAD to be a Main Character: the Protagonist.
Um... WRONG! (Go back and read your Aristotle, K?)
The accepted 'literary' definitions for Antagonist and Protagonist just don't FIT the modern day Anti-Hero, Honorable Villain and Trickster Ally.
But ~ No One wants to admit that a Protagonist might be the Villain, and an Antagonist might be the Hero despite the reams of modern fiction and hundreds of popular movies that have such characters. It takes a PHD or a Master's Degree to change an educated opinion -- something I don't have the time to get. (I'm too busy writing Fiction.)
So, let's go around that particular literary road-block and re-label those character positions a bit more closely to their sources -- according to *Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.1.1)
Proponent – Adversary – Ally
ADVERSARY– Anti-establishment; the main character attempting to go against the status quo, by breaking the rules of their society.
Definition: Opponent,
Synonyms: antagonist, attacker, bad guy, bandit, competitor, contestant, enemy, foe, match, opposer, rival
PROPONENT – Pro-establishment; the main character in support of the status quo and the rules of their society.
Definition: Advocate
Synonyms: backer, champion, defender, enthusiast, exponent, expounder, friend, partisan, patron, protector, second, spokesperson, subscriber, supporter, upholder, vindicator
ALLY – The main supporter of one or the other; usually a lover. (It's not unusual for both the Proponent and the Adversary to each have an Ally, but only one Ally actually turns the plot.)
Definition: Friend
Synonyms: accessory, accomplice, associate, co-worker, coadjutor, collaborator, colleague, confederate, friend, friendly, helper, partner
VILLAIN - The main Bad-Guy.
HERO - The main character that faces the Bad-Guy at the climax.
COMPANION - The Buddy, Love-interest, Friend, Victim, and official witness to the heroic struggle between the Hero and the Villain.
So, to answer our earlier question: Who is What?
Hero – Companion – Villain
Proponent – Adversary – Ally
The answer is: Take your pick. The three main characters can be ANY combination.
In the 'Tomb Raider' movie series...
Proponent Heroine
Adversary Villain
Ally Hero
Lara Croft is a Proponent Heroine with Adversarial Villains and Paramour Allies. (Nice and simple.)
Reversed Characters
Anti-Heroes vs. Heroic Villains
The one who has the most battles with the ADVERSARY is your PROPONENT. The one left over, and normally instigating a lot of the tension between the P&A, is your ALLY. This does not change.
However, the labels: Hero and Villain are Interchangeable!
In the movie: 'The Crow'...
Adversary Hero
Proponent Villain
Ally Heroine
Eric Draven was dead. He and his love were murdered. He came back from the Dead with a motive: to get revenge. He attacked the people that killed him and then the boss that sent them to kill him and his love. Eric was the Motive-driven ADVERSARY of this story – and yet the HERO too!
The Villain in this story was busy keeping order in his little Kingdom of Crime. Eric instigated a war between himself and the Ruler of the city. The Villain was bothered into defending himself against Eric. In this story, the Villain was the Action-Driven PROPONENT.
The Next-door neighbor girl, Nell didn't want the Villain burning down her neighborhood – but she didn't want Eric seeking revenge either, because she cared about him, he was her FRIEND.
Nell was the Emotion-Driven ALLY – the Middle-Man in opposition to both the Hero & the Villain. Like a true Middle-Man, she gets trapped between the Proponent and the Adversary in the Climax – as a Victim. Nell was also the Viewpoint Character. Most of the movie is shown from her POV, a trademark of an Ally.
In the movie: 'Leon: The Professional'...
Adversary Heroine
Proponent Villain
Ally Hero
12-year-old HEROINE Mathilda, is looking for a safe haven from the very Villainous and temperamental Stansfield, a police officer, (a society-supporting PROPONENT,) that wiped out her family and intends to get her too. Mathilda takes matters into her own hands and bothers professional assassin Leon, into taking her in – and becomes his FRIEND.
Much of the story was filmed from Leon's POV -- trademark of an ALLY, additionally, Leon has the opposing opinion. Leon doesn't want her there, and doesn't want the attention of the police either. He tries to get her to keep her head down and forget, but Mathilda utterly refuses. She bullies him into teaching her how to use a gun because as far as she's concerned, she has a Reason to use one.
Like a true ADVERSARY she stalks Stansfield to his office fully intending to shoot him dead. Mathilda was obviously a Motive-Driven ADVERSARIAL HEROINE going after emotionally unstable Stansfield a PROPONENT VILLAIN. Like a true Middle-Man, Action-Driven Leon is caught between them.
However, even though the entire plot for 'Leon: The Professional', was set up to let the Adversarial Heroine face her very personal Villain; the under-aged Heroine is taught to use a gun and other assassin's tools, the Anti-hero Ally ended up actually taking the villain out. I suspect that, at the very last second, someone changed their mind about letting a kid kill.
And the deciding factor for a story's Villain?
The Villain's INABILITY to Change is what makes them the VILLAIN and the reason WHY they LOSE.
-- The Hero Crashes, Burns, Learns from his mistakes, and Rises Again.
-- The Villain merely Crashes and Burns. He does NOT learn from his mistakes. He does Not rise again.
And there you have it. Enjoy!
I'm trying to write a story where the character that seems to be the main character isn't and the real main characters are completely unaware of the horrible things happening for most of the story. Is there a way to make that work that doesn't confuse the reader too much?
I'm trying to write a story where ... the real main characters are completely unaware of the horrible things happening for most of the story. Is there a way to make that work that doesn't confuse the reader too much?
Point of View is how you do this.
-- Write the story from the point of view of someone that knows what's going on and provide a good reason why the other characters Won't Believe Them when your POV character tries to warn them.
But anyway, I have a question. You stated I need only three characters to make a story - Antagonist, Protagonist and Ally. This may sound a bit silly, but has each of them come in only a single number? I know that having two protagonists in a story probably isn't very real (one will probably become ally sooner or later) but what about having two or more allies? Or maybe more antagonists? Is it unreal, or is there a way around it?
The Protagonist is the one who faces the Antagonist. That does not change.
However, the Villain can be either one; the Protagonist who fights to keep things the way they are, or the Antagonist who fights to change things.
For example, the Sheriff of Nottingham is a Protagonist. He likes the way he has control over his town. However, he is also clearly a Villain.
Robin Hood, an obvious hero, wants to change the way the people are governed. That makes him an Antagonist.
Maid Marion, and all of Robin Hood's Merry Men are Robin Hood's Allies.
The Sheriff's soldiers are the Sheriff's Allies.
King John of England is a Protagonist. He likes his kingdom the way it is, and doesn't want any changes, but he's also a Villain. When he stepped into the story, he became the main Antagonist and Villain with the Sheriff of Nottingham and the Sheriff's soldiers as is his Allies.
Just to make things complicated, most older stories are NOT told by the protagonist, but by an Ally. How can you tell? The one telling the story is Not the one who faces the Antagonist, someone else does. That some else is the Protagonist.
As an example...
-- Robin Hood's story is told from Will the Red's point of view. Will does not ever face the Sheriff or King John. Will the Red is an Ally -- Robin Hood's Ally.
Get it now?
You can have as many protagonists or antagonists as you like in a story. However, since they are Main Characters, each of their stories must be told to their conclusions before the story ends. Any main character whose story does Not reach a conclusion leaves a Plot Hole that your readers will spot.
This is why I advise keeping the character count as low as possible, to prevent the writer from making a story far too large for them to ever finish.
As an example of more than one protagonist...
-- Star Wars had 3 major Protagonists: Luke, Leah, and Han Solo, and 3 main villains: Darth Vader, the Emperor, and (in the first movie) Grand Moff Tarkin. It took 6 whole movies to conclude ALL of their stories.
Leia was the focus of the first movie, Han Solo the focus of the second, Luke the focus of the third, Darth Vader the focus of the fourth, and the emperor the focus of the fifth with the sixth movie tying up everything else.
Lord of the Rings and </i>Harry Potter</i> had even more main characters, which is why they took so many movies (and books) to conclude, and why each was so long. Even so, things were left out of the movies that happened in the books because there just wasn't enough movie-time for it all.
I never said that you CAN'T have more than one Protagonist, Antagonist or Ally. I said that any story can be told with only one of each, though it won't have many scenes.
For example, Star Wars COULD be told using only Darth Vader, (Villian - Protagonist) Luke, (Hero - Antagonist) and Obi Wan Kenobi, (Ally). It will lack a whole pile of scenes that feature the other characters, but Luke's rise to Jedi Knight, Obi Wan's death, and his discovery of his father -- which is the entirety of Luke's story -- can all be told with just those three characters.
Okay?
... this actually leads to an interesting thing. I remember you stated in one of your works here that when Hero confronts Villain, the one who will lose is the one who fails to adapt to a new situation, or to move on or how did you define it. Is that somehow related to being Protagonist/Antagonist Villain/Hero, or can it happen to anybody?
You got it!
Protagonist is just someone who keeps things the old way, while Antagonist thrives for a change.
Yep, that's right!
...when Hero confronts Villain, the one who will lose is the one who fails to adapt to a new situation, or to move on...
That works.
Is that somehow related to being protagonist / Antagonist, Villain / Hero, or can it happen to anybody?
It's normally a Villain / Hero thing, (protagonist & antagonist are interchangeable, each can be either one, so they don't count.) However, it CAN happen to any character at any time in the story -- and more than once.
The key point here, is that Battles aren't the only places Villains can Lose, and the Loser isn't always a Villain.
A guy that can't get the girl he loves to love him back, lost in his relationship, but he's not necessarily a Villain.
The problem with stories is that as they progress from the beginning to the end, things shift. Just like normal people, characters CAN and DO change; from protagonist to antagonist, to ally. A character that starts out as a hero could easily become a villain by the end of the story.
It all depends on you, the WRITER and what you decide you want your characters to be.