protagonist

Protagonist Definition

The protagonist (pro-TAG-uh-nist) is the main character in a story. Also called the central character, focal character, primary character, or hero, the protagonist plays a key role in a narrative’s development because the story revolves around them. They encounter some internal or external conflict that drives the plot, and they tend to experience transformative change that incites the climax and resolves the narrative.

The word protagonist originated from Greece, as the prōtagōnistēs was the actor of primary importance in a dramatic performance. The word has since evolved to refer to the central character in any narrative.

How to Identify the Protagonist

Determining the protagonist is generally easy. Most stories use common cues to signal the main character, such as the title, point of view, characterization, or exposition that clearly establishes character roles.

These narrative characteristics can help readers identify the protagonist.

• The protagonist exists at the center of the story; the book’s narrative is the protagonist’s narrative.
• The protagonist faces conflict that forms the foundation of the plot (which often manifests through an antagonist who directly opposes the protagonist).
• The protagonist has goals and makes decisions to achieve those wants or needs.
• The protagonist’s decisions have consequences on the plot, whether good or bad.
• The protagonist transforms because their choices and experiences, and they end the story in a different place than where they started.

However, it’s a common misconception that these cues always identify the protagonist. Take characterization. While heroic traits like integrity, courage, and selflessness typically indicate the protagonist, antiheroes and villain protagonists can defy this trend by embodying these characteristics. Consider Humbert Humbert, the protagonist narrator in Lolita who is neither heroic nor admirable. Or take Less by Andrew Sean Greer. Although Arthur Less is the protagonist and titular character, the story is narrated by his lover Freddy.

Types of Protagonists

Most protagonists fall into one of these categories: heroes, antiheroes, villains, supporting protagonists, false protagonists, and rotating protagonists.

Heroes

The hero is the traditional, conventional protagonist. This class of protagonist can be divided into subcategories, like the classic hero and the tragic hero.

The classic hero, for example, is inherently good. They display honorable virtues like bravery, integrity, and righteousness, and they’re altruistic, striving for the greater good and pursuing selfless goals. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë features a classic heroine.

The tragic hero shares many of these traits, but they meet a tragic end typically prompted by a mistake or personal flaw. Shakespeare’s Hamlet stars a tragic hero.

Antiheroes

These protagonists defy the audience’s expectations. They typically do the right thing but for the wrong reasons, and while they display many character flaws, some goodness exists at their core. Like heroes, antiheroes take many forms. An antihero may be disreputable, cowardly, and selfish, or they can be a reluctant hero, a generally good but cynical person who avoids conflict until it affects them personally.

Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter Morgan crime thriller series features an antihero protagonist in Dexter, a vigilante serial killer who targets other murderers. Tony Soprano—a corrupt, murdering crime boss who is undeniably dedicated to his family—is another famous antihero from pop culture.

Villains

While villains typically fulfill roles as antagonists or secondary characters, some villains are protagonists in their own stories. Like antiheros, villains embody traits that contrast with a traditional hero. Unlike antiheroes, villains do bad, even evil, things for ignoble reasons.

Writing a villain protagonist can be tricky, as writers typically want readers to connect with their main character. But a skillful writer will have readers waiting eagerly for a villain protagonist’s demise. The aforementioned Humbert Humbert is one such example, and the comics industry routinely turns villains into stars of their own books, including titles like Suicide Squad, Thunderbolts, and Superior Spider-Man.

Supporting Protagonists

These protagonists play a supporting role in another hero’s story. In a conventional narrative framework, supporting protagonists would appear as secondary characters. To Kill a Mockingbird exemplifies this protagonist type; although Scout is the main character, her father Atticus Finch is the story’s true hero.

False Protagonists

These are presented as protagonists only to be revealed as some other character type. A false protagonist may serve as the focal character for the first chapter only to die, or they may turn out to have been an antagonist all along.

The movie Psycho features the best-known example of a false protagonist. Marion Crane serves as the central character until 47 minutes into the film, at which point she is brutally murdered. Storytellers structure narratives this way to stun the audience, dash expectations, and heighten the drama.

Rotating Protagonists

This refers to several characters who serve as the central character in turns. By having multiple protagonists, writers can focus on different characters and plotlines in different chapters, arcs, or episodes.

This is common in stories that shift between the points of view of two main characters, such as Everything, Everything, a young adult novel by Nicola Yoon that features co-protagonists. Rotating protagonists also feature in works with larger ensemble casts, like G. R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series, or shows like Stranger Things or The Wire.

Protagonists and Related Literary Devices

Because protagonists play such a key role in stories, they’re connected to several related literary devices and character types.

Antagonists

Antagonists oppose the protagonist. When a story features an antagonist, they’re the character, group, or force that instigates the main conflict, typically by challenging, obstructing, or confronting the protagonist. The word antagonist stems from the Greek antagonistēs, meaning “opponent, competitor, or rival.” Like protagonists, this character type has roots in classical dramas.

Deuteragonists

Another character type with origins in ancient Greek drama, the deuteragonist is the second most important character in a narrative. After the protagonist, they have the most relevance and influence on the plot. Deuteragonists often appear as sidekicks, companions, love interests, and even antagonists.

Foils

Foils are characters who contrast with one another to emphasize the differences in their characterization and story arc. Because the protagonist is the most important character in a story, it’s essential that readers clearly understand their traits, values, goals, and desires. So, foils are often developed in contrast with the protagonist to clarify and accentuate the latter’s personality and plotline.

Narrators

The narrator is the character who tells the story. Narratives told from the first-person point of view are often recounted by the protagonist, who shares their thoughts, perceptions, and experiences directly with the reader. However, just because a character is narrating the story doesn’t mean they’re the protagonist; secondary characters can also narrate the story. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad uses an anonymous narrator to frame protagonist Charles Marlow’s experiences in the Congo.

Archetypes

Some flavors of character recur so frequently that they become archetypes. Many types of protagonists exhibit archetypical characteristics, such as heroes, villains, boy or girl wonders, and the everyman.

Functions of Protagonists

Protagonists give a narrative forward momentum. They begin a story in one place and typically end up in other. During their journey, they are impeded by some conflict, challenge, or obstacle that gives the plot its basis. In confronting and overcoming this conflict, the protagonist carries the narrative through to its resolution. The protagonist’s traits, goals, and motivations influence how the story unfolds, and their choices directly affect the primary plot beats, especially the climax.

Because the protagonist exists at the heart of the story, their characterization plays a crucial role in hooking the reader’s interest and sympathy. When the reader cares about the main character, they become invested in their story and are more likely to read through to the conclusion. This is why so many memorable protagonists are round or dynamic characters; nuanced characterization reflects the personalities of real people, as does the ability to learn, grow, and change. A capacity for depth and transformation makes a character more realistic and authentic.

Protagonists often serve as viewpoint characters, meaning the story is told from their point of view. This is another strategy writers use to help readers relate to the main character. Allowing the reader to experience the protagonist’s perspective both emphasizes and personalizes their narrative dilemma and motivation.

But as we discussed, not all stories are narrated by the protagonist. Using a secondary character as the narrator can be an effective technique. It positions the protagonist at a remove from the reader, concealing their perceptions and thought processes, perhaps to create an air of intrigue or mystery. This also allows the reader to perceive the protagonist from an outside perspective.

Protagonists in Pop Culture

Audiences encounter all types of protagonists in pop culture, especially in movies and TV shows. These are just a few iconic examples.

Ellen Ripley from the Alien film series exemplifies the action heroine. She is introduced as a warrant officer on the spaceship Nostromo—a voice of reason and a team player but ostensibly an ordinary woman. After the crew encounters an unknown alien creature, Ripley emerges as the only survivor due to her determination, shrewd strategizing, bravery, prudence, and even her maternal instincts.

Han Solo is a classic antihero. When he debuts in the film Star Wars: A New Hope, he’s an irritable rogue who’s motivated purely by self-interest. He only agrees to rescue Princess Leia after Luke Skywalker entices him with the promise of a financial reward.

Breaking Bad protagonist Walter White exemplifies the villain protagonist. His story begins with good intentions—he manufactures methamphetamine to secure his family’s financial security in light of his impending death from cancer. But as the story progresses, Walt is seduced by his success and becomes a criminal kingpin, transforming into the show’s main villain.

Examples of Protagonists in Literature

1. William Shakespeare, Richard III

Richard III is one of Shakespeare’s most famous historical plays and features one of the Bard’s most iconic villain protagonists. Based on real events in late 15th-century England, the play depicts the brief reign of King Richard III. The titular character confirms his villainous nature from the outset:

I am determined to prove a villain

And hate the idle pleasures of these days.

Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous,

By drunken prophecies, libels and dreams,

To set my brother Clarence and the king

In deadly hate, the one against the other

From this very first scene, which establishes the protagonist as deceitful, treacherous, and manipulative, Richard III proceeds to conspire against his brothers, orchestrating Machiavellian schemes to claim the throne and rule with impunity.

2. Imre Kertész, Fatelessness

This semiautobiographical novel follows Georg Köves, named György “Gyuri” Köves in the original Hungarian, as he is thrust into the horror of the Holocaust. Just 14 years old when he’s placed on a train to Auschwitz, Georg is an example of an innocent protagonist, a main character—usually a child—who is pure, naïve, and inexperienced.

The novel details how Georg’s innocence is irrevocably tarnished by all he endures and witnesses. Georg narrates his own story here, using the first-person point of view, which gives readers an unobstructed view of his struggle to find meaning in the atrocity of the Holocaust.

3. Karen M. McManus, One of Us Is Lying

One of Us Is Lying is a young adult suspense thriller that features an ensemble cast of rotating protagonists. The novel begins after five students enter detention one afternoon but only four emerge alive after Simon Kelleher dies of an allergic reaction from ingesting peanut oil. The novel shifts between four point-of-view characters—Bronwyn, Nate, Addy, and Cooper—as they grapple with the aftermath of Simon’s murder.

By dividing the narrative into four distinct perspectives, McManus raises the tension of the murder mystery and develops each protagonist beyond their superficial archetypes, highlighting the consequences of stereotypes.

Further Resources on Protagonists

Protagonists are driven by goals, which stem from a want or a need. This short video essay uses pop culture examples to explore the relationship between wants, needs, and character development.

This chapter excerpted from Dramatica: Theory of Story discusses the theory behind different character types, including protagonists and antagonists.

Related Terms

• Antagonist
• Characterization
• Deuteragonist
• Plot
• Point of View