Protagonist vs. Antagonist Explained: Definitions and Examples

If there’s one thing every story needs, it’s conflict. And while conflict takes many forms, some of literature’s most beloved stories involve conflict in the classic form of the protagonist and antagonist. Without the antagonist, these books have no story. If there had not been the threat of Sauron, Frodo might have stayed in the Shire, playing pranks with the One Ring.

And as enjoyable as that may have been for him, it wouldn’t have made a very good story for the rest of us! That’s why having conflict in a story is so important. This article will look at those people: protagonists and antagonists. Let’s find out who they are, how they oppose each other, and what you can do to craft memorable rivalries for your own stories.

What is a protagonist?

The protagonist is the lead character of a story. The term derives from classical Greek drama, literally meaning “first actor.” Though often referred to as the “hero” of the story, the protagonist isn’t necessarily virtuous, and also may be just one of many protagonists. Every narrative will have at least one protagonist, who may serve as the narrator as well. It may be difficult to identify the protagonist(s) immediately, but you usually know within a few chapters.

Is the protagonist always the main character?

Usually, yes. Some people differentiate between “protagonist” and “main character,” saying that the protagonist moves the story forward, while the main character may be anyone who features heavily — but doesn’t necessarily drive the narrative.

However, for almost all intents and purposes, “protagonist” and “main character” are synonymous terms. Then again, if you find yourself with less of a protagonist and more of a passive main character, you might want to reconsider that character’s true role and purpose in your story.

Let’s take a look at the three most common types of protagonists in action.

Types of protagonists

1. Lonely hero

The lonely hero is most common type. As the name implies, the lonely hero is the one and only person who can stop evil from triumphing and save the day. Though they’re usually helped by a team of supporting characters, the ultimate burden of the quest falls squarely on their shoulders.

Examples of lonely hero protagonists include Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, and Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings.

2. Group hero

With group hero protagonists, multiple people are equally involved in the story’s main events and conflict. They may not all serve the same purpose or perform the same tasks, but they pull together to accomplish a single goal. No one person stands out beyond the rest — or if they do, it’s only because the group helped them get there.

Some examples of group hero protagonists are Romeo and Juliet from the homonymous play, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny from A Series of Unfortunate Events and the Avengers from the Marvel movies and comics.

3. Anti-hero

Although protagonists are usually shown as selfless, kind, and courageous heroes, anti-heroes can be bitter and sarcastic with a moral compass that tends toward gray. They don’t have the typical “heroic” traits. An anti-hero will often start as a minor villain who experiences character growth into a more neutral -or even virtuous- territory.

Some examples of anti-hero protagonists are Artemis from Artemis Fowl and Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye.

Can the protagonist be the bad guy?

Yes! Though not as common as traditional, heroic protagonists, or even anti-heroes with complex motivations, there are some fully malevolent villains that serve as the protagonists of their own stories. Here are some examples of villainous protagonists:

• Patrick Bateman from American Psycho
• Alex from A Clockwork Orange
• The Grinch from How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Sometimes an evil protagonist undergoes a transformative character arc to become good in the end (as with the Grinch). However, sometimes they remain just as monstrous as ever (often a sign of sociopathy, as in the first two examples).

If you’re writing a villainous protagonist, just remember that, even if they don’t get a redemption arc, they still need to be compelling to readers in some way. Perhaps they have a delightfully twisted inner monologue, or a weakness that they fear will be found out. Maybe you’re writing satire and want to see how far you can push the limits of the genre. But whatever you do, your protagonist cannot be flat or uninteresting — otherwise readers won’t understand why you’re telling their story in the first place.

Now that we’ve seen who’s standing in the protagonist corner, let’s take a look at those on the opposite side.

What is an antagonist?

The antagonist is the primary opponent of the protagonist, and the biggest obstacle standing between the main character and their goal. This term also derives from Greek: anti, meaning “against,” and agonist, meaning actor.

Like the protagonist, the antagonist can take many different forms. From the traditional villain working alone, to a group of people, a force of nature, or even an intrinsic conflict, the one uniting factor of all antagonists is that they challenge the protagonist in some way. Let’s venture over the dark side for a bit to see how antagonists can take shape, with the four most common types of antagonists.

Types of antagonists

1. Villain

When you think “antagonist,” the first thing that comes to mind is probably a classic evil-doing character. This is, of course, the villain antagonist seen so often in stories from Dickens to Disney. Not only do the villain’s goals oppose the protagonist’s, they are also actively working against them in order to fulfill their own — often selfish or wicked — ambitions.

The villain may have a longstanding grudge against the protagonist and are out for revenge (think Syndrome in The Incredibles). They may simply want to watch the world burn while the protagonist wants to maintain order (think the Joker in The Dark Knight). But whatever their motives (or lack thereof), there’s no doubt about the fact that they’re a villain through and through.

Examples of classic villain antagonists:

• Voldemort from Harry Potter
• Darth Vader from Star Wars
• Hans Gruber from Die Hard
• Sauron from Lord of the Rings
• Cruella de Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians

2. Group villain

Of course, just as with protagonists, an antagonist doesn’t have to be one person working alone. It can be an entire group or entity that actively opposes the protagonist. This is the group villain, and though it may have a distinct face or figurehead, the group itself is recognized as the real bad guys.

The group villain usually represents political values and social mores that clash with the protagonist’s in a drastic way. As you might expect, the group villain often features in dystopian works, such as those listed below. Group villains can also appear in a more “typical” way, as simply a group of villains — however, this is pretty much exclusive to superhero comics and movies.

Examples of group villain antagonists:

• The Community from The Giver
• The Capitol from The Hunger Games
• The Republic of Gilead from The Handmaid’s Tale

3. Inanimate forces

Though not as common as human antagonists, inanimate forces — such as nature, technology, or the supernatural — can also create resistance that the protagonist needs to overcome. The inanimate force antagonist may take a form akin to a human figure (as with the Terminator below), but as with the group hero’s face/figurehead, this form is only a stand-in for the protagonist’s true enemy.

Such inanimate forces may be on par with the unfathomably terrifying threats of cosmic horror, or they may be as mundane as bad weather. But either way, this force blocks the protagonist’s path to victory and must be neutralized before they can succeed.

Examples of Inanimate Forces as antagonists:

• Nature in Robinson Crusoe
• Technology in the Terminator franchise
• The supernatural in the short story “The Masque of the Red Death”

4. Intrinsic forces

This is another type of antagonist that isn’t a character, but rather one of the protagonist’s own shortcomings that keeps them from achieving their goals. An intrinsic force drives the “character vs. self” conflict you’ll sometimes see in stories. This may be a personality flaw or some sort of physical disadvantage, but it’s something the protagonist (and those around them) must defeat — or give into, especially if they have a hero-to-villain arc.

The other thing to remember about the intrinsic force antagonist is that it may not be the only anatagonist in a story. Often, a character has to grapple with an internal issue and combat an external force at the same time — for example, Frodo battling both his own desire for the ring AND his ultimate enemy, Sauron.

Examples of intrinsic forces as antagonists:

• Elizabeth’s prejudice in Pride and Prejudice
• The narrator’s paranoia in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart
• Henry DeTamble’s uncontrollable time-traveling in The Time Traveler’s Wife

Can the antagonist be the good guy?

Sometimes — or at the very least, the antagonist isn’t always as bad as we think they are. Oftentimes, a traumatic past explains why they act the way they do. Or they might want to be good, but got started down the wrong path and now believe it’s too late to change

For a character to be considered an antagonist, they only really need to meet one piece of criteria: their goals must conflict with the protagonist’s goals. To show you what we mean, here are some not-evil-on-purpose antagonists:

• Every other character besides Holden in The Catcher in the Rye
• Javert from Les Miserables

What about anti-villains?

An anti-villain is slightly different from a “good” antagonist who just happens to oppose the protagonist. The anti-villain is undeniably villainous in behavior, but their motivations make us think twice about how to label them.

Now, since these characters can be the difference between a memorable story and a forgettable one, we’ll provide some essential ground rules to help you create a legendary fictional rivalry.

Whether you have the traditional hero-villain character dynamic, or a non-traditional character rivalry, remember to make full use of the conflict their interactions generate in order to move your story along. By creating complex characters, you will find it much easier to develop an interesting plot and bring your story to life.

What are your favorite protagonist and antagonist rivalries? Let us know in the comments below!