Hmmm, hero vs protagonist. Aren’t they the same?
You’d think so. Except “the hero is a type of protagonist. All stories must have a protagonist, but not all stories need a hero” (MasterClass).
Nor is the hero the only protagonist choice. There is the anti-hero, the false protagonist (which encompasses three subclassifications!), the main character, and the villain. Yep, who knew the villain could be a protagonist? Think Dracula or Dorian Gray!
The truly hard part of using a villain as the protagonist is that you still need to help the reader relate to the joys, fears, and hopes of the villain/protagonist in the story.
The protagonist has to work as the emotional heart of the story, helping your reader connect with them on a basic level.
Whatever character-type you choose for your protagonist, they are key to the story’s development, which means the story revolves around them. There must be choices they make and a conflict they conquer, all while pulling the reader in emotionally, gaining their support and sympathy.
You may also want to explore the Word Confusion post “Antagonist versus Protagonist” and/or the Writing Tip posts “Antagonist” and “Creating Memorable Characters“.
Writing is . . .
. . . a lot of work . . . yeah, you already know that one, lol. What the posts on “Writing Tips” are intended to do is explore the various mechanics of writing from plots to points-of-view to structure to character development to genres to voice to target audience to book types to character or story arcs to back stories to plot devices to themes to diction to copyright to flashforwards to flashbacks to framing the story or devices to memes to tropes to pace to perspective to settings to show versus tell to social context to continuity to storyboards to style to language to style sheets to syntax to tone to tropes and more…
It’s an evolving conversation, and sometimes I run across an example that helps explain better or another “also known as”. Heck, there’s always a better way to explain it, so if it makes quicker and/or better sense, I would appreciate suggestions and comments from anyone on some aspect of writing with which you struggle or on which you can contribute more understanding.
If you found this post on “Protagonist” interesting, consider tweeting it to your friends. Subscribe to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.
| Protagonist | |||
| Part of Writing: Character Development | |||
| Definition: An active character, place, etc., that drives the plot forward through their decisions, undergoing some change that causes a turn of events, and with their goals reflecting the overall story/series goals.
A protagonist’s character arc is what the readers follow throughout the story. Protagonists are heroes, anti-heroes, and villains. Not at the same time, of course. Most stories are from the perspective of the protagonist while some are from the perspective of a main or supporting character.
A.k.a. lead character, main character |
|||
|
Return to top or post contents |
Snow White is the protagonist of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Iago is the protagonist in Shakespeare’s Othello as he plays a central role in all the controversies of the play. Hamlet experiences terrible events because of his indecisiveness, which troubles him while murdering his evil uncle. Becky Sharp from William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair is controversial because of some evil traits such as her being very manipulative in order to achieve her own interests. Multiple protagonists appear in William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, in which Addie Burden’s family tell the story from their own perspectives, making them all equally important to the story. In the Lord of the Rings trilogy there are many characters that have great significance to the story, but Frodo Baggins is the one who stands out, because everyone else’s destiny rests in his hands. |
||
| False Protagonist | Definition: A character whom the audience assumes is the protagonist/main character but is later revealed not to be, thereby fooling the audience’s preconceptions. | ||
|
Return to top or post contents |
It’s less a character type than a literary technique to set up a change in their narratives, a dramatic plot twist, a change in their narratives, or a dramatic plot twist to make the plot more jarring or more memorable.
It’s accomplished by:
A.k.a. decoy protagonist |
||
| The Fade | Definition: A secondary or minor character is introduced and they talk for the first chapter or pages of your book. These characters then gradually step out of the limelight once the real hero of your tale steps into the picture. | ||
|
Return to top or post contents |
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone begins with Vernon Dursley’s, Petunia’s, and Dudley’s perspectives. As soon as Harry steps into the picture, Vernon gives up his limelight position and steps into his role as a secondary character.
George Lucas’s Star Wars: A New Hope starts with C-3PO and R2-D2 trying to fulfill their mission to deliver a message to Obi-wan Kenobi. However, when R2-D2 and C-3PO encounter Luke Skywalker, they fade into the background as Luke takes over the story. Don Vito Corleone in Mario Puzo’s The Godfather doesn’t last the entire story with Michael emerging as the real protagonist. |
||
| Killed Off | Definition: Kill the character off. This can come as a complete surprise to the reader or hinted at throughout a book series. | ||
|
Return to top or post contents |
Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho opens as the main character. When she’s dead, her sister and lover become the protagonists.
Ned Stark in A Game of Thrones whose character is prominent until the final chapters of the novel. His death, along with many other characters, reinforces many of Martin’s themes to get across to his readers, as bad things can happen to good people. Killing off his character also has the added benefit of creating suspense, as readers never know if their favorite character will make it to the end of the book. Credit to: Adams |
||
| Protagonist Becomes Antagonist | Definition: The “protagonist” becomes the bad guy — with some set up. | ||
|
Return to top or post contents |
Princess Elsa in Disney’s Frozen is the focus of the opening scenes. Once Princess Ana confronts Elsa for her hermit-like ways, Elsa loses control of her emotions and power, sending the kingdom into an ice age, becoming the tale’s unintentional villain by refusing to accept responsibility for her actions and fleeing to the snow-capped mountains. Ana becomes the real protagonist by embarking on her mission to get her sister back and save the kingdom.
In “Aladdin” (in the Arabian Nights), the story begins with a wizard undertaking a difficult quest to recover a powerful magical lamp, but turns out to be the antagonist with Aladdin revealed as the true protagonist. |
||
| Rotating Protagonist | Definition: Several characters who take turns serving as the main character, allowing the writer to focus on different characters and plotlines in different chapters, arcs, or episodes. | ||
|
Return to top or post contents |
Nicola Yoon’s Everything, Everything that features co-protagonists.
The ensemble casts of:
|
||
| Supporting Protagonist | Definition: Appears as the second most important character, such as sidekicks, love interests, best friends, henchmen, mentors, underlings, villains, neutral, etc.
A.k.a. deuteragonist NOTE: There are also the:
|
||
|
Return to top or post contents |
Bilbo Baggins, a simple member of Thorin’s company, is the main character in J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit with the story told from his perspective. The major events surround Thorin Oakenshield, the exiled Dwarf King and protagonist, trying to reclaim his kingdom.
Dr John Watson in Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series writes of Sherlock’s cases. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series support Harry, the protagonist. |
||
| Main Character | Definition: Often, but not always, the same as the protagonist, the Main Character (MC) may be the player (and his point-of-view) through whom the audience experiences the story first hand.
When the main character is not the protagonist:
A.k.a. central character, chief character, focal character, hero/heroine, lead, (leading) figure (leading/key) player, leading light, leading man/lady, principal, principal character, star, title role The opposite of the main character is:
|
||
|
Return to top or post contents |
Charlie, from Tim Burton’s version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is the main character, acting as the audience surrogate.
Roarke from J.D. Robb’s In Death series supports Lieutenant Dallas throughout the series, frequently stepping in to help with investigations. |
||
| Added Irony | Definition: A separate main character creates irony or a juxtaposition. | ||
|
Return to top or post contents |
Scout, the young daughter of Atticus Finch (the protagonist of To Kill a Mockingbird), is the main character through whose innocent perspective we see the flawed moral values of society and the adults around her. | ||
| Point-of-View | Definition: Allows a main character to act as a plot device to reveal greater truths about your protagonist. | ||
|
Return to top or post contents |
Nick Carraway, the main character through whose perspective we clearly see Jay Gatsby (the protagonist) from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby as a flawed and dishonest man. | ||
| Unrelatable Protagonist | Definition: If the reader is not able to relate to the protagonist, the main character can be a more relatable entry-point to the story. | ||
|
Return to top or post contents |
In the Tim Burton version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka is the protagonist and drives the plot, but he is also misanthropic and too kooky to be relatable for the audience. | ||
| Hero, Heroine | Definition: The traditional “good guy” of the story whom we want to succeed and is usually a combination of both Main Character and Protagonist.
The hero performs the usual task of moving the plot forward but also serving as an audience surrogate. |
||
|
Return to top or post contents |
Beowulf
Luke Skywalker Jane Eyre in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre |
||
| Anti-hero | Definition: An anti-hero is an unlikely protagonist who does not necessarily have virtuous or villainous qualities but who is able to behave heroically if the opportunity arises, although that behavior may not be for the right reasons and is often acting out of self-interest.
A.k.a. antihero, anti-heroine, antiheroine |
||
|
Return to top or post contents |
Huckleberry Finn in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Gregor Samsa in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis Dexter in Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter Morgan series (starts with Darkly Dreaming Dexter) Clint Eastwood in The Man With No Name film Han Solo in the Star Wars trilogy |
||
| Villain | Definition: The protagonist villain is an undeniable “bad guy” and drives the plot as the main character with the story told from their perspective. | ||
| It’s Beowulf’s perspective in John Gardner’s Grendel
The Grinch in Dr Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! King Richard III in Shakespeare’s Richard III Humbert Humbert in Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita |
|||
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Writing Ideas and Resources on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Protagonist
Adams, Danielle. “False Protagonist: What are They and How to Use Them.” Danielle Adams.com. 30 July 2020. Web. 28 Feb 2022. <https://danielle-adams.com/2020/07/30/false-protagonist/>.
Barron, Kaelyn. “What Is a False Protagonist? Definition and Examples.” TCK Publishing. n.d. Web. 28 Feb 2022. <https://www.tckpublishing.com/false-protagonist/>.
“False Progatonist.” Wikipedia.org. 11 Feb 2022. Web. 26 Feb 2022. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_protagonist>.
“False Protagonist.” Wikiwand. n.d. Web. 28 Feb 2022. <https://www.wikiwand.com/en/False_protagonist>.
Hull, James R. “When the Main Character is NOT the Protagonist.” Narrative First. n.d. Web. 26 Feb 2022. <https://narrativefirst.com/vault/when-the-main-character-is-not-the-protagonist/>.
MasterClass Staff. “What’s the Difference Between a Main Character, Protagonist, and Hero?” MasterClass. 7 Sept 2021. Web. 4 Feb 2022. <https://www.masterclass.com/articles/whats-the-difference-between-a-main-character-protagonist-and-hero>.
“Protagonist.” Definition and Examples of Literary Terms. Literary Device.net. n.d. Web. 24 Feb 2022. <https://literarydevices.net/protagonist/>.
“Protagonist: What is Protagonist? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples.” SuperSummary. n.d. Web. 26 Feb 2022. <https://www.supersummary.com/protagonist/>.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Superman by Edurs34 is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay.
