Mons Protagonist/Antagonist Character Page
Latest update to this document: 7 April 2006
Protagonist and Antagonist Character Types
It is easiest to think of the protagonist and antagonist characters as the "good guy" and the "bad guy"
respectively. In order to understand protagonist and antagonist, you can think of the protagonist as
the hero and the antagonist as the villian. To remember which is which, remember that the prefix pro
means good, or positive, and the prefix ant means bad, or negative. Now let's discuss the real meanings
of protagonist and antagonist more in depth and more literary correct.
The protagonist is the central character of a story. The protagonist can be male or female, and
is written as being "good" most of the time, but in some instances can be "bad." The plot of the story
is often written in the protagonist's point of view. Consider the story The Three Little Pigs. In
the original story, the three pigs are the protagonists and the wolf is the antagonist. A new book titled
The Real Story of The Three Little Pigs is written in the wolf's point of view and he becomes
the protagonist and the pigs are the antagonists.
The character that causes or leads the conflict against the protagonist is called the antagonist.
The antagonist is not always human, but can be a group or force as well. The antagonist is the mirror
of the protagonist. Whatever the protagonist does that is good, the antagonist will work to counteract.
Usually the antagonist attempts to disguise him/her/itself. This usually creates the suspense in a story.
The protagonist and antagonist are distinctly different, and in most cases, complete opposites. They
can both be very complex though. Just because the protagonist is the central character in the story
does not mean that he/she/it is any more complex than the antagonist. When trying to identify the
protagonist and antagonist in a story, think about which character is central to the story and which
character (or what force) is acting against that central character. Usually you can consider which
character is good and which is bad. In most instances, the good character is the protagonist and the
bad, or opposing character, is the antagonist.
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