A protagonist is not always a hero
In short: We often conflate the main character of a story with moral goodness, but narrative history tells a different tale. From ancient Greek tragedies to modern antiheroes and villains, the protagonist is defined by their agency and impact on the plot, not by their virtue or even their humanity.
The term 'protagonist' finds its roots in Ancient Greek drama, derived from prōtagōnistḗs, meaning 'one who plays the first part.' This evolution began around 536 B.C. when Thespis introduced a single actor to engage in dialogue with a chorus, effectively inventing tragedy. Early Greek drama was highly structured; while roles were often fluid, specific stage directions dictated that the protagonist enter from the middle door, distinguishing them from the deuteragonist and tritagonist who entered from the right and left respectively.
In narrative theory, the distinction between a protagonist and a hero is crucial. A hero is defined by noble qualities like courage and honor—think of Superman or Katniss Everdeen. Conversely, a protagonist is simply the character whose fate the audience follows most closely. This allows for 'antiheroes' who lack conventional morality, such as Holden Caulfield or Jay Gatsby, and even 'villain protagonists' like Walter White or Richard III. These characters drive the plot forward through their own choices, regardless of whether those actions are cruel or malicious.
The complexity of these roles is further illustrated by structural variations in storytelling. Some works feature 'supporting protagonists,' where a peripheral character narrates while another drives the main action. Others utilize multiple narratives with distinct leads, such as Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, which features fifteen major characters. Even the nature of the protagonist can be non-human, as seen in Watership Down, or deceptive, where a 'false protagonist' like Marion in Psycho may disappear unexpectedly to shift the narrative focus.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Protagonist
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