An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist.

Etymology

The English word antagonist comes from the Greek language, Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, rival," which is derived from ''anti-'' ("against") and ''agonizesthai'' ("to contend for a prize").

Types

Heroes and villains

The antagonist is commonly positioned against the protagonist and their world order. While most narratives will often portray the protagonist as a hero and the antagonist as a villain, like Harry Potter (Character), Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort in ''Harry Potter'', the antagonist does not always appear as the villain. In some narratives, like Light Yagami and L (Death Note), L in ''Death Note'', the protagonist is a villain and the antagonist is an opposing hero. Antagonists are conventionally presented as making moral choices less savory than those of protagonists. This condition is often used by an author to create conflict within a story. This is merely a convention, however. An example in which this is reversed can be seen in the character Macduff (Macbeth), Macduff from ''Macbeth,'' who is arguably morally correct in his desire to fight the tyrant Macbeth (Macbeth), Macbeth, the protagonist. Examples from television include J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) from ''Dallas (1978 TV series), Dallas'' and Alexis Colby (Joan Collins) from ''Dynasty (1981 TV series), Dynasty''. Both became breakout characters used as a device to increase their shows' ratings.

Other characters

Characters may be antagonists without being evil – they may simply be injudicious and unlikeable for the audience. In some stories, such as ''The Catcher in the Rye'', almost every character other than the protagonist may be an antagonist.

Aspects of the protagonist

An aspect or trait of the protagonist may be considered an antagonist, such as morality or indecisiveness.

Non-personal

An antagonist may not always be a person or people. In some cases, an antagonist may be a force, such as a tidal wave that destroys a city; a storm that causes havoc; or even a certain area's conditions that are the root cause of a problem. An antagonist also may or may not create obstacles for the protagonist. Societal norms or other rules may also be antagonists.

Usage

An antagonist is used as a plot device, to set up conflicts, obstacles, or challenges for the protagonist. Though not every story requires an antagonist, it often is used in plays to increase the level of drama. In tragedies, antagonists are often the cause of the protagonist's main problem, or lead a group of characters against the protagonist; in comedies, they are usually responsible for involving the protagonist in comedic situations.

References

External links

* {{Fiction writing Counterparts to the protagonist