What is a Protagonist — A Breakdown of Different Types and Functions of the Main Character

What is a protagonist — a rundown of a story’s main character, the various types, their characteristics and inspiration for how to write a great protagonist.

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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to Protagonists
00:48 - Protagonist Definition & History
02:42 - Hero Protagonist
04:19 - Non-Traditional Protagonists
08:55 - Multiple Protagonists
11:56 - Takeaways

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WHAT IS A PROTAGONIST IN A STORY

Most people understand that the protagonist is the main character in a story. But what is a protagonist, really? Are there special qualities they possess? And what happens if there are multiple protagonists? In this video, we’ll answer these questions, get into a little history of where the protagonist came from, their various types, and how writers can approach how to write a great protagonist.

HOW DO WE DEFINE PROTAGONIST

The protagonist is the lead character in a narrative. Typically, they have a goal they pursue, they make choices to advance the plot, and they will have some sort of character arc. If we go back to Ancient Greek theatre, we can see how the protagonist emerged. At the time, poems and tragedies were performed for an audience by a masked chorus (often 50 people) singing or speaking in unison. But then a poet named Thespis broke with tradition by having one actor, separate from the chorus, perform all of the parts of the story by simply switching masks. This is where we get the term “protagonist” which translates to “first actor.”

TYPES OF PROTAGONISTS

The most common and traditional type of protagonist is the hero. Originally, these were noble-born, pre-destined characters who were also strong, brave, and righteous. Over time, we see heroes with varying degrees of these characteristics.

Beyond the traditional hero, there are anti-heroes, tragic heros, passive protagonists, and villain protagonists. Anti-heroes lack heroic qualities but they still pursue a righteous cause. Tragic heroes are just like traditional heroes except they have a fatal flaw in their character that leads to their downfall. Passive protagonists are still the main character but are forced into the story rather than making their own active choices. And villain protagonists are exactly that — villains who are the central figure in the story.

MULTIPLE PROTAGONISTS

But what about when there is more than one protagonist? Romantic films, both comedies and dramas, often feature two protagonists with equal weight in the story. There are also secondary and tertiary protagonists called deuteragonists and tritagonists, which are still main characters but fulfill more supporting roles. For example, in the Lord of the Rings, Frodo is the protagonist, Sam, Gandalf, and Aragorn are deuteragonists, and the rest of the fellowship are tritagonists. Finally, there are situations when two characters split the protagonist role among themselves. For example, in The Shawshank Redemption, it is Andy’s story and he is the one driving the plot forward, but we see all of this through Red’s eyes, and it is he who has the character arc.

Writers have many options when it comes to writing a strong protagonist. As we can see, there is a perfect option or combination of options for any story.


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♬ SONGS USED:

"Density Wave" - Aviad Zinemanas
"Yes I Am (Instrumental)" - Zach Sorgen
"Morning Sunbeams" - Yehezkel Raz
"Distant Worlds" - Theatre of Delays
"Somewhere" - Daniele Musto
"Main Title / Trinity Infinity" - Don Davis
"Day One" - Hans Zimmer
"Full Access" - Jimmy Svensson
"Cosmos" - Theatre of Delays
"Dark Blood" - Jimmy Svensson
"Battle Without Honor Or Humanity" - Tomoyasu Hotei
"Palpatine's Teachings" - John Williams
"Gatsby Believed In the Green Light' - Craig Armstrong
"Prophesy" - Bobby Krlic
"Main Title (Terminator 2 Theme)" - Brad Fiedel
"Staring Into The Abyss" - 2050
"Last But Not Least (Instrumental)" - Chelsea McGough
"Odd Numbers" - Curtis Cole
"The Council of Elrond (feat. Aniron) (Theme for Aragorn and Arwen)" - Howard Shore
"War Banner (Instrumental)" - Cody Martin
"Assembly Line Dreams" - Ostin Drais
"Brooks Was Here" - Thomas Newman
"State Lines (Instrumental Version)" - Aaron Kellim
"Heroes" - David Bowie

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