Protagonists and Antagonists

Protagonist: A protagonist is the main character in the story, such as a literary work or drama. The protagonist is at the center of the story, should be experiencing the consequences of those decisions. The protagonist can affect the main characters decisions and should be always moving the story forward.

 Antagonist: An antagonist is a character, group of characters, institution or concept that stands in or represents opposition against which the protagonist must contend. In other words, an antagonist is a person or a group of people who opposes a protagonist.


In the classic style of stories where the action consists of a hero fighting a villain/enemy, the two may be regarded as protagonist and antagonist, respectively. However, the villain of the story is not always the same as the antagonist, as some narratives cast the villain in the protagonist role, with the opposing hero as the antagonist.