What Is a Protagonist? Definition, Examples & How To Write Them Effectively

What does it mean to be a protagonist? What are the qualities and traits of an everyday hero? This blog post will explore these questions.

The definition is fluid, but we’ll try to take a look at what role one plays in society while also examining the different types of protagonists.

In some stories, they might be considered an antagonist or sidekick. For instance, James Bond can’t really be called a protagonist because he’s not fighting for any noble cause like saving someone from being kidnapped.

The article will examine each type of protagonist by taking examples from popular films and books so you can get a better understanding of what makes up this powerful character archetype.

What Is A Protagonist?

The protagonist is the central character of a story. A protagonist can be but does not have to be, the hero or heroine.

The antagonist is usually an opposing force who poses a threat to the protagonist’s goals and desires in order for them to succeed.

In stories where there are multiple protagonists, it may be more difficult for readers to decide which one they should root for because of their similarities and differences.

Typically, each character will share some traits with another, but ultimately have something that sets them apart from other characters- either through their personality or through what they want out of life.

The protagonist is the character in a story or drama who experiences the most change during it. A person, animal, or force that drives the events of a narrative.

Protagonist Examples

I’m sure you’ve seen many movies and read a lot of books with protagonists that are hard to relate to.

For example, the protagonist may be an orphaned billionaire who can fly or they could be “the chosen one” in some sort of prophecy.

   

Protagonists are the driving force behind any story. They may be a protagonist themselves or they might provide support to other protagonists.

The character you identify with, your “hero” is not always the protagonist of a story but it’s usually one of them.

A good example would be in Harry Potter where we see how Harry becomes more likable as he grows up from being an innocent boy to a mature hero who can take on Voldemort and Sauron respectively.

One of the most important things to consider when developing a protagonist is their motivation. What drives them? Why do they act the way they do?

The Protagonist And Antagonist

Protagonists and Antagonists are two important characters in any story.

They play the roles of good and evil, respectively, as they often face off against each other in an epic battle to save or destroy their world.

They both have different roles when it comes to getting what they want which we will explain more in-depth with examples from your favorite stories!

We all have some type of protagonist and antagonist in our life.

The protagonist is the person you are rooting for, while the antagonist is that one person who makes it hard to root for them.

   

For example, your protagonist might be a teenager going through puberty with an overbearing mother as their antagonist.

Or maybe your protagonist could be someone trying to start a new business and they’re having trouble finding financing because their financial institution is their main antagonist.

Whichever way you go about it, both protagonists and antagonists play an important role in how we see the world around us.

The protagonist in any story is always fighting against something. They’re trying to change their circumstances or environment for the better – they want to win.

The antagonist’s motives are usually different than that of the protagonist – they want to keep things as they are or get what they want from life without having to work for it.

It may seem like there isn’t much more to it, but this article will explore these concepts further with specific examples from books, movies, video games, and TV shows.

   

Is A Protagonist Good Or Bad?

Is a protagonist good or bad? This is a question that has been asked by many people throughout time.

A lot of people believe that the protagonist should be morally sound, but others think otherwise.

There are studies that have taken place on this topic and it is evident from these studies in order to make an informed decision about whether the protagonist is good or bad, there needs to be more information on what makes someone good or bad.

It all depends on how you define “good” and “bad”. One person’s definition can differ from another person’s definition; therefore, when trying to decide if the protagonist is good or bad, you need to look at their actions as well as their motivations for those actions.

Protagonists are the main character in a story that is usually good. However, they can be bad as well.

A protagonist is typically someone who has to overcome some sort of obstacle or problem and must find a way to resolve it in order for the story to have a happy ending.

What Is A Protagonist – Wrap Up

There are many examples of protagonists being both good and bad, such as Harry Potter from JK Rowling’s series “Harry Potter”.

In this series, Harry starts off as an underprivileged orphan with no parents raised by his abusive family members because he was born at the end of July instead of September (a time when children were traditionally allowed).

He then learns about his magical powers and becomes friends with new found friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley while also making enemies like

In the story, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, Santiago is a protagonist that has been fishing for many years.

He’s known as being a wise old man who knows all about fish and what to do with them.

However, in this story he faces his biggest challenge yet; he catches a huge fish but can’t bring it back to shore! His friends try to help him pull it in but they end up losing their boat too.

This leads me to wonder if Santiago is good or bad because although he was trying to catch more fish than ever before he ended up losing everything instead of just one boat like normal people would have done.