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What Is a Protagonist in Literature? (Definition)
A protagonist is the central character in a narrative, the one who drives the plot forward and around whom the main conflicts revolve. The protagonist is not necessarily morally good, but they are always the character whose journey matters most to the story. The protagonist is the character the readers root for or sympathize with, even if they make questionable or frustrating choices. They give the story its emotional core, whether they are battling external forces like society or nature, or internal conflicts like fear, shame, or desire. Understanding the protagonist is essential for interpreting the themes of a text because their struggles, decisions, and growth typically reveal the author’s central message.
Examples of Protagonists
Example 1: Hamlet in Hamlet
In Shakespeare’s tragic play, Hamlet is the prince torn between the desire to avenge his father’s murder and his own hesitations. As the protagonist, his indecision and philosophical questioning about life and death drive the drama. Hamlet shows how a protagonist can embody internal conflict, as his personal struggle becomes the foundation for the play’s exploration of morality and mortality.
Example 2: Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen’s Elizabeth Bennet is a beloved protagonist whose wit, independence, and discernment shape the novel. Her journey revolves around overcoming her own biases while navigating societal expectations and familial turmoil. Elizabeth demonstrates that protagonists not only deal with external conflict, but they also can grow and become more self-aware, lessening their own prejudices in the process.
Example 3: Sethe in Beloved
In Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Sethe is a formerly enslaved woman who is haunted by the trauma of slavery and the desperate choices she made to protect her children. Her story as a protagonist is complicated: she embodies both maternal love and unbearable guilt. Sethe’s decision to kill her infant daughter rather than allow her to be enslaved drives the novel’s central conflict, as Sethe must reckon with her past while facing the ghostly presence of her baby. Through Sethe, Morrison illustrates how protagonists can personify collective historical trauma while also anchoring a deeply personal narrative.
Common Misunderstandings about Protagonists
A common mistake is assuming the protagonist of a story must be a good and moral person. While many protagonists are heroic, some can be deeply flawed or even antiheroes, like Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby or Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. Another misunderstanding is thinking that if a story has a narrator, that character must be the protagonist. Sometimes the story is narrated from another perspective, yet it still centers on the protagonist’s journey. For example, Nick Carraway is the narrator of The Great Gatsby, while Gatsby himself is the protagonist of the narrative. Finally, a common mistake is assuming there’s always a single, clear-cut protagonist, but literature sometimes features multiple protagonists whose journeys are equally important. For example, in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, both George and Lennie share the role of protagonist as the story follows their mutual struggles. Similarly, in works like Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, multiple characters take on central roles, and the narrative cannot be understood through only one perspective.
Why Do Protagonists Matter?
Protagonists are important because they anchor a narrative. They provide readers with someone to follow, root for, or even critique, and their struggles make the story meaningful. Through the protagonist’s journey, readers explore universal human experiences and better understand the story’s themes. For example, Hamlet’s indecision helps us consider the cost of revenge, Elizabeth Bennet’s growth highlights the value of self-awareness, and Sethe’s guilt reveals the power of a parent’s sacrifice. Even when protagonists are not admirable, they are relatable because their conflicts mirror real-life struggles.
