Creating a Compelling Protagonist vs Antagonist Dynamic
By kristen overman
editor and writing teacher.
Every story needs an interesting protagonist vs antagonist dynamic anchoring the plot to keep the reader engaged. A protagonist is the main character of a story—they are usually good-natured and have heroic qualities, even if they have some needs and flaws that make them relatable. While a protagonist’s goal is usually to defeat their antagonist, or villain, the antagonist often has their own motivations that conflict with the protagonist’s objectives. Sometimes, the protagonist and antagonist want the very same thing, but for different reasons. Understanding the interplay between the protagonist vs antagonist can help writers create a robust plot and more story tension.
Protagonist vs Antagonist: What is a Protagonist?
A protagonist is the main character in a story, typically seen as a hero or heroine. They often have noble qualities such as courage, integrity, justice, wisdom, selflessness, etc., and are actively involved in trying to reach their goals. They’re driven by character motivation, and on a deeper level, character need.
It’s important for writers to consider how their protagonist views the world and how their thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and values influence their decisions in order to create believable characters with realistic goals. Consider how the protagonist vs antagonist tension will interact with the plot while building their novel outline and character arcs.
Protagonist vs Antagonist: What is an Antagonist?
An antagonist is an individual (or, less frequently, a group of individuals or a societal force) who opposes the goals of a protagonist by creating obstacles for them throughout the narrative. The antagonist is usually portrayed as a villain who wants to cause harm or suffering for some kind of personal gain—power, money, revenge.
The antagonist’s motivations should be clear so readers can understand why they do what they do. (The idea of evil for the sake of evil is simply not compelling enough to create juicy protagonist vs antagonist tension.) This helps create conflict between the protagonist vs antagonist as they push each other closer toward the climax of the story, where there is an ultimate showdown between these two characters and their value systems.
How Does Protagonist Vs Antagonist Divide Create Tension?
The key element for any successful story is tension—the push-and-pull between two opposing forces that keeps readers interested in finding out what happens next. There are no better forces than the protagonist vs antagonist tension.
By establishing a clear objective for both your protagonist vs antagonist conflict from early on in your narrative, you can add more depth to your story. Exploring how these opposing forces interact with one another throughout the plot until reaching their respective climaxes at different points in time (known as “plot points”) is how you can construct the spine of your story. This creates story tension by keeping readers guessing about which side will come out on top until all conflicts have been resolved at the end of your story.
The division between protagonist vs antagonist is an essential element of any good story. Understanding how conflicting needs and wants interact with one another can help writers create escalating plot points within their narratives that will keep readers engaged.
By clearly defining each character’s motivations early on you can explore how these two forces of protagonist vs antagonist work together (or against each other) throughout your plot until the story arrives at its climax. Who wins in the battle of protagonist vs antagonist will also touch upon your story theme. If evil prevails, you’re telling an ironic or tragic story (and this is less common). Most likely, the virtuous protagonist will have the moral high ground.
With careful planning, these key elements explored by the protagonist vs antagonist dichotomy can help you craft a compelling tale that will captivate your readership.
elevate your writing
Are you ready to take your story to the next level? Kristen Overman is here to help you! She's an experienced editor with expertise in middle grade and young adult fiction, picture books, adult fiction, and memoir. She can work with you to develop your plot, characters, and narrative voice, as well as assist in the brainstorming and outlining stages of your project.
