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Antagonist

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An antagonist (from Greek ἀνταγωνιστής - antagonistes, "opponent, competitor, rival") is a character, group of characters, or an institution, who represents the opposition against which the protagonist(s) must contend. In other words, 'A person, or a group of people who oppose the main character, or the main characters.' In the classic style of story where in the action consists of a hero fighting a villain, the two can be regarded as protagonist and antagonist, respectively.

Writers have also created more complex situations. In some instances, a story is told from the villain's point of view, and any hero trying to stop the villain can be regarded as an antagonist. In the film K-19: The Widowmaker, an American film about a Soviet Cold War submarine crew, the crew, enemies of the United States, are depicted as protagonists, creating something of a paradox — as very often the American film industry tends to depict the forces of the United States as the people that fight for "good" and "justice", in opposition to Russia (especially the former Soviet Union) being the antagonists, who often have been portrayed to have maniacal and/or malicious intentions (e.g. world domination) by the media. Such antagonists are usually police officers, or other law enforcement officials. Similarly, Ken Follet's thrillers "Eye of the Needle" and "The Key to Rebecca" both have WWII German spies as their protagonists, making the British intelligence services into the story's antagonists.

Sometimes, antagonists and protagonists may overlap, depending on what their ultimate objectives are considered to be.

See also

Look up Antagonist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Villain
• Protagonist
• False protagonist

References