Any story requires certain literary characteristics and elements to fulfill its requirements and purpose to spread the message to the readers/ audience. For instance, any story or event requires essential literary elements to fulfill its purpose. The characters play a poignant role in making different types of literary pieces. An enthralling literary genre such as fantasy, action, thriller, romance, or suspense requires the interweaving of different types of characters propagating the plot. The literary piece can be a novel, fiction stories, short stories, dramas, plays, etc. The role of a character in any story can be distinguished as an individual, animal, or any supernatural figure represented to promulgate the writer’s message to the readers/ audience. There are different categories of character roles, that serve different functions and development in logically formulating the story. This essay intends to classify the categories of characters based on their role in formulating the plot/ story. Three of the significant roles of characters are protagonist, antagonist, and deuteragonist, which function to progress an enticing plot to attract readers.
The first main type of character role is the “Protagonist”, which is the most significant part of progressing a plot. The protagonist is known to be the main character or the hero of the story. The literal definition of a protagonist is: “an advocate or champion of a particular cause or idea” (Baldick). All other characters stem from their association with the protagonist and propel the plot to the conclusion. This character exhibits its appearance in the plot from the start to the end. The protagonist has a stereotypical goal, which he/she wishes to achieve with his/her struggle and plan. The protagonist leads the action of a plot/story and involves the reader’s empathy and affection.
The second main type of character role is the “Antagonist”, who always opposes the protagonist in a plot. The antagonist incites the conflict in the story elucidating sensation and attraction. The antagonist is equally important to the role of the protagonist. The role of the antagonist in the story is to act as the opposing power to hamper and hinder the protagonist’s way of accomplishing his/her aims. The significant point of the antagonist is that it does not need to be a person in a plot. Sometimes, a natural disaster can also act as an opposing force to the protagonist. The role of the antagonist is equally important to their counterpart protagonist, however, they are not seen much because of their antihero characteristics. The antagonist makes the narrative interesting by opposing the main character (protagonist) of the story. The antagonist grasps the attention of its reader/ audience by going against the protagonist and creating a sensation for further story. The antagonist provokes conflict in the story by which, “The plot achieves a meaningful change in the life situation of a character” (McKee).
The third main type of character role is the “Deuteragonist”. The deuteragonist is derived from a Greek word that means “the second actor” (Baldick). It is the second most important character of any plot/ story after the protagonist. The deuteragonist can be with or in contradiction to the protagonist depending upon the plot. Sometimes, the role of the deuteragonist character can also be played by the Love Interest Character or a SideKick. In romantic love stories, the most important character after the protagonist and antagonist is usually performed by the love interest of the protagonist. Furthermore, the role of deuteragonist can also play the role of antagonist if performing against the protagonist.
The characters are essential literary elements for a promising and developed plot. The main roles of the characters: protagonist, antagonist, and deuteragonist have the most powerful effect on the development of the plot/story. The plot/story becomes realistic and enticing when the characters of the story are fully developed and functioning. The character roles can be classified into three types: protagonist, antagonist, and deuteragonist. The protagonist is the main role of the plot. The antagonist is the opposing (negative) role in the plot. The role of deuteragonist acts as a love interest or a sidekick of the protagonist. Sometimes, the character role of the antagonist and deuteragonist overlaps based on their characteristics. The plot of literary narratives revolves around the actions of these three categories of character roles in developing the story.
Works Cited
“Character in Literature: Definition, Types & Development.” Study.com, 12 August 2015, retrieved from:study.com/academy/lesson/character-in-literature-definition-types-development.html
Baldick, Chris, and Chris Baldick. The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Porteous, Julie, and Alan Lindsay. “Protagonist vs antagonist provant: Narrative generation as counter planning.” Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and MultiAgent Systems. 2019.
R. McKee. Story: substance, structure, style, and the principles of screenwriting. NY: ReganBooks, 1997.
