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{{About|the literary term|the pharmacological term|receptor antagonist|other uses}} This article is about the literary term. For the pharmacological term, see receptor antagonist. For other uses, see Antagonist (disambiguation).
An antagonist (from Greek ἀνταγωνιστής - antagonistēs , "opponent, competitor, enemy, rival") is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist 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 stories wherein the action consists of a hero fighting a villain/enemy, the two can be regarded as protagonist and antagonist, respectively.

An '''antagonist''' (from ] ἀνταγωνιστής - ''antagonistēs''
, "opponent, competitor, enemy, rival")<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=antagonist&searchmode=none |title=Antagonist |publisher=Online Etymology Dictionary |accessdate=28 November 2010}}</ref> is a character, group of characters, or ], that represents the opposition against which the ] must contend. In other words, 'A person, or a group of people who oppose the main character, or the main characters.'<ref></ref> In the classic style of stories wherein the action consists of a ] fighting a ]/], the two can be regarded as protagonist and antagonist, respectively.<ref>The antagonist may not always be a person or persons. In some cases an antagonist may be a force, such as a tidal wave that destroyed a city, or a storm that is causing havoc, or even the conditions in a certain area that is causing a problem. An antagonist also may or may not create obstacles for the protagonist. See {{cite web |url= http://www.rscc.cc.tn.us/owl&writingcenter/OWL/ElementsLit.html |title=The Elements of Literature |publisher=rscc.cc.tn.us }}</ref>

The antagonist may also represent a major threat or obstacle to the main character by their very existence, without necessarily deliberately targeting him or her. The antagonist may also represent a major threat or obstacle to the main character by their very existence, without necessarily deliberately targeting him or her.
⚫ Examples in both film and theatre include Sauron, the main antagonist in The Lord of the Rings, who constantly battles the series' protagonists, and Tybalt, an antagonist in Romeo and Juliet, who slays Mercutio and whose later death results in the exiling of the play's protagonist, Romeo. However, despite the antagonist often being classified the "bad guy", the antagonist can be a good person (one notable example being Macduff from Macbeth)

⚫ Examples in both film and theatre include ], the main antagonist in '']'', who constantly battles the series' protagonists, and ], an antagonist in '']'', who slays ] and whose later death results in the exiling of the play's protagonist, ]. However, despite the antagonist often being classified the "bad guy", the antagonist can be a good person (one notable example being ] from ])

==See also==
* ]
* ]

==References==
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Revision as of 19:05, 13 September 2012

This article is about the literary term. For the pharmacological term, see receptor antagonist. For other uses, see Antagonist (disambiguation). An antagonist (from Greek ἀνταγωνιστής - antagonistēs , "opponent, competitor, enemy, rival") is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist 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 stories wherein the action consists of a hero fighting a villain/enemy, the two can be regarded as protagonist and antagonist, respectively. The antagonist may also represent a major threat or obstacle to the main character by their very existence, without necessarily deliberately targeting him or her. Examples in both film and theatre include Sauron, the main antagonist in The Lord of the Rings, who constantly battles the series' protagonists, and Tybalt, an antagonist in Romeo and Juliet, who slays Mercutio and whose later death results in the exiling of the play's protagonist, Romeo. However, despite the antagonist often being classified the "bad guy", the antagonist can be a good person (one notable example being Macduff from Macbeth)