Protagonist

The protagonist is the central character of a story, the one whose goals, choices and change drive the plot and whose fate the reader is most invested in.

Ask whose story it is. The answer is the protagonist. The word comes from the Greek for "first actor", and it names the character the plot turns on.

What a protagonist does

A strong protagonist has three things.

• A goal. Something they want, concrete enough to chase. See scene goal for the scene-level version.
• Agency. They make choices that move the plot. A character to whom things merely happen is a passive protagonist.
• Change, or a refusal to change. The character arc is how they are different at the end, or how they pay for staying the same.

Protagonist, hero and narrator

These are three different jobs. The protagonist drives the plot. The hero is admirable. The narrator tells it. They can be the same person or three. An anti-hero is a protagonist who lacks classic heroic traits. The opposing force is the antagonist.

Why it matters to a writer or editor

Many problems in a manuscript come from an unclear protagonist. If an editor cannot say who the story is about or what they want, the plot has no spine. In a manuscript assessment, questions about the protagonist come first: what do they want, what stops them, and what does it cost them. Fix those and many other issues, such as pacing and stakes, resolve themselves. Pair a protagonist with a foil to sharpen them.

Frequently asked questions

Is the protagonist always the hero?

No. A protagonist is the central character. A hero is a protagonist with admirable qualities. Macbeth is a protagonist and not a hero.

Is the protagonist always the narrator?

No. Nick Carraway narrates The Great Gatsby, but Gatsby is its protagonist.

Can a story have more than one protagonist?

Yes. Ensemble stories and multi-thread novels often have several, each with their own goal and arc.