1. Protagonist and Antagonist
Opposing Forces Moving the Story Forward

2. Protagonist
Definition: The character the story revolves around The one pursuing the Story Goal.
Generally the Hero or Good Guy.
Generally the Main Character.
Can be a Bad Guy or Villain (if the story revolves around them).

3. Antagonist
Definition: A character or force that opposes the protagonist.
Many times it is the Villain or Bad Guy.
If the protagonist is the villain or bad guy, then it can be the Good Guy, Police, or the Law.
It isn’t always a character, it can be a force, an idea, a universal law, internal struggle, or any other thing that opposes the protagonist.
It propels the story forward – it requires the protagonist to act or react and to make choices.

4. Protagonist and Antagonist Think Opposites
In literature, it won’t always be this easy to identify (Oh, if life could be as simple as Elmo).
Many times, the reader needs to think to really figure out what is in opposition.

5. Let’s look at some stories you are probably familiar with
Let’s look at some stories you are probably familiar with. Let’s consider the Protagonist and Antagonist

6. Harry Potter Series
Protagonist – Harry Potter
Antagonist – Voldemort

7. Twilight Series
Protagonist – Bella
Antagonist – Volturi

8. Star Wars
Protagonist – Luke Skywalker
Antagonist – Darth Vader

9. Star Wars
Protagonist – Anakin Skywalker
Antagonist – Darth Sidious

10. Lord of the rings
Protagonist – Frodo
Antagonist – Sauron This character is a spirit–no physical body

11. Cast Away Protagonist – Chuck Noland
Antagonist – The Island, being stranded.

12. Hunger Games
Protagonist – Katniss Everdeen
Antagonist – The Society

13. Ocean’s Eleven
Protagonist – Danny Ocean Expert Thief and Crime Mastermind
Antagonist – Terry Benedict Casino Owner in Las Vegas

14. The Godfather Series
Protagonist – Michael Corleone Crime Boss–great example of bad guy.
Antagonist – The Family, the mob business, other mob families.

15. Now you try

16. Who is the Protagonist? Who / what is the antagonist?

17. Group Project Identify a Theme Identify the Protagonist
1 sheet of paper for the group, put everyone’s name on the top. (scribe and spokesperson)
In your group, choose a different story (not the same one you worked on when we covered themes).
Identify a Theme
Identify the Protagonist
Identify the Antagonist
List 2 character traits (not physical) for your protagonist and if the antagonist is a character, 2 for that character as well.
Support all of your claims and ideas from the text!!