#rpg definitions

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Definition of a Protagonist

A protagonist is the central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, nove,l or any other story. A protagonist is sometimes called a “hero” by the audience or readers. The word originally came from the Greek language, and in Greek drama it refers to the person who led the chorus. Later on, the word started being used as a term for the first actor in order of performance.

(Excerpt from Protagonist on Literary Devices)

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Definition of Conflict

In literature, conflict is the result of competing desires or the presence of obstacles that need to be overcome. Conflict is necessary to propel a narrative forward; the absence of conflict amounts to the absence of story.

There are three main types of conflict identified in literature: man versus man, man versus nature, and man versus self. Note that these standard classifications use “man” as a universal term, including women as well. Let’s take a closer look at these three definitions of conflict.

Man versus man: A situation in which two characters have opposing desires or interests. The typical scenario is a conflict between the protagonist and antagonist. This is an external conflict. Most thrillers and mysteries have this type of conflict, such as Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

Man versus nature: In this type of conflict, a character is tormented by natural forces such as storms or animals. This is also an external conflict. Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea and Moby Dick by Herman Melville are examples of this type of conflict.

Man versus self: This conflict develops from a protagonist’s inner struggles, and may depend on a character trying to decide between good and evil or overcome self-doubts. This conflict has both internal and external aspects, as obstacles outside the protagonist force the protagonist to deal with inner issues. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is an example.

Others have further identified more types of conflict, such as the following:

Man versus machine: A more contemporary type of conflict, this situation results from humans involved in a struggle with manmade machines. This is an external conflict. The Terminator series is an example of this type of conflict.

Man versus society: In this type of conflict, a character must take on society itself, and not a single person. The character stands at odds with societal norms and realizes the necessity to work against these norms. This is an external conflict. Conflict examples are John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, and The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger.

Man versus fate: This situation results from a protagonist working against what has been foretold for that person. While this conflict was more prevalent in stories where gods could control fate, such as in ancient Greek dramas, there are still examples of this type of conflict in more contemporary literature. An example would be Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five.

(An Excerpt from Conflict on Literary Devices.)

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an·ti·he·ro

ˈan(t)ēˌhirō,ˈanˌtīˌhirō/

noun: anti-hero 

a protagonist who lacks the attributes that make a heroic figure, a nobility of mind and spirit, a life or attitude marked by action or purpose, and the like.

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Outcasts, calloused from being in exile for too long, learn to thrive on being the hated; the attention and infamy of our actions fuel us to become antiheroes. Too often do we forget: we risk self-destruction if we fail to follow what we know is right; our talents too often become misplaced, misdirected, misguided from what could have been something wonderful.

Mike Norton, Fighting For Redemption

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Antihero

An antihero, or antiheroine, is a protagonist in a story who lacks conventional heroic qualities and attributes such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes do the right thing, it is not always for the right reasons, often acting primarily out of self-interest or in ways that defy conventional ethical codes. -A very short definition from Wikipedia