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An antagonist (from Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 a?ta????st?? - antagonistes, "opponent, competitor, rival") is a character or group of characters, or, always an institution
Institution

Institutions are social structure and social mechanism of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of a set of individuals. Institutions are identified with a social purpose and permanence, transcending individual human lives and intentions, and with the making and enforcing of rules governing cooperative human behavior....
 of a happening who represents the opposition against which the protagonist(s)
Protagonist

A protagonist is the main Character of a drama or Narrative. The word "protagonist" derives from the Greek language p??ta????st?? , "one who plays the first part, chief actor." In the theatre of Ancient Greece, three actors played all of the main dramatic roles in a tragedy; the leading role was played by the protagonist, while the othe...
 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 story where in the action consists of a hero
Hero

A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, the offspring of a mortal and a deity,their Greek hero cult being one of the most distinctive features of Religion in ancient Greece....
 fighting a villain
Villain

A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a history narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters....
, the two can be regarded as protagonist and antagonist, respectively.






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An antagonist (from Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 a?ta????st?? - antagonistes, "opponent, competitor, rival") is a character or group of characters, or, always an institution
Institution

Institutions are social structure and social mechanism of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of a set of individuals. Institutions are identified with a social purpose and permanence, transcending individual human lives and intentions, and with the making and enforcing of rules governing cooperative human behavior....
 of a happening who represents the opposition against which the protagonist(s)
Protagonist

A protagonist is the main Character of a drama or Narrative. The word "protagonist" derives from the Greek language p??ta????st?? , "one who plays the first part, chief actor." In the theatre of Ancient Greece, three actors played all of the main dramatic roles in a tragedy; the leading role was played by the protagonist, while the othe...
 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 story where in the action consists of a hero
Hero

A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, the offspring of a mortal and a deity,their Greek hero cult being one of the most distinctive features of Religion in ancient Greece....
 fighting a villain
Villain

A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a history narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters....
, the two can be regarded as protagonist and antagonist, respectively. Contrary to popular belief, the antagonist is not always the villain, but simply those who oppose the main character.

Writer
Writer

A writer is anyone who creates a written work, although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, as well as those who have written in many different forms....
s have also created more complex situations. In some instances, a story is told from the villain's point of view
Point of view (literature)

The narrative mode is the attribute of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical piece which describes the method used by the author to convey their story to the audience....
, and any hero trying to stop the villain can be regarded as an antagonist. Such antagonists are usually police officer
Police officer

A police officer is a Warrant employee of a police force. Police officers are generally responsible for apprehending criminals, maintaining public order, and preventing and detecting crimes....
s or other law enforcement officials. Sometimes, antagonists and protagonists may overlap, depending on what their ultimate objectives are considered to be.

See also

  • Boss (video games)
    Boss (video games)

    A boss is a computer-controlled opponent which is found in video games. Their purpose is to test the skills that the player has accumulated over the course of a game....
  • Protagonist
    Protagonist

    A protagonist is the main Character of a drama or Narrative. The word "protagonist" derives from the Greek language p??ta????st?? , "one who plays the first part, chief actor." In the theatre of Ancient Greece, three actors played all of the main dramatic roles in a tragedy; the leading role was played by the protagonist, while the othe...
  • False protagonist
    False protagonist

    In fiction, a false protagonist is a technique for making a scene more jarring or a character more memorable by fooling the audience's preconceptions regarding who the story is really about....