Antagonist

What is an Antagonist?

The Archetypal Antagonist is diametrically opposed to the Protagonist's successful attainment of the goal. Often this results in a Protagonist who has a purpose and an Antagonist comes along and tries to stop it. Sometimes, however, it is the other way around. The Antagonist may have a goal of its own that causes negative repercussions. The Protagonist then has the goal of stopping the Antagonist. Dramatica defines the Protagonist's goal as the story's goal, regardless of which kind it is. This sets up a consistent way to analyze how all Archetypal Characters relate to the goal of any story,

Antagonist and the Impact Character

Just as the Protagonist is often "doubled up" with the function of the Main Character, the Antagonist is sometimes (though less often) combined with the Impact Character. We explore the Impact Character fully in the Subjective Characters section of this book. For now, a simple description of the Impact Character will serve our purposes.

Just as the Antagonist opposes the Protagonist in the Overall Story, the Impact Character stands in the way of the Main Character in the Subjective Story. Note we did not say the Impact Character opposes the Main Character, but rather stands in the way. The Impact Character's purpose in the story is to represent an alternative belief system or world view to the Main Character. This forces the Main Character to avoid the easy way out and to face his personal problem.

When combining the Impact Character and the Antagonist in the same player, keep in mind the difference between their respective functions. This allows you to express the dramatic purposes of each fully.