An antagonist is a character in a book, movie, comic book or video game who is the opponent of the protagonist and represents the negative side in one way or another.
What is ANTAGONIST – meaning and definition in simple words
In simple words, the Antagonist is a kind of anti-hero or villain that the protagonist needs to defeat. The bad guy often has the most difficult task in a work of fiction, which is to create a situation in which the personality of a good hero can emerge. As a rule, the villain must create a world threat and / or play the role of a cunning and ingenious killer maniac.
An antagonist in literature is a character who stands in the way of the protagonist and prevents him from reaching his goal. The main character (positive character) is called the protagonist.
Examples of antagonists in literature and cinema.
- Lord Voldemort can be called both Harry’s personal adversary and the antagonist of the entire community of good wizards, the personification of world evil.
- The famous detective Sherlock Holmes also has an antagonist – this is Professor Moriarty. He is smart and insightful, resourceful and insidious. His genius allows Sherlock to always be in shape, inspiring new things.
The antagonist as the most important detail.
Quite often, there are cases when the audience likes the antagonist much more than the positive character. Take Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs as an example. The ingenious image invented by Thomas Harris, plus the excellent acting of Anthony Hopkins, made the audience fall in love with this brilliant and charismatic villain.
Most likely, if you think about it, everyone will find their favorite antagonist in the backstreets of their memory. Darth Vader, The Joker, Freddy Krueger and John Kramer – all of these great characters, at their core, held the storyline on their shoulders.
From this, we can draw a logical conclusion:
Without a good villain, it is impossible to create a good hero.
