The mechanics of a story is only interesting to writers and critics. As I am both, off and on, I tend to think about such things. Thus the readers of this site can benefit from the ravings of an unsound mind.
I did say I was a writer AND a critic, remember.
While thinking about the matter, I came up with some interesting thoughts on classic Genre films. So in order to process this, I thought I’d write up an essay and set some terms. This might drift over to the Sister Site at some point, as it might be germane to the proceedings. It’s also going to be long, so I’m stretching it out a few days.
Let’s start with the basics. Things most writers and critics can get behind.
First off, most Stories, be it in film, on stage, or in a book, have this thing called a Plot. In the simplest terms, the Plot is Action/Reaction. An Action happens and there is a Reaction to it. It is motion, it is movement.
The Story’s Protagonist is the character whose Actions/Reactions matter the most. It is his (hers, its, whatever’s) who makes the choice or choices that matters most.
In Star Wars: A New Hope, Luke Skywalker is the Protagonist. It’s his decision to help Obi-wan Kenobi that affects every other decision down the length. Everything hinges on that one choice.
In Beast from Twenty Thousand Fathoms, Thomas Nesbitt is the Protagonist. His efforts to warn the world about the Beast, the Rhedosaurus, brings end characters that wouldn’t have been involved otherwise and, in the end, it’s his experience with radiation that solves the final problem. His choices mattered.
Stories that don’t have a Protagonist are possible, but examples don’t leap to mind. Keep in mind it’s not the length of “screen time” that determines who the Protagonist is. It’s the Weight of the Choice that as a rule matters.
I’ll get back to Weight of Choice in a second.
Opposing the protagonist is the Antagonist. This character either Acting (doing something the Protagonist opposes) or Reacting (opposes something the Protagonist wants). With this character, too, the Weight of the Choice defines him (her, it, whatever). The Character whose choices give the Protagonist the most problems is often the Antagonist.
To go backwards, in Beast from Twenty Thousand Fathoms, it is the Rhedosaurus who is the Antagonist. It wants to stomp around the place and eat passing people. Nesbitt opposes this, first by warning people of the existence of the Rhedosaurus, then by confrontation.
In Star Wars: A New Hope, the Antagonist is Grand Moff Tarkin. Oh, yeah, Tarkin. He’s the one calling the shots. He leads the tropes, makes the decision to destroy random planets, and so on and so fort. Darth Vader, as impressive as he is, is but a lackey.
Now the terms Protagonist and Antagonist are not moral terms. While the Protagonist is often a Heroic figure, that is not what defines him. Same is true with the Antagonist. Both of them can be Good People; both of them can be Bad People. It’s really not relevant.
What is relevant is the Weight of Choice. How does the choice affect the Plot? How does the choice affect the one making it? The bigger the change, the more weight it has.
In both my examples, the choices made by the protagonists alter the course of the Plot. They save people, they get people killed, they are harmed by their actions and their actions harm others. If they weren’t in the Story everything would change. It would not be the same story.
To give another example, look at the Mystery TV series Columbo. The title character, Lieutenant Columbo, is not the Protagonist. That would be the murderer of the episode. It is their choices that make the plot run. Were they not there, nothing would happen. Columbo, the Antagonist, is there to stop them. His choices have Weight, but not as much as those he opposes.
Were we to put things in a more moral fashion, we would use terms like Hero and Villain. In fact, I’m going to use them as actual Character Types like Protagonist and Antagonist.
The Hero is the moral force in the story, the one’s whose attitudes the Reader is probably supposed to emulate. He (She, It, Whatever) might not do the right thing all the time, but by and large his actions are what one would consider Moral and Good.
The Villain is the opposite number. He (etc, etc) is in it for himself, his actions are selfish and more often than not Evil.
I’m in a mood. I’m adding a third Character Type: The Unfortunate Soul. Unlike the Protagonist and Antagonist, the Unfortunate Soul has very little agency. While they can act, they need help. They can’t do it on their own. Their choices have the least Weight of them all.
To give examples, let’s look at the detective series involving Sherlock Holmes.
Holmes is the series Protagonist. His decisions shape the course of the plot. His clients are Unfortunate Souls who can’t resolve their own dilemmas. For them Holmes risks all, whether just his reputation as a detective or, on occasion, his very life.
The people Holmes goes after are, more often than not, are Villains. They want something they shouldn’t have. You could argue that Holmes’ opposition to them makes them Antagonists, too. However not only they don’t often have the same Weight of Choice your common Antagonists have, they don’t often have conflict with the Protagonist beyond a basic level.
For instance, the killer in The Hound of the Baskervilles actively tries to get around Holmes to accomplish one more murder. With A Scandal in Bohemia, Holmes is pitted against Irene Adler in acquiring certain pictures; it is a definite struggle between two wills. The Final Problem and its sequel, The Adventure of the Empty House have the main threat be killers after Holmes. Each present conflict for Holmes and are in fact Antagonist.
Oh, and Doctor Watson? He’s the Hero, not Holmes, despite the detective’s virtuous efforts. He tends to be the moral center of Holmes’ world.
Simple. There are always going to be exceptions to the rule for these terms, and with the possible exception of the Protagonist not all are needed for a Story. That’s the nature of the beast.
Next time, we’ll look at more individual stories and see who is the protagonist and who is not.
