Editing Protagonist (section)

==Types==
===Hero/Heroine===
In literary terms, a [[hero]] (masculine) or heroine (feminine) protagonist is typically admired for their achievements and noble qualities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/hero-literary-and-cultural-figure |title=Hero|publisher=Britannica |access-date=28 April 2021}}</ref> Heroes are lauded for their strength, courage, virtuousness, and honor, and are considered to be the "good guys" of the narrative.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hero |title=Hero|publisher=Merriam-Webster|access-date=28 April 2021}}</ref>

Examples include DC Comics' [[Superman]] (hero) and [[Katniss Everdeen]] from ''[[The Hunger Games]]'' (heroine).

===Antihero===
{{Main article|Antihero}}
An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who lacks conventional heroic qualities and attributes such as idealism, courage, and morality.

Examples include [[Holden Caulfield]] from ''[[The Catcher in the Rye]]'', [[Scarlett O'Hara]] from ''[[Gone with the Wind (novel)|Gone With the Wind]]'',  [[Jay Gatsby]] from ''[[The Great Gatsby]]'', and [[Walter White (Breaking Bad)|Walter White]] from [[Breaking Bad]].

===Tragic hero===
{{Main article|Tragic hero}}
A tragic hero is the protagonist of a tragedy.

Examples include [[Oedipus]] from ''[[Oedipus Rex]]'' and [[Prince Hamlet]] from Shakespeare's ''[[Hamlet]]''.

===Villain protagonist===
The protagonist is not always conventionally good.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1118755 |title=A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory|publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated|access-date=28 April 2021}}</ref> Contrasting the hero protagonist, a villain protagonist is a protagonist who is a [[villain]], driving the story forward regardless of the evil qualities the main character has. These traits can include being cruel, malicious, and wicked.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/villain |title=Villain|publisher=Dictionary.com|access-date=28 April 2021}}</ref>

Examples include Humbert Humbert in [[Vladimir Nabokov|Vladimir Nabokov's]] ''[[Lolita]]''<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Byford|first1=Andy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CjPNDwAAQBAJ&q=%22villain+protagonist%22&pg=PA137|title=Transnational Russian Studies|last2=Doak|first2=Connor|last3=Hutchings|first3=Stephen|date=2020-01-30|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-1-78962-087-0|language=en}}</ref> and Richard III in the [[Richard III (play)|eponymous play]] by [[William Shakespeare]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NLFPAAAAMAAJ&q=%22villain+protagonist%22&pg=PA376|title=The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge|date=1918|publisher=Encyclopedia Americana Corporation|language=en}}</ref>

===Supporting protagonist===
When a supporting protagonist appears, the story is told from the perspective of a character who appears to be minor. This character may be more peripheral from the events of the story and are not as involved within the "main action" of the plot. The supporting protagonist may be telling the story while viewing another character as the main influence of the plot.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/protagonist|title=Protagonist|publisher=LitCharts|access-date=28 April 2021}}</ref>

One example is Nick in ''[[The Great Gatsby]]''.{{Cn|date=December 2023}}