Editing Protagonist (section)

==Further examples==

[[Euripides]]' play ''[[Hippolytus (play)|Hippolytus]]'' may be considered to have two protagonists, though one at a time. Phaedra is the protagonist of the first half, who dies partway through the play. Her stepson, the titular Hippolytus, assumes the dominant role in the second half of the play.<ref>Euripides. ''Hippolytos''. Oxford University Press (October 29, 1992) {{ISBN|978-0195072907}}</ref>

In [[Henrik Ibsen]]'s play ''[[The Master Builder]]'', the protagonist is the architect Halvard Solness. The young woman, Hilda Wangel, whose actions lead to the death of Solness, is the antagonist.<ref>Ibsen, Henrik. Meyer, Michael Leverson. editor. ''Ibsen Plays: 1: Ghosts; The Wild Duck; The Master Builder''. Dramatists Play Service Inc. (1980) {{ISBN|9780413463302}}. page 241</ref>

In Shakespeare's play ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'', Romeo is the protagonist. He is actively in pursuit of his relationship with Juliet, and the audience is invested in that story. Tybalt, as an antagonist, opposes Romeo and attempts to thwart the relationship.<ref>Shakespeare, William. ''Romeo and Juliet''. Bloomsbury Arden Shakespeare; Third edition (July 15, 2012) {{ISBN|9781903436912}}</ref>

In Shakespeare's play ''[[Hamlet]]'', Prince Hamlet, who seeks revenge for the murder of his father, is the protagonist. The antagonist is the character who most opposes Hamlet, Claudius (though, in many ways, Hamlet is his own antagonist).<ref>Shakespeare, William. ''Hamlet''. Simon & Schuster (July 1, 1992) {{ISBN|978-0743477123}}</ref>

Sometimes, a work will have a [[false protagonist]], who may seem to be the protagonist, but then may disappear unexpectedly. The character Marion in [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s film ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'' (1960) is an example.<ref>Kolker, Robert Phillip. ''Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho: A Casebook''. Oxford University Press (2004) {{ISBN|9780195169195}}</ref>

A novel may contain a number of narratives, each with its own protagonist. [[Alexander Solzhenitsyn]]'s ''[[The First Circle]]'', for example, depicts a variety of characters imprisoned and living in a [[gulag]] camp.<ref>''The Solzhenitsyn Reader: New and Essential Writings, 1947–2005: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn'', Edward E. Ericson, Jr., Daniel J. Mahoney.</ref> [[Leo Tolstoy]]'s ''[[War and Peace]]'' depicts fifteen major characters involved in or affected by a war.<ref>Moser, Charles. 1992. ''Encyclopedia of Russian Literature''. Cambridge University Press. pp. 298–300.</ref>

Though many people equate protagonists with the term hero and possessing heroic qualities, it is not necessary, as even villainous characters can be protagonists. For example [[Michael Corleone]] from ''[[The Godfather (film series)|The Godfather]]'' (1972–1990) film series (1978–1983).

In some cases, the protagonist is not a human: in [[Richard Adams]]' novel ''[[Watership Down]],'' a group of [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphised]] rabbits, led by the protagonist Hazel, escape their warren after seeing a vision of its destruction, starting a perilous journey to find a new home.<ref>Adams, Richard, 1920–2016. Watership Down. London: Rex Collings Ltd, 1972. Print.</ref>