Editing Protagonist (section)

{{Short description|Main character of a creative work}}
{{other uses}}
[[File:William Morris Hunt - Hamlet - 2000.1231 - Museum of Fine Arts.jpg|thumb|200px|[[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Hamlet]], Prince of Denmark.'' William Morris Hunt, oil on canvas, {{Circa|1864}}]]

A '''protagonist''' ({{etymology|grc|''{{wikt-lang|grc|πρωταγωνιστής}}'' {{grc-transl|πρωταγωνιστής}}|one who plays the first part, chief actor}})<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dprwtagwnisth%2Fs πρωταγωνιστής], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek–English Lexicon'', on Perseus Digital Library.</ref><ref>[http://www.dictionary.com/browse/protagonist "protagonist"]. [[Dictionary.com]], [[Random House]]. Retrieved November 17, 2017.</ref><ref>{{OEtymD|protagonist|accessdate=}}</ref>  is the main [[Character (arts)|character]] of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the [[Plot (narrative)|plot]], primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a story contains a [[subplot]], or is a narrative made up of several stories, then each subplot may have its own protagonist.<ref>Duncan, Stephen. ''A Guide to Screenwriting Success: Writing for Film and Television''. Rowman & Littlefield (2006) {{ISBN|9780742553019}}</ref>

The protagonist is the character whose fate is most closely followed by the reader or audience, and who is opposed by the [[antagonist]]. The antagonist provides obstacles and complications and creates conflicts that test the protagonist, revealing the strengths and weaknesses of the protagonist's character, and having the protagonist develop as a result. A particularly noble, virtuous, or accomplished protagonist is commonly called a ''[[hero]],'' though the terms are not synonyms.