The protagonist is the character that the audience is most likely to identify with and care about. The protagonist's journey is the central focus of the drama, and the audience is rooting for the protagonist to succeed.
The protagonist is often contrasted with the antagonist, the character who opposes the protagonist and tries to prevent them from achieving their goals. The antagonist is often the villain of the piece, but not always. Sometimes the antagonist is a sympathetic character who has their own valid reasons for opposing the protagonist.
The protagonist and antagonist are the two main characters in a drama, and their conflict is the driving force of the plot. The protagonist's journey is ultimately about overcoming the antagonist and achieving their goals.
Here are some examples of protagonists from famous dramas:
* Hamlet, from Shakespeare's play of the same name
* Oedipus, from Sophocles' play of the same name
* Faust, from Goethe's play of the same name
* Scarlett O'Hara, from Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind
* Atticus Finch, from Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird
These characters are all different types of people, but they share one common trait: they are all protagonists of their respective dramas. They are the characters that the audience is most likely to identify with and care about, and their journeys are the central focus of the stories.