Antagonistic Protagonists And What They Say About Society

By: Malvika Menon.

Over the years, fictional characters have become of great importance. Fictional, as they are, these characters are a representation of the realistic and/or unrealistic imaginations people have of their lives. While Zorro fed the action-starved realistic minds, Superman pumped up the more imaginative ones. These characters owe their popularity largely to the fact that they allow individuals to live a 'life they wish for'.

Batman and Robin owe a major part of their popularity to the fact the audience felt it was easier to be like them  than Superman. Life imitates art when art imitates life.

Earlier, these characters were based on values accepted and propagated by the society. However, of recent times, there has been a change in the mainstream fictional characters and protagonists of stories have turned more antagonistic as they defy the norms of society, i.e. becoming an Antagonistic Protaganist. Malvika Menon explores these Antagonistic protagonists and what they say about society in this article that deals with 'Media in entertainment sector - blurring lines between heroes and villains'.

To begin with, take an example of the animated movie 'How to Train Your Dragon'. Inequity strikes with the destruction of the village, consequentially creating the Story Goal of Training the Next Generation of Dragon Killers. One person works for this Goal, the other works against it. Stoick, Hiccup’s father wants the young ones to learn how to take down the giant  lizards while Hiccup himself works against that.

The character everyone naturally assumes to be the Protagonist –Hiccup– actually works as the Antagonist of the main story when watched objectively.

This being just a minor example of how protagonists show their antagonistic sides in the mainstream entertainment platform.

In 'How to train your dragon', the protagonist Hiccup is an antagonist when looked upon objectively.

Protagonists and Antagonists mean so much more than simply stating who the good guy is and who the bad guy is. They have an important function to perform in regards to the unfolding process of problem-solving within a story. The Protagonist represents the side of the argument that is for the successful resolution. The Antagonist shows the dead set side against it.

Television shows have always been a major source of entertainment for a vast number of audience. Ever since the inception of soap operas, which were given their title due to advertisement that played along with the show targeting the audience of the female gender, TV shows have had an impact on society and its mind set.

An example for such a show is 'Hum Log', which was the first Indian soap opera that was broadcast on DD national which dealt with a middle class family and their daily crisis and aspirations.

Not that TV shows of other genres weren't there. Shows like 'Ramayan' and 'Shaktiman' were also broadcasted but could never become as popular as 'Hum Log'.

Then there was a phase of TV shows wherein drama was given more importance. Examples would be 'The Bold and the Beautiful' and, in the Indian context 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.' Comedy was another genre that grew in popularity. Example would be the popularity of the TV show 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S.' When the first line of the title song is heard, it is generally followed by the 4 signature claps.

But most of these characters were either insanely good or pure evil. Characters were segregated in such a way that, the character was either black- associated to all things evil or white - associated to all things good. Classic example of this is Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. 

But gone are the days where, the protagonist will and shall always follow the societal norms, cause let's face it, not every individual is immensely good. Every individual is a shade of grey. Screenplay writers and authors have realized this factor and have strategically created these strong protagonists, who are also very grey in nature. Thus creating an emotional attachment between the audience and the character, as the characters are so relatable, regardless of the situation they are in.

Examples of such characters are Walter White from 'Breaking Bad', Tyrion Lannister from 'Game of Thrones', Raymond Reddington (also known as Red and who also happens to be a personal favorite) from 'The Blacklist', Dexter Morgan from Dexter, Piper Chapman from Orange is the New Black, the list could go on.

Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones is a classic example of Antagonistic Protagonists.

These characters are ideally imperfect ,and yet they posses these grey characteristics that draw the audience keeping them at the edge of their seats, wanting for more (myself included).

Television shows are generally exaggerated forms of reality. Although it is interesting to see characters portrayed as people who aren't perfect, such a representation of society creates an unconscious fear and a streak of violence among the viewers.

I am not really trying to pick fault with the advent of these characters, in fact I applaud all the writers behind these characters for coming up with such brilliance. But the audience must remember, that these characters are fictional and that they most often have a reason for behaving the way they do. Although such instances may seem absolutely mind blowing, It has sort of made us spectators immune to violence itself. I hope that these characters will only remain as fictional characters to all individuals and nothing more.

Edited By: Anirban Paul.