In literature, an antagonist is a specific character in a work that opposes its main character. Roughly speaking, the antagonist is a man-villain who plots and harms the interests of the main character in every possible way and goes to great lengths to achieve his complete destruction.
Why is the antagonist more interesting than the protagonist
Often just such a villain turns out to be the most interesting and vivid image in the work. After all, what is an antagonist? This is a man who was originally endowed with a sophisticated intellect, able to think through all the moves, and enviable perseverance in bringing his plan to the end.
The main positive character (protagonist), as a rule, alas, cannot boast of such abilities. According to the laws of the genre, for most of the plot, he is forced to simply endure the problems that have fallen on him and receive advice and help from good and true friends. After all, how then can the author demonstrate their strong friendship and exceptional devotion?
How does the antagonist in the work
To better understand what an antagonist is, you need to understand the required traits,usually constituting his image. In a good work, the villain always has a specific goal - he cannot fight the main character just "for the love of art." His actions must be motivated (this makes them understandable to the reader) and planned.
By the way, the gradual increase in aggression of the antagonist towards the main character, who happened to be on his way, will also play in favor of the work: at first he tries to persuade, convince him, and only when this fails, he uses threats and others methods of influence.
The positive hero, on the background of the troubles that have fallen on him, as a rule, grows stronger, gains strength in the finale of the work - he is already ready to fight with the seemingly invincible antagonist at first.
What is an antagonist for fiction
If we have before us a work that claims to be reasonable and deep, then the antagonist in it is an individuality, and not a representative of universal evil. He may very well be an ordinary person whose interests simply conflict with those of the protagonist.
Many works, by the way, won just at the expense of a colorful villain. Therefore, it is very important for the author to realize what an antagonist is for a literary work, and diligently write out his image.
