Photo by D A V I D S O N L U N A on Unsplash
In the day 34 post, I wrote about the primary force of antagonism, the person, group, or thing, that causes the protagonist’s problem. This antagonist force could be an individual villain, an oppressive system, or even the hostile environment itself. It’s as if there is an unseen force moving through the world and characters that causes change the protagonist must confront through a problem they must solve.
In that post, I identified the primary characteristics of the antagonists in three story examples. Now I want to connect these antagonists to archetypal roles.
An archetypal role is a universal character pattern enacted through behaviors and motivations. Identifying this symbolic role allows us to connect the specific antagonist to easily recognized narratives and character types across different stories. This is one of the ways we embed universal narrative patterns in our unique stories.
For example, common antagonist archetypes that we recognize in stories include the following.
The Shadow - represents the darker, repressed impulses of humanity
The Trickster - deceives others to sow chaos
The Dictator - ruthlessly pursues power and control
The Traitor - betrays other characters' trust
The Siren - lures others toward peril or temptation
Here are the archetypes for the antagonists in the example stories.
The Hobbit - Thorin is a dictator who seeks to possess (having mode) rather than seeking the truth (being mode).
Pride and Prejudice - Mrs. Bennet and Lady Catherine are guardians who seek to control entrance to their respective families as a way to influence connections and status.
The Body in the Library - Josie Turner is a femme fatale, and Mark Gaskell is a traitorous sidekick.
Connecting the antagonist to a familiar archetype allows readers to quickly grasp their essential spirit and recognize their pattern of behavior as it aligns with or diverges from the archetype. It also elevates the villain from the specific story into a universal theme.
This post is part of a 75-day writing challenge and experiment. From September 9 through November 22, I'll be posting daily thoughts on writing, storytelling, and creativity based on recent readings or reflections. While my intention was to keep them very short—250 to 400 words—I've found that this range doesn't give me enough space to cover these topics adequately. I aim to keep them brief enough to be read quickly, but they will often be longer than 400 words.
At the end of the challenge, I will organize and revise the material with intention. For now, the object is to explore and share.