Essence Vs. Substance: The Character of Antagonist
In all stories and forms of writing there must be a person, motive, or obstacle presented to the protaganist that he or she must overcome in order to restore a natural order of their frail reality. However the nature of the protagonist and the antagonist can be broken down into two distinct factors that reflect their reasons or actions throughout the story; essence of the antagonist and substance of the hero. A villain is nothing more than the negative essence of the hero who does not have one exact side, morality or physicality. He or she is a constant, covulted storm that appears at random when the characters least expect it releasing a string of uncontrolled events or endings. The antagonist essence is completely derived from a fractured sense of humanity that can never be repremanded; they cannot understand existence and usually never seek to be undersood. Antagonists just dont give a flying fuck if it goes to hell in a handbasket for the other characters lives and constantly remind us that not everything can be controlled.
Our hero is opposite of this persona by the substance of his or her character by a much more solidified basis of their own reality in which they go to whatever end to ensure his or her existence and mostly the survival of the other characters remain imminent and realitively unscathed. Protagonists are the fortress that keeps us away from the moster that lurks out the door waiting to render all we beleive and strive to acheive useless. Heroes exist as the substance of our ideals and what drives our immortal souls forward to an even brighter future no matter how it turns out or; even if the end goes through an irredeemable shitstorm. To sum this all up the antagonist will always be the essence of hate, our brave protagonist will always be the substance of hope, but I beleive that they are integral sociological oppositions which we relate to that makes all stories unforgettable. One question for all of you writers out there, which side do you think is the most fun or worth cheering for?
- Chinobus -
- Chinobus -