2021-05-01
ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด – A – antagonist & protagonist
แนะนำการใช้ ตามที่ส่วนใหญ่ใช้ แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจผันแปร ตาม ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง antagonist = ‘an-TAG-uh-nist’
ออกเสียง protagonist = ‘proh-TAG-uh-nist’
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree
antagonist
= a person who opposeanother
often in a hostile manner:
The man was his antagonist in a duel.;
= an enemy, foe;
= the adversary of the hero or protagonist in a literary work
Not to be confused with:
adversary = a person, group, or force
that opposes or attacks; opponent; enemy; foe;
one who is an opponent in a contest;
a contestant; one who fights determinedly and relentlessly:
He was a worthy adversary.
adversity = catastrophe, disaster; trouble, misery; adverse fortune or fate;
acondition marked by misfortune:
In times of adversity, she crumbles.
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc.
antagonist
= an opponent in any kind of contest or conflict.
Also called antipathist.
See also: Conflict
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Antagonist
Did You Know?
On the stage or screen, in a story or a novel,
the protagonist is the main character
and the antagonistis the opposing one.
Pro- and ant-
usually markthe good and bad characters, but not always;
there may occasionally
bean evil protagonist and a good antagonist.
In the drama of the real world,
it's especially hard to sort out which is which,
so, we usually speak of both parties to a conflict as antagonists.
During a strike, for example,
representativesof labor and management become antagonists;
they often manageto antagonize each other,
and the antagonism often remains after the strike is over.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
“Hero” vs. “Protagonist”: What Is The Difference?
Manystories have one thing in common:
a brave main characterwho ends up saving the day.
But does slaying the dragon or defusing the bomb
makethis person a hero or a protagonist?
And can the two words be used interchangeably?
The correct answerto both is yes,
with the caveat that the words are not always synonymous.
Bothnouns have multiple definitions and some, but not all,
overlapso it depends on the intended meaning.
Let’s take a closer look.
What does hero mean?
Hero is a noun that means a brave person
who is “noted for courageous acts or nobility of character.”
For example:
The fire department has deemed her a hero
for running into the neighbor’s burning house
to try to save the sleeping family.
Hero can also be defined as
“a person who, in the opinion of others,
has special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities
and is regarded as a role model or ideal.”
For example:
His soccer coach is his personal hero for all that he accomplished in his career before retiring.
But a hero can also refer to a story’s principal male character
(and traditionally, heroine for a main female character).
Although hero was originally strictly used for a man,
it’s important to note that the word is becoming more gender neutral
with time and is no longer completely reserved for just males.
In classic mythology,
the hero is someone who is deemed as
a godlike being and honored as a divinity;
a talented warrior-chieftain with special strength; or an immortal being.
And then in a different category from demigods,
but still possibly just as important to foodies,
a hero can also be a type of sandwich
as well as the specific bread used for a hero sandwich.
First recorded in 1605–15,
hero originated from the plural Middle English heroes
via the singular Latin hērōs and Greek hḗrōs.
Some synonymsfor hero include icon, idol,
and don’t forget, hoagie.
What does protagonist mean?
Like hero,
protagonist is a noun that can mean the leading character in a story.
However, unlike hero,
which historically has only referred to a male characters,
a protagonist is defined as
“a hero or heroineof a drama or other literary work.”
For example:
throughout much of the play,
the protagonist struggles with guilt related to his brother’s death.
A protagonist can also mean someone
who is a proponent foror advocate of a political cause.
Protagonist can also refer to the leader or principal person
in that movementor cause.
For example:
After the Valentine’s Day school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, many of the students became unlikely protagonists in the battle for gun control.
Or: The new presidential candidate stole the limelight from the usual protagonists with a plan for a universal four-day workweek.
Butin the context of an ancient Greek drama,
the protagonist is the first actor who plays the main role
as well as other characters when the lead is offstage.
The word protagonist was first recorded in 1665–75
and derives from the Greek word prōtagōnistḗs
(“an actor who plays the first part”)
and is equivalent to prôtos, meaning “first,”
and agōnistḗs, meaning “one who contends for a prize, combatant, actor.”
In additionto hero or heroine,
some other synonyms for protagonist
include combatant, idol, advocate, lead, principal, and warrior.
How to use each word
If you are talking about the main character in a story,
you can correctlyuse both hero and protagonist
(taking into consideration the lead’s gender
and notingthat hero originally meant a male character).
Butif you’re describing someone
who has proven to be universally brave,
likedoctors on the frontline treating COVID-19 patients
without proper personal protective equipment,
thenthe correct word is hero and not protagonist.
The same is true
for someone who isn’t being praised as courageous
butis still a personal role model that a personlooks up to.
For example:
For as long as he can remember, his older brother has been his hero,
and he can’t help but idolize him.
Someone who is fighting for a political cause
and sparking changecan be either a hero or a protagonist
— depending on the intended meaning.
This activistcould be a hero
to many for the cause he or she is fighting for,
butif you are simply describing
thisperson as an advocate for the cause,
then only protagonist can correctly be used.
For example:
Greta Thunberg is a hero to many for taking a protagonist’s role
advocating for climate change at such a young age.
And if you’re talking about your lunch?
Sure, you can say that hero sandwich is your hero
for saving youfrom a hungry afternoon.
Dictionary of Problem Words in English
antagonist & protagonist
An antagonist is someone who contends with, or opposes,
another in a fight, struggle, or battle of wills:
“Once close friends, they became antagonists in the courtroom.”
In literature, an antagonist is
the principal opponentof the main character involved in a play or novel,
a person known as the protagonist.
In Greek, protagonist meant “first combatant,”
the principal or central character.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the antagonist is Hamlet;
among the antagonists are King Claudius and Laertes.
