The Main Character in a Play or Novel is the ____________

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for the term used for the main character in a play or novel.

Step 2: Explain the concept Here are the key literary terms in the options:

• Protagonist: The central or main character, whose actions and struggles drive the story. The word comes from Greek: protos (first) + agonistes (actor or contestant).
• Narrator: The voice that tells the story. The narrator may or may not be the main character.
• Villain: A wicked or evil character. A villain is often the antagonist, but not every antagonist is a villain.
• Antagonist: The character or force that opposes the protagonist.

Step 3: Work through the options

• A. Protagonist: the main character. ✔
• B. Narrator: tells the story, but is not necessarily the main character. ✘
• C. Villain: an evil character, not the main character in general. ✘
• D. Antagonist: the opponent of the main character. ✘

Step 4: Answer The main character in a play or novel is the protagonist, which is option A.

Examples from Nigerian texts:

• In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is the protagonist.
• In Wole Soyinka's The Lion and the Jewel, Sidi and Baroka are central characters. Lakunle is a contrasting figure.

Tip: Remember PRO for Protagonist and ANTI for Antagonist. The protagonist is for the story, and the antagonist is against the hero. Also note that a narrator only tells the story, while the protagonist drives it.