An antagonist is a character, group, force, or idea that opposes the interests of the protagonist in a story. They are presented as the main enemy and rival of the protagonist. Antagonists are used as a plot device to set up conflicts, obstacles, or challenges for the protagonist. They can be individual villains or forces of society, even forces of nature. Antagonists are conventionally presented as making moral choices less savory than those of protagonists, but this is not always the case. An antagonist can be a passive threat or actively stand in the way of the protagonists interests. The sole defining characteristic of an antagonist is that they stand in opposition to the protagonists interest.

Antagonists are essential characters in a work of art, yet they drive the storyline in opposite directions to the protagonist. The protagonist strives to achieve the critical tale goals, whereas the antagonist seeks to defeat them. Antonyms are the words "protagonist" and "antagonist".

There are different types of antagonists, including:

• Villain: An evil character in the story who is often working for wicked reasons to ruin the hero.
• Forces of nature: Antagonists that are natural disasters or other uncontrollable events.
• Forces of society: Antagonists that are societal norms, institutions, or laws that the protagonist must overcome.
• Redeemable: Antagonists that have a redeemable quality or are not entirely evil.

It is a common misconception that the antagonist has to be evil, villainous, criminal, or deceptive. However, thats not necessary to tell a great story. The antagonist can be a well-intentioned, empathetic, caring individual.