Deuteragonist – noun — the actor next in importance to the protagonist.
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We all know what a protagonist and an antagonist are, but I had never heard the word “deuteragonist” until a few months ago. It comes from the Greek word “deuteros,” meaning “second.” But a deuteragonist is not just a secondary character, he/she is the secondary character.
Wikipedia tells us that ancient Greek drama originally had only one actor, the protagonist, and a group of dancers, the chorus. But then the playwright Aeschylus introduced a second character, the deuteragonist, in his plays.
Aristotle explained it in his work Poetics.
“Thus, it was Aeschylus who first raised the number of the actors from one to two. He also curtailed the chorus and made the dialogue be the leading part.”
So we can thank Aeschylus, who lived 2500 years ago, for the addition of the second character in drama, an innovation which enabled dialogue and conflict.
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“The more complex you make your secondary characters, the more lifelike and involving your story will be.” –Donald Maass
So how is the deuteragonist different from the other secondary characters in today’s fiction?
According to studiobinder.com
“A deuteragonist is the second most important character in a story. This person is also known as the ‘secondary main character.’ While the protagonist gives us our primary point of view of the story, the deuteragonist often provides a different, but often similar, outlook.”
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The deuteragonist can serve different purposes, depending on the author’s goals. But whatever role the deuteragonist plays, he/she should complement the protagonist in a way that affects the main character’s arc in the story.
One possibility is as a supporter, friend, or assistant to the protagonist. Dr. Watson is a famous example of this type of deuteragonist in the Sherlock Holmes books. Watson not only narrates the stories, his gentlemanly compassion contrasts nicely with the purely logical Holmes.
The deuteragonist can also be a love interest. An example of this could be from the movie “Titanic” where Jack Dawson (Leonardo DeCaprio) plays the main secondary to Rose (Kate Winslet). In the movie, Jack shows Rose there is more to life than the suffocating high society she’s being forced into.
Villains are always useful in helping protagonists overcome their shortcomings and face down danger. An example of this was the film “Die Hard” where the protagonist John McClane (Bruce Willis) matches wits with the villainous deuteragonist Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman.)
So there you have it. A deuteragonist can add spice and complexity to a story while enhancing the protagonist’s character arc.
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“The three things that matter most in a story are characters, characters and characters.” –Bob Gale
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So TKZers: Are there deuteragonists that you like from books or films? Have you used a deuteragonist in any of your stories? Do you plan to? Tell us about them.
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Protagonist Kathryn Frasier trains for a marathon, deuteragonist Cece Goldman rehearses for a play, and antagonist murderers hide in plain sight in The Watch Mysteries, an ebook boxset of three complete novels available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, or Apple Books. (Today is the last day of the 99¢ sale.)
The sidekick in a mystery would be the quintessential deuteragonist. I just read a mystery, Sounds in the Silence by D.L. Finn, in which a ghost was the deuteragonist. That was cool and kinda different!
A la Bob, the talking skull, in The Dresden Files.
I nominate Bob for Head of the Deuteragonist Society. 🙂
A capital suggestion!
hahaha
Good morning, Priscilla!
A ghost as the deuteragonist. That does sound interesting. And it opens up a new area — maybe a dog or cat could serve as the deuteragonist in a cozy mystery.
The secondary character can also be the conscience of the Lead, the one who pulls him toward the better angels of his nature, the one with whom he can talk in ways he can’t or won’t with anyone else. Ira in my Mike Romeo books serves that purpose.
Good morning, Jim, and thanks for mentioning Ira in the Romeo stories. He’s a perfect example of a deuteragonist who impacts the main character’s behavior and changes the character’s arc.
In my Mapleton books, Angie and Solomon both fill that role–one in Gordon’s home life, and the other on the job.
Good morning, Terry. Great point that there can be more than one character who serves as deuteragonist.
Surely the No. 3 should be the tritagonist.
Kay, thanks for teaching me a new word and for the fascinating history about Aeschylus.
Deuteragonists often seem more interesting than the protagonist. Capt. Kirk could be an insufferable bore w/o the wry, enigmatic Mr. Spock. The great Sean Connery spent much of his career as the leading man (Bond, etc.) but IMO his finest performances were as deuteragonists, like Malone (Eliot Ness’s sidekick in The Untouchables and as Indiana Jones’s dad who stole the show from Harrison Ford.
In live plays I’ve seen, during curtain calls the deuteragonist often receives more applause than the hero.
In my series, the deuteragonist is a flamboyant lawyer who saves the protagonist from prison in the first book. Since then, he’s tried to hijack the series, although he didn’t become a POV character until book 4. I frequently have to beat him back with a stick to keep him from totally taking over. In later books, the pair seesaws in their roles as lead and secondary, exploring their individual challenges in subplots, while working together to solve the main mystery.
Good morning, Debbie.
I was fascinated by the impact Aeschylus had on drama. The history of the written word might be a good topic for a future post.
You point out some great deuteragonist performances. Sean Connery was such a good actor, he could perform over a range of characters and steal the show every time.
Your Tawny Lindholm series is the perfect setup for the protagonist/deuteragonist relationship. I love that Tawny and Tillman can swap those roles and keep the series fresh.
Dr. Jones Sr. stole the show for sure.
For me, Mr. Spock as the secondary character absolutely stole the show. Not that I didn’t like Kirk or the rest of the crew (it takes all of them to make the show), but my favorite episodes were always Spock focused and when I’d make my monthly trek to Waldenbooks back in the day where Pocket Books was regularly putting out mass market fiction based on the original Trek, I was always searching for the novels that had more of a Spock focus.
Personally, I hope I have the experience of writing a novel where a person I wrote as a secondary character takes over the limelight. I think that would be cool.
Brenda, Let me know when you write that book. I’d like to read it.
Fascinating post, Debbie. Deuteragonist is a new one on me, too. In my Empowered series, the deuteragonist would be Keisha, who started out the series an antagonist to Mat but who becomes her best friend and grounds Mat in the face of some incredible, overpowering challenges.
Thanks for a very thought provoking post!
Morning, Dale. This is Kay, not Debbie. (But I’m honored to be mistaken for my good friend and mentor!)
What a great example from your Empowered series of a character who has her own character arc while contributing to the main character. Very interesting.
Whoops! My profuse apologies for my sleepy brain’s mistake, my good friend Kay! You wrote another terrific post today.
Incidentally, I continue to be very honored to be in the company of such insightful writers as you, Debbie, Sue, JSB, John, PJ, Sue, Terry, Reavis, Elaine, Garry, and Deb,
No apology needed. I’d be honored to be mistaken for any of the TKZ team members!
:):)
This is not a concept I’d introduce to new writing students. They are confused enough by the main character. Romance is another animal, however. The trick is figuring out whether the hero or the heroine is the main character.
Interesting response, Marilynn. Maybe just explain how different secondary characters have different roles to play in a story.
My favorite is Sam from Casablanca. OK. Casablanca my be my favorite movie. He is Rick’s confidant, conscience, and friend. He is an interramal part of the story, not just the piano player.
I have read several pieces about how Sam was the first African American character in a movie who was not a slave or a servant. By some reports, his appearance sold the film to African American audiences.
A friend and I have talked about a film about Sam ending with Sam and Rick arriving in Casablanca. I think there are enough mentions in Casablanca to build a story.
I also love the film, and Sam from Casablanca is a great character. I like your idea of a movie about Sam leading up to the beginning of Casablanca. (How about Play It Again, Sam as the title?)
Have a good week.
Kay, thanks for introducing me to a new word. 🙂 In most of my stories the heroine is the protagonist, so I guess that leaves the hero to be the deuteragonist.
Hi Patricia. “Deuteragonist” was new to me too. And yet, it’s an important concept in writing.
It’s interesting that so many of us include a deuteragonist in our story although we never identified him/her as a special kind of secondary character. Now we know. 🙂
And I echo everyone’s thanks, Kay, for teaching me a new word.
I think the examples of Malone, Dr. Jones, Sr., and JSB’s Ira are perfect examples.
In my novel, No Tomorrows, I think I’d have to say the Deuteragonist is three-year-old Nora, the MC’s youngest child. She’s the wisest character in the novel, teaching me a few things about real life and what’s important as I got to know her.
When I’m talking to folks about the story, I like to say we all need a Nora Lee in our lives to help make sense of everything.
Thanks for a wonderful post, Kay. 🙂
A three-year-old as deuteragonist! I love that idea. Children are often the wisest people around, and we all need a Nora Lee.
Have a great week.
My high fantasy novel, nameless here, but lurking in the literary oubliette known as Vella, features Hirand, a messenger, and Janubel, his beautiful beloved princess, who must be the deuteragonist. A later tritagonist would be Lord Vinifer, chancellor to tetragonist King Strogulus. Not to mention the pentagonist, the wicked sorcerer Mogrovat. Then there is the powerful, deadly, and demon-visaged Szheerak, who would be the hexagonist, except Szheerak is Janubel, ensorcelled by Mogrovat by mistake. Oopsie! A wizard or two or ten, a thief, a young miss of interest, assorted miscreants, misadventurers, and miscellaneous critters, characters, and sesquitagonists round out the cast.
Quite a cast of characters to be confined to the oubliette together. (Thanks for teaching me a new word!) I hope they find their way out into the world soon. I think they’re ready for prime time.