The first time I saw the word deuteragonist, I had no idea what it meant.
Well, that’s not completely true. I know enough about prefixes and suffixes to know it had something to do with two. Speaking of, two words that might help us on our etymological journey are protagonist and antagonist.
So, the term deuteragonist comes from ancient Greek plays when there were three principal players, protagonist, deuteragonist, and tritagonist (in order of importance), and then the chorus.
An example of this is in the 1968 version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where the play within the play, Pyramus and Thisbe, is acted out by the players, Nick Bottom, Francis Flute, Peter Quince, and the chorus of Snug, Snout, and Starveling.
While the word protagonist has stayed in common use for those who study story theory, the other two have become more obscure, though not less important. The characters still exist, and their usefulness in the story continues. It’s just the term that has fallen out of fashion. So, let’s bring it back into the limelight.
Deuteragonist Meaning
A deuteragonist is the second most important character in a story. What would Frodo be without his Sam? Holmes without his Watson? Ash without Pikachu? Nancy Drew without Bess or George? Katniss without Gale, Peeta or Rue?
Okay. You can see it can get complicated.
The deuteragonist has an almost as compelling backstory, motivations, flaw, and character arc as the protagonist. However, they shouldn’t overshadow the protagonist and main story goal (I’m looking at you, Jack Sparrow).
The sidekick is the second fiddle. Someone who is usually learning from or looks up to the protagonist. They can often be the comic relief. Someone less powerful, less important, but always there.
The best friend is closer to an equal to the protagonist. They are a confidant, and the protagonist respects their point of view or judgement. Even if they don’t always follow their advice or agree with them. They often have a lot of backstory together and the best friend can call the protagonist out in a way the sidekick couldn’t.
The love interest can start as an enemy, stranger, or friend. They can be used as a confidant or seen as an obstacle. Their role is to make the protagonist question and make changes or fight the feelings the love interest stirs within them. The love at the end of the story is what awaits the protagonist if they make the changes they need to make.
The mentor is the person who the protagonist looks up to and wants to emulate. Someone who is above the protagonist in some way. They are their teacher and a voice of reason or guidance throughout their journey. They are an ally when your protagonist needs the support.
The antagonist can only be the deuteragonist if they have almost equal ‘screentime’ and they have backstory and a character arc. Your audience must know and understand the antagonist almost as well as the protagonist. The antagonist is usually someone who thinks they are doing the right thing, the protagonist of their own story.
Another key point in deuteragonists is that there can be more than one, or it can be difficult to tell which is the deuteragonist and which is the tritagonist or another supporting character. Don’t get hung up on the word, just feel the meaning when you are writing.
Deuteragonist Examples
Harry Potter Series
In the Harry Potter series, Ron and Hermione tag team for the deuteragonist to Harry’s protagonist.
However, I would put forward evidence that while Ron is a great best friend and creates a lot of back and forth with Harry, both supporting him at times and creating conflict at others, Hermione is the true deuteragonist. Hermione is the one often prodding Harry into action, sharing key information, and helping him out at just the right time with exactly what he needs.
Hunger Games Series
In the Hunger Games series, Peeta is Katniss’ deuteragonist. He is a sidekick and at times, a love interest, and even seems to be a betrayer at one point.
Peeta doesn’t know as much about surviving and fighting as Katniss, but he is determined to learn from her and support her to the best of his ability. Their play on the romance is to fool everyone else, but it causes Katniss to question her behavior and make different choices than she would without Peeta.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
In A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Pip’s deuteragonist is Ravi. She doesn’t trust him enough to share everything with, but he is the one she bounces ideas off of and asks for help when it comes time to do a little breaking in to search for clues. It doesn’t hurt that she finds him cute.
O Brother Where Art Thou
In the 2000 movie, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Everett has a duo deuteragonist in Delmar and Pete, though Delmar is more for laughs and Pete is more for conflict.
I’d say Pete takes the deuteragonist role. He constantly questions Everett and makes the protagonist at least consider them in some of his plans. Pete also does his best to warn the others of the dangers.
Superman
In the 1978 film, Superman, Clark Kent (Kal-El) has a duo deuteragonist as well. Lois Lane is the love interest who causes him to make choices and expose himself to danger in order to help her. While Lex Luthor is a charismatic antagonist who wants things that many of us want. He is just willing to do whatever is necessary to get it.
Unbreakable
In the 2000 movie, Unbreakable, David Dunn has an antagonistic deuteragonist, Elijah Price.
Elijah thinks he is doing the world a favor by discovering this superhero, and he acts as the mentor for parts of the film leading David down the road of understanding his abilities and weaknesses. However, towards the end, David realizes Elijah has crossed the line trying to find his superhero.
Tips for Writing a Secondary Protagonist
When writing your deuteragonist, consider how you can give them depth and personality without having them outshine your protagonist. Also, think about how they are going to influence the plot.
Consider their character in relation to the protagonist. Will they be a positive or negative foil to the protagonist? How will they make the protagonist look at the world and consider their decisions? How will they change the protagonist?
Why are they going to stay in the protagonist’s orbit? Will there be a forced proximity, or do they have a strong relationship?
Think about their character as if they were their own protagonist. What is their backstory and motivation? What is their greatest flaw? What goal are they trying to achieve in the story and in each scene? What kind of character arc do you expect for them?
Deuteragonist Conclusion
While it is important before you begin writing to have a protagonist strategy, it is also important to know about your secondary characters and what your deuteragonist strategy is. Having a deuteragonist changes the dynamics of your story.
It is often related to the genre or tropes in the type of story you are telling. If you are telling a romance/bromance, you will have a very strong deuteragonist dynamic with your protagonist.
If you are telling a hero and villain story, the balance of emotional sympathy needs to sway just enough toward the villain’s side to create believability and interest, but not so much that the hero and villain switch roles.
Give your deuteragonists powerful personalities, quirks, and memorable physical attributes or tics. But remember that their job is to serve the story and not just be a fun side character.
Develop their character arcs and create relationships between them and the other characters (besides the protagonist). And just like your protagonist, they should be complex characters with both positive and negative characteristics,
Another thing to consider is that while the deuteragonist may feel like they are the protagonist of their own story, someday they might be the protagonist of one of your stories. Consider future series books or spin offs. The more work you do now, the easier it will be in the future.
