Etymology 1: Protagonist

The main character of a narrative; its central character who engages the reader’s interest and empathy. In some literature today it may be difficult to decide who is playing the role of the protagonist. For instance, in Othello,we could say that Iago is the protagonist because he was at the center of all of the play's controversy. But even if he was a main character, was he the lead character? This ambiguity can lead to multiple interpretations of the same work and different ways of appreciating a single piece of literature. So the 1671 definition would read,"principal character in a story, drama, etc.,but its origins go back to the Greek language, specifically from the Greek "protagonistes" which means,"actor who plays the chief or first part." This interpretation comes from protos "first" + agonistes "actor, competitor," from agon "contest," meaning "leading person in any cause or contest" from 1889.