Talk:Focal Character

The protagonist is -- by definition -- the main character, whether he's the lead or not. Some definitions allow for the protagonist to be one of the main characters.

• Merriam-Webster: "the principal character in a literary work (such as a drama or story)"
• Oxford: "The basic sense of protagonist, as originally used in connection with ancient Greek drama, is ‘the main character in a play’."
• Wikipedia: "A protagonist (from Ancient Greek πρωταγωνιστής, prōtagōnistḗs, meaning 'one who plays the first part, chief actor') is the main character of a story."

The description of this trope describes a character who is not the (or a) main character. Thus, using the word "protagonist" to describe this character is incorrect.

Any suggestions for a better name for this trope?

For what I'm trying to get from the description of the trope, it refers about characters who are the POV narrator and/or main character of the tale we are reading, but not the actual hero/protagonist/charater with the biggest developement of the story that is happening. They are important for the plot and we are following them, but the story is actually about someone else. It creates a paradox about who is the real protagonist: the hero who is doing all the heavy lifting of the plot, or this person who is carrying us for the ride and whose perspective is what are we being told?

The name is accurate for the concept in my opinion, but if somebody has a better idea...

_{I'd recommend to prune or edit examples, some doesn't seem to align with the concept}

Quoting myself from the OP in this thread: "The protagonist is -- by definition -- the main character, whether he's the lead or not." A character can be the narrator without being the protagonist.

There's no "paradox about who is the real protagonist". Please read the definitions that I posted in the OP. The word "protagonist" has an accepted definition.

Over in the forum thread I suggested "deuteragonist".

We already have a page for deuteragonist, though. This trope doesn't match that definition, either.

Gah, I should have checked first.

It sounds like it'd incorporate some qualities of The Watson?

There's definitely overlap between the two, yes.

I would say "The Sidekick" but I have an feeling that already exists, plus it wouldn't fit some of the examples. Why not "Upstaged Hero?"

Using the word "upstaged" makes it sound like they were originally the protagonist but then this new person comes in, which sounds closer to Decoy Protagonist.

I would say "Secondary Hero" but that sounds too generic.

That's essentially Deuteragonist. 🤔

I think the trope name should incorporate "Narrator" in some way. Since they're usually at the scene of the action, what about Narrator in the Field?

The trope doesn't need to refer to a narrator, though. Consider the Sherlock Holmes stories - Holmes is very much the protagonist, but Watson is the point-of-view character and thus would be the "Supporting Protagonist".

(Of course, we already have a different trope named The Watson.)

What about Focal Character or Frame of Reference Character? Even if, using the example above, Sherlock is the protagonist, Watson is the point from which Sherlock's actions are described.

Focal Character sound good to me.

I think we have a winner. But let's give other people a chance to weigh in.

I have no problems with it.

Sounds about right

And that's everybody who has taken part in the discussion. Changing the trope name now.