# Let's name & discuss stories in which the title character is not the protagonist. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924 "2010-03-18T19:25:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/1 "2010-03-18T19:25:57Z")
One qualification: the name in the title must be the name of a **person** in the story, not a place or thing. Wuthering Heights does not count; Julius Caesar might. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/2 "2010-03-18T19:35:59Z")
As always, [TV Tropes has a page on this](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SecondaryCharacterTitle). **Moby Dick** is a good example, if you allow animals to be characters. An odd example is **Princess Mononoke** , where “Mononoke-hime” is not even the real name of the character (she’s mostly called San), and she isn’t the character given most screen time. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/3 "2010-03-18T19:43:11Z")
Macbeth. He’s the main character, to be sure, but he’s also the villain. People often miss that the Scottish play has a happy ending. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/4 "2010-03-18T19:45:46Z")
**The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence**. Liberty Valence was not the protagonist, Nor was the man who shot him. **The Wizard of Oz** ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/5 "2010-03-18T19:47:41Z")
“Protagonist” means “main character”, and not “hero”. You could make a case that Iago is the protagonist of **Othello** : he’s certainly not the hero! And an even better case could be made for Shylock being the protagonist of **The Merchant of Venice** – which is a case that fits the OP, since Antonio is the titular merchant of Venice. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/6 "2010-03-18T19:49:32Z")
**Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch**. Agnes Nutter barely appears as a character. Protagonists are Aziraphale and Crowley. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/7 "2010-03-18T19:50:01Z")
**Kill Bill**. The protagonist is Beatrix Kiddo, not Bill. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/8 "2010-03-18T19:52:06Z")
The Merchant of Venice - if I recall correctly, the title refers to Antonio, not Shylock. ETA: Crap. I missed **Giles** ’ post saying the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/9 "2010-03-18T19:54:45Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > As always, [TV Tropes has a page on this](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SecondaryCharacterTitle). I’m not entirely sure I see your point. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/10 "2010-03-18T19:56:19Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Macbeth. He’s the main character, to be sure, but he’s also the villain. People often miss that the Scottish play has a happy ending. Protagonist and hero are not synonymous. ---
**Author:** ![Scruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Scruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruff)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/11 "2010-03-18T19:57:48Z")
The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Tim Curry did not play Rocky ---
**Author:** ![Promethea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Promethea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Promethea)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/12 "2010-03-18T20:03:12Z")
**Rebecca**. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/13 "2010-03-18T20:05:02Z")
The “Lord of the Rings” is actually Sauron, yes? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/14 "2010-03-18T20:08:13Z")
Rebecca, one of my favorite books of all time. Rebecca is dead before the book starts, but the protagonist is the nameless narrator who is Maxim de Winter’s second wife. ETA: D’oh… ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/15 "2010-03-18T20:09:41Z")
Harvey ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/16 "2010-03-18T20:14:47Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > The “Lord of the Rings” is actually Sauron, yes? You’re exactly right. Pippin once calls Frodo “The Lord of the RING,” but that is not a title he ever claims for himself, and Gandalf immediately rebukes Pippin for using it even in jest. As Frodo (in-story) names his & Bilbo’s book “The Lord of The Rings,” I think it’s safe to say that he did not mean himself. Of course, LotR has multiple protagonists. I would say that Frodo is only the main character of Books I & II. In Book III, the protagonist position would apply, depending on the chapter, to Aragorn or to Pippin & Merry (somewhat more of the Took than the Brandybuck). Book IV is somewhat more about Sam than it is Frodo. Book V is again about Aragorn and the two younger hobbits; and Book VI is variable. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/17 "2010-03-18T20:16:11Z")
_The Three Musketeers_ are Athos, Porthos, and Aramis; heroic as they are, the protagonist of the novel is, of course, d’Artagnan. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/18 "2010-03-18T20:24:03Z")
_The Last of the Mohicans_ is Uncas and/or Chingachgook, but Hawkeye is clearly the protagonist. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/19 "2010-03-18T20:30:02Z")
Paris Trout by Pete Dexter. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924/20 "2010-03-18T20:33:05Z")
In Dashiell Hammett’s novel _ **The Thin Man** _, the title character is NOT detective Nick Charles, but a missing businessman named Clyde Wynant. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-name-discuss-stories-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-protagonist/532924.md?page=2)