The Deuteragonist is the second actor in the Greek drama and often forms the counterpart to the protagonist, who according to the word is the “first fighter”. The name goes back to the Greek theater of antiquity.
The deuter agonist can be either against or for the protagonist and is often the second most important character of an action or a classic work. In the Greek drama the deuteragonist appears between protagonist and tritonist, who takes the third most important role. It is thus the second most important figure in one piece or even work.
The deuteragonist is often the sidekick of the protagonist, which is a special kind of secondary role in the literature, which clearly tells us about the protagonist’s ideas and often describes the classical antagonist (the main opponent of the protagonist).
Deuteragonist and its function
One of the most important functions of the deuteragonist is to give us a view of the protagonist to see it from a certain external perspective. It does not even have to be a question of a valuation, but rather a different way of looking at the protagonist than the one that he claims to us. Thus, it is not necessary to have an authorial narrator, but only the revealed thoughts of the deuteragonist.
Deuteragonist in the literature
If we take a look at the literature, we stumble on innumerable examples. Let us think of Dr. Watson, who gives us a completely different perspective on Sherlock Holmes and lets us assume that genius and madness are united.
However, for such an example, we need not even drift into the annals of the literature. After all, Ron and Hermione (Harry Potter) are deuteragonists par excellence, who reveal a look at Harry, but also other characters of the narrative, and are equally his teammates.