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	<title>
	Comments on: No Passive Protagonist!	</title>
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	<description>Story. Screenplay. Sale.</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 12 Feb 2014 14:03:46 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>
		By: David Bishop		</title>
		<link>https://www.thestorydepartment.com/no-passive-protagonist/#comment-36571</link>

		<dc:creator><![CDATA[David Bishop]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 12 Feb 2014 14:03:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thestorydepartment.com/?p=13945#comment-36571</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Not sure I wholeheartedly agree with some of your examples. A protagonist can appear passive when Refusing the Call because it seems they are not driving events - but they are still making decisions. 

Luke refusing to go with Obi-Wan is Luke making an active decision, albeit one that embraces the status quo. The death of his aunt and uncle force another choice on Luke. 

He can stay [and most likely die], or go with Obi-Wan. Arguably, staying is the tougher option - he&#039;ll be alone, knowing the stormtroopers might well return at any time. Going with Obi-Wan is dangerous, but at least he has the safety of numbers around him...

There&#039;s another kind of protagonist you didn&#039;t mention: the character who doesn&#039;t change or learn, but who is an agent of change. Aside from ill-fated romantic entanglements in Casino Royale and OHMSS, James Bond rarely changes - but he changes others. [Usually the female associate of the villain, and she almost always ends up dead for helping Bond.] Indiana Jones doesn&#039;t change much, either.

The alternative agent of change is a protagonist that changes the audience. For example, the protagonist in The Hurt Locker is [I would argue] the same from start to finish. The audience learns about different facets of the protagonist and our attitude to him changes - but he remains the same. 

Are agent of change protagonists passive? Not really. Indeed, they&#039;re a staple of action-adventure movies. I would tend to put the incarnation of Rocky seen in Rocky Balboa into the agent of change category. He doesn&#039;t change, but he effects change in his son, and Little Marie, and in her son.

For all of this, your mileage may vary!]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Not sure I wholeheartedly agree with some of your examples. A protagonist can appear passive when Refusing the Call because it seems they are not driving events &#8211; but they are still making decisions. </p>
<p>Luke refusing to go with Obi-Wan is Luke making an active decision, albeit one that embraces the status quo. The death of his aunt and uncle force another choice on Luke. </p>
<p>He can stay [and most likely die], or go with Obi-Wan. Arguably, staying is the tougher option &#8211; he&#8217;ll be alone, knowing the stormtroopers might well return at any time. Going with Obi-Wan is dangerous, but at least he has the safety of numbers around him&#8230;</p>
<p>There&#8217;s another kind of protagonist you didn&#8217;t mention: the character who doesn&#8217;t change or learn, but who is an agent of change. Aside from ill-fated romantic entanglements in Casino Royale and OHMSS, James Bond rarely changes &#8211; but he changes others. [Usually the female associate of the villain, and she almost always ends up dead for helping Bond.] Indiana Jones doesn&#8217;t change much, either.</p>
<p>The alternative agent of change is a protagonist that changes the audience. For example, the protagonist in The Hurt Locker is [I would argue] the same from start to finish. The audience learns about different facets of the protagonist and our attitude to him changes &#8211; but he remains the same. </p>
<p>Are agent of change protagonists passive? Not really. Indeed, they&#8217;re a staple of action-adventure movies. I would tend to put the incarnation of Rocky seen in Rocky Balboa into the agent of change category. He doesn&#8217;t change, but he effects change in his son, and Little Marie, and in her son.</p>
<p>For all of this, your mileage may vary!</p>
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			</item>
		<item>
		<title>
		By: Billy Marshall Stoneking		</title>
		<link>https://www.thestorydepartment.com/no-passive-protagonist/#comment-819</link>

		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Billy Marshall Stoneking]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 07 Nov 2010 23:47:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thestorydepartment.com/?p=13945#comment-819</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[PROBLEM &#062; GOAL &#062; PLAN  these are the basic grammatic touchstones of DRAMATIC ACTION - no one says you cant write a screenplay that isn&#039;t dramatic - BUT if you want drama you have to realise it is a language for presenting emotional ENERGY and that energy doesn&#039;t happen unless the grammar is employed. There is one caveat to this - it is possible to provoke the audience&#039;s attention and involvement through the use of MYSTERY and SUSPENSE - and so long as these are alive in the action one can sustain one&#039;s interest through any number of scenes that are not dramatic - for more on this visit my website.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>PROBLEM &gt; GOAL &gt; PLAN  these are the basic grammatic touchstones of DRAMATIC ACTION &#8211; no one says you cant write a screenplay that isn&#8217;t dramatic &#8211; BUT if you want drama you have to realise it is a language for presenting emotional ENERGY and that energy doesn&#8217;t happen unless the grammar is employed. There is one caveat to this &#8211; it is possible to provoke the audience&#8217;s attention and involvement through the use of MYSTERY and SUSPENSE &#8211; and so long as these are alive in the action one can sustain one&#8217;s interest through any number of scenes that are not dramatic &#8211; for more on this visit my website.</p>
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