Question

How do you relate a character to a protagonist / anatagonist, and what does my teacher mean by the word “role”?

Answer 1

In most cases, a character can be identified as a protagonist when they are the "good guy" and are a main character. The antagonist is the "enemy" of the main character. They are working against the main characters objective.

A role is the character's influence on the story, your teacher is most likely asking who the protagonist and antagonist are. What impact do they have on the story?

Answer 2

A protagonist is the main character, and the antagonist is usually an important character that is working against the protagonist. A role is like a job, like Superman's role is the superhero.