Strictly speaking, only dramas have protagonists. The word, which comes from Greek, originally meant ‘first or main actor’ and became extended to mean ‘the main or a main character’ in a drama, an artistic work, or a dramatic real-life situation: By chapter three the protagonist is in conflict with all the other members of her family. Protagonist is also frequently used to mean a ‘supporter’ (a protagonist of the campaign/movement). This use is based, it is suggested, on the mistaken assumption that the pro- at the beginning of the word is the common prefix meaning ‘in favour of’, whereas in fact the prefix involved is prot(o)- ‘first’, as in prototype. Given that it is based on a mistake and that it often represents an attempt to find a fancy substitute for ‘supporter’ or ‘advocate’, this use is best avoided