Lately, I've found that my favorite characters are the ones who adhere to neither the standards of 'heroes' or 'villains.' They're just people with their own flaws, ambitions, and private hardships. For example, in my longest-running novel, the 'villains' are antagonists simply because their motives conflict with the motives of the 'heroes.' In fact, my two main antagonists are far more honorable/decent than my narrator.
For another example, the kindly and sympathetic King of the ailing 'good' country is pretty much your archetypal Good King. However, he has had MANY mistresses; he made the mistake of jilting the wrong one, and she inadvertently set the entire plot into motion because of it (she may not even be named in the novel itself, but she basically shifts the entire balance of the planet and sets off numerous conflicts/wars; heavy stuff, huh?). So, in a way, the Good King is a bit of a villain as well, considering he nearly wipes out his own country because he had an affair with the wrong girl.
So what do you prefer reading/writing? Do you like your villains and heroes to be clearly distinguished, or do you prefer a approach with sympathetic antagonists and flawed heroes?
Discuss.
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