Musical Workshop Part 6 — The Protagonist’s Motivation
What is more important in a musical story — the plot or the protagonist? Michael Kunze offers his insights:
“In my opinion, this is a moot question. As we discussed in the previous episode of this series, it is no coincidence what happens to a story’s main character. What happens, and why it happens, depends entirely on the personality and character traits of our protagonist. His motivations and decisions are the driving force of the story. That’s also why it is so important to chose only one main character.”
We’ve already established the fact that in order to create drama — the protagonist must change. As Dr. Kunze puts it: “He must find himself in the proverbial hole. While digging his way out of this hole, he learns something that makes him a different, better person than he was at the beginning of the piece.”
“Just think about Elisabeth: She suffered tremendously under the demanding protocol of the Viennese Court and the cruel intrigues of her mother-in-law. Her marriage to the Austrian Emperor had dropped her into a deep hole, so to speak. By finding her path to inner freedom and emancipation, Elisabeth not only changed herself but also moved the plot along in a very dramatic way.”
“Ich, the female protagonist of the musical Rebecca, came from a life filled with self-doubts and insecurities. The legacy of the mysterious former Mrs. de Winter seemed to destroy her. Only after emerging from her hole of victim-consciousness can Ich realize her love for her husband and muster the strength to resist Mrs. Danvers.”
A well-chosen protagonist should succeed in solving his personal problems and thus becoming a better person at the end of the story.
