No One Knows What It's Like

...to be the bad guy... Yeah, that's a good song by The Who, and it brings to mind that every great story needs not only a great protagonist, but a great antagonist... or bad guy. I've heard it said that a great hero is measured, in fact, by the villain he battles. And if you think about it, it's true.

I mean what's the big deal if your main character defeats a simpleton or someone who is not formidable in his/her own right? There is really no story there at all. It should be a struggle, and if not to the death, then with something big at stake. You read about that in the how to write a great novel books that are out there.

One great antagonist who comes to mind in real life is Hannibal. Here's a man who was ahead of his time in battle strategies and over the top in his hatred of Rome. But in my opinion, the real hero in the Hannibal story is Scipio. He is the man who defeated Hannibal. Yet due to Hannibal's greatness, hardly anyone has even heard of Scipio. It's all about Hannibal. But Scipio was the winner in that great struggle. Thus his new name: Scipio Africanus, given to him by a grateful Roman Republic for saving them from the threat that was Hannibal.

And today you have books and movies about Hannibal. Sheesh. Hannibal LOST to Scipio. It was Scipio who had to overcome the incredible odds. It was Scipio who had to go against the great antagonist who was Hannibal. Someone should write a book about the story of Scipio. Hmmnn...