Role of the village antagonist?

March 10, 2012 9:28 AM

Role of the village antagonist? For some reason the antagonist leaves the village in a huff. The village elders pursue him and beg him to return as the village would be in dire straights without an antagonist. This is a very intriguing idea to me but I can't find any reference to this koan. Is anyone familiar with it and 'might know the title?
posted by Tullyogallaghan to Religion & Philosophy (4 answers total)

It's similar -- but not identical -- to the plot of Coriolanus.
posted by gauche at 10:07 AM on March 10, 2012

There's a moment like this in the musical Brigadoon, though it's not so much "the village would be in dire straits without an antagonist" so much as "the village will go poof without every single person in it, even the guy who doesn't want to be there." Which kind of makes poor Harry the antagonist by default there.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:45 AM on March 10, 2012

Richard Nixon was the first person who came to mind, particularly what he told the press after losing the race for governor of California in 1962:

"I leave you gentleman now. You will now write it; you will interpret it; that's your right. But as I leave you I want you to know.... just think how much you're going to be missing. You don't have Nixon to kick around any more, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference..."

And then of course he was elected President in 1968.

I think the 1992 NPR April Fool's Day hoax played on this idea that every village needs a Nixon when they announced he was running for President again. ("I never did anything wrong, and I won't do it again.")
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:49 PM on March 10, 2012

You might want to check out the latest episode of The Simpsons...
posted by miniraptor at 12:17 AM on March 11, 2012