In literature, Conflict is the inherent incompatibility between the objectives of two or more characters or forces. By its nature, conflict is unstable. One side must always win and one side must always lose in the end. However, this instability is desirable because it helps hold a reader's interest in a story.
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Conflict is most visible between two or more characters, usually a protagonist and an antagonist, but can occur in many different forms.
James Dai of StoryCharts.ca describes conflict as being one of three basic types: Internal, Relational, or External.
Internal conflicts occur when a character is in disagreement with him or herself. Specifically, this occurs when a character has two or more values or traits in opposition. Examples:
Relational conflicts are incompatibilities in how two or more individuals relate to one another - Fathers to Sons, Bosses to Employees, Slaves to Masters, etc. Note that the incompatibilities need to grow organically out of the personalities of the individuals rather than from external circumstances. Examples:
External conflicts arise from obstacles located outside the protagonist including nature, the supernatural, or society. Examples:
As with other literary terms, these have come about gradually as descriptions of common narrative structures. Conflict was first described in ancient Greek literature as the agon, or central contest in tragedy. According to Aristotle, in order to hold the interest, the hero must have a single conflict. The agon, or act of conflict, involves the protagonist (the "first fighter") and the antagonist (a more recent term), corresponding to the hero and villain. The outcome of the contest cannot be known in advance, and according to later critics such as Plutarch, the hero's struggle should be ennobling.
Even in contemporary, non-dramatic literature, critics have observed that the agon is the central unit of the plot. The easier it is for the protagonist to triumph, the less value there is in the drama. In internal and external conflict alike, the antagonist must act upon the protagonist and must seem at first to overmatch him or her. For example, in William Faulkner's The Bear, nature might be the antagonist. Even though it is an abstraction, natural creatures and the scenery oppose and resist the protagonist. In the same story, the young boy's doubts about himself provide an internal conflict, and they seem to overwhelm him.
Similarly, when godlike characters enter (e.g. Superman), correspondingly great villains have to be created, or natural weaknesses have to be invented, to allow the narrative to have drama. Alternatively, scenarios could be devised in which the character's godlike powers are constrained by some sort of code, or their respective antagonist.
The concept of Conflict is closely related to the concept of Tension but they are not the same. Tension in this sense is an incompatibility between characters that is acknowledged, but not acted upon. An example:
Note that Watson never acts on his convictions. Tension is rarely physical, though it can have a physical component. Throughout the series, Watson's objection remains a verbal complaint only and never becomes confrontational. Thus this is tension rather than conflict probably because Watson does not believe he can change Holmes' habit.
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