Binary Opposites

This theory was created by Claude Levi-Strauss who is a french anthropologist. In simplified terms a binary opposition is a pair of related terms or concepts which are opposite in meanings. The idea is that narratives have to be driven forward by series of binary opposites until resolution is met. Examples of this could be a Hero VS Villain, Protagonist VS Antagonist, Sane VS Insane, Young VS Old, Man VS Women.

An issue with binary opposites is that they can often use negative stereotypes and this brings up concerns about the representation of the elderly and women for example. Multiple pairs of binary opposites can be combined together and they can be less clear cut.