Hey Mama.

I really enjoy the character of mama. I am going to argue that she is the protagonist of the play. She is the person that runs all of the activity that happens in the play. Yes, she doesn't always play a big role, but she is kind of like the dad in The Glass Menagerie; she is always there looking over the other characters' shoulders. I think that it is her that causes Bennie to want to look into her roots, and her that causes the move of the family and forces them to stay even when they aren't wanted. She is just awesome.
As I said, I think that mama is also a lot like the dad is our previous play. She doesn't play a huge role in the acting itself, but she does effect the decisions that the characters make. They all strive, in one way or another, to please her. They also want to get the money. That does have a huge impact on their motives. Just saying.

Tommy boy...the protagonist

In this play, Tom is the clear protagonist. It is he who tells the story, but the play is also from his memories. Every aspect of the play deals with him and how those around him affect him. He is what most of the conversation in the play deals with. The action of the play centers around his internal struggles as an aspiring writer who must work in a warehouse to support his family.
I would say that the antagonist in the play is Amanda, his mother. She is constantly critiquing every move that he makes. It makes him feel as if he is living in a prison in his own home. Amanda never is satisfied with what Tom does. This is why he contemplates leaving his family, and eventually does. We, as readers, don't really know if Amanda acted this way or if Tom just perceived her this way, but the play is of his memories, so she is definitely the antagonist.

He who does the protagging...

In this play, the true protagonist is Iago. Though the play is named after Othello, it focuses around Iago's plots to get the job he wants and get back at Othello for "sleeping with his wife." As the play progresses, the audience sees more about Iago than any other character. Iago's ability to convince Othello that Desdemona is cheating while still staying on good terms with him shows that he is a very persuasive man. The audience also sees, through his interactions with other characters, that he is a very jealous man. He speaks very lowly of his wife, even to her face, showing that he has no respect for women. So, though he is the protagonist, the audience may feel apathy towards him due to his hateful personality.

Placing a deceitful man as the protagonist allows many other characters to act as foils. Each of the other characters in the play show no major signs of lying. This further emphasizes the acts of Iago. It creates a protagonist who is hated, but can also be rooted for, because he is the protagonist. It allows the audience to choose which side they are on.