A True Hero in Antigone

A True Hero in Antigone

Throughout the ages, people have come and gone. Some are lucky enough to be thought of as heroes. As a hero, one should have certain qualities. Though different characteristics are used to describe heroes, they all require an admiration from someone. Compassion, courage, and loyalty are three traits that are among the most important a hero should have. King David, Antigone, and Robin Hood all possessed these qualities. King David is a historical figure that comes from the Bible. He lived around one thousand B.C. and was born as a shepherd (Doss 10-143). While David was still young, God sent a man named Samuel to anoint him as the next king. Traveling as a young boy, David killed a giant with only a sling and a stone, and then cut the giant’s head off with his sword. King Saul, the first king of Israel, heard of this and summoned David to be a warrior for his army and play the harp for him. Saul became jealous of David and his favor with the people. After numerous attempts to kill him, David fled. David remained a warrior even after he had. After Saul’s death, David was appointed to be the second king of Israel. To keep his people happy he conquered Jerusalem and made it the capitol. David wrote many chapters in the book of Psalms (Bible 301-371). Antigone comes from the play Antigone by Sophocles. The play was written and performed around four hundred B.C. She was born as a princess and had two brothers and a sister. The two brothers had been at war and after their deaths Antigone tried to give her one brother the burial he was entitled to. The king ordered that no one would bury him and Antigone was arrested for doing so. During her punishment, Antigone’s fiancé went to the ki...

... middle of paper ...

...ny blame for Antigone’s own actions. She then stays loyal to her beliefs by not lying to the king and by keeping her conviction of what she thought was right (Sophocles 744 – 792). Robin Hood was loyal to the poor and remained steadfast in helping them throughout his life even though he was faced with diversity. He was loyal to his followers, the Merry Men, and kept them as safe as possible. Robin Hood didn’t let anything get in the way of his goal of helping the poor (Encarta).

Most of the heroes today encompass at least these three qualities. Many movie characters will have one or two of these characteristics but may not have all three. If the character does have the three, they are usually not simultaneous. These qualities are hard to embrace in the world today. Anyone that can integrate compassion, courage, and loyalty in one personality is a true hero.