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Recommended: The evolution of tragedy
Antigone as Tragic Hero Heroes come in many forms. Some such as immense in size and strength as Hercules, some in the form of people that are shunned upon, such as Harriet Tubman, and some that are only valorous heroes to some, such as Kurt Cobain. These heroes have many characteristics that make people flock to their side and follow them without a thought of hesitation. In Sophocles' Antigone the hero is a women that believes in her heart far stronger than that of her leader's rule. This brings up many characteristics that are shown within her that are also seen in other heroes. One being that she is up against an impossible enemy, one who does not fit well into society's mold, and is destroyed by her own pride. For these characteristics Antigone is given the title of an epic Heroin. Antigone is one of the lucky townsfolk to be born of a royal house, yet is unlucky to be born in the House that she is born into. As Antigone defies Creon's law, she is cast into a pool of danger between what she believes is right and what the state's law decrees is right. As Antigone is charged with the burying of her brother, an action which the King has declared unlawful, she holds like stone to her undying gratitude for her deceased brother. She holds to this thought because of the fact that she believes that her, who died fighting against the state, must be interred with the same honor as her brother who died defending the state. She believes that this will help lift the curse plagued on the household. The curse in which there father tried to hold at bay and failed. Her sister Ismene warned Antigone by exclaiming "Sister please, please! remember how our father die: hated, in disgrace, wrapped in horror of himself, his own hand stabbing out his sight. And how his mother-wife in one, twisted off her earthly days with a cord. And thirdly how our two brothers in a single day each achieved for each a suicidal Nemesis" (166). This has already gave Antigone the mind set that even the Gods are against her will. She is also up against a great foe in fighting that of Creon's edict. Ismene has said this: "The rest, if we defy our sovereign's edict and his power. Remind ourselves that we are women, and such not made to fight with men. For might unfortunately is right and makes us bow to things like this and worse" (167). So as one would believe Antigone sees herself as not only on who can defy the power of the Gods but the power of the state. Thus she would be up against an force greater than her own. Second, another characteristics of a tragic hero is that the person does not always fit into society's mold. The tragic hero is usually one who wants change, yet also needs the peace that goes along with stability. The fact that the tragic hero also usually thinks that they are in there right mind when yet the rest of the society thinks that they are mad. Antigone has said "Say that I am mad, and madly let me risk the worst that I can suffer and the best" (168). this shows that although Antigone thinks she is doing is right, she also does not care how the other members of society deem her for her action. Antigone also must believe that she must be different from not only society but members of her family. Creon notes on this when he is asking her about his proclamation "O, she's the man, not I, if she can walk away unscathed! I swear I hardly care if she be my sister's child, or linked to me by blood more closely than any member of my hearth and home (181). This should also show one that Creon does not care about her nobility and that he will treat her just like one any other member of society. Lastly, Antigone is inherently destroyed by the one thing that is her tragic flaw: excessive pride. This was also a downfall of her father Oedipus. This pride could also be confused with honor. Antigone not only defies Creon's edict but also makes a mockery of it when he asks her about it. When asked if she knows the edict her exclamation is "Of course I knew. Was it not publicly proclaimed?" (179). This line clearly shows that Antigone has knows that she broke the edict and also is not shamed to admit it to the creator of the edict himself. She almost revels in telling Creon about it. Antigone also shows that she choose what to do not based on the law of the state but on the laws of the Gods. Antigone also embellishes her statement by telling Creon that he is a fool to judge her on what she has done. "I feel no twinges of regret. And if you think I am a fool, perhaps it is because a fool is judge" (180). If anything this clearly states that she has excessive pride for what she has done and will make sure that Creon knows this and her unfeigned gratitude for her dead brothers. As one can tell the role of a tragic hero is one that Antigone plays well. Although she dies at the end of this play, Antigone feels no regret in what she has done. She also shows that she is proud of the fact that she never denied burying her brother. One would infer that although of her death, Antigone died for what she believed. This is the utmost characteristic in the portrait of a tragic hero.
Creon wants to be respected and feared as a king because this will prove him to be the
Antigone was a selfless person with pride as a strong characteristic of her personality. She possibly had feelings of loneliness and anger from the way society has looked upon her family from their past. It took a strong willed person who has no fear of the repercussions to stand up to a king as she did. To make everything all the worst she stood up to a king who was her Uncle and she being a female back in those time, standing up and speaking out for herself was not heard of.
first faces Creon, she is questioned as to why she disobeyed a creed set forth by the government;
Her loyalty can only extend so far as her fear of death, Prompted by Creon’s order of
Antigone shows throughout the play that she is always thinking that she must do what is best for other’s and not just herself. She is willing to do what is needed to follow the law of the gods, even if it is breaking the state law.... ... middle of paper ... ...
She is stubborn and somewhat ambiguous in her family values – she will risk death in order to bury her traitorous brother, but she curses her timid sister – so she is far from perfect, but she is a sympathetic character. She is a spokesman for feminism (make that spokeswoman) and democracy ("Lucky tyrants – the perquisites of power! Ruthless power to do and say whatever pleases them," so we see her as the "good guy," that prestigious title usually reserved for the protagonist. Creon, however, is not the "good guy."
In order for Antigone to be the tragic character, she first must be a good
continues by stating "I will make her greater still" (p.168 l.210). In this last quote Creon
Creon's noble quality is his caring for Antigone and Ismene when their father was persecuted. Creon is a very authoritative person and demands control of others. When talking to the Chorus, Creon does not ask them to agree with the decree but demands that they follow it. Creon expects loyalty from others. It is apparent that Creon is very dominating and wants to be in control. "The man the city sets up in authority must be obeyed in small things and in just but also in their opposites"(717-719). Through this quote the reader realizes that Creon wants obedience in everything he decides even if he is at fault. "There is nothing worse than disobedience to authority" (723-724). Further supporting Creon's belief that everyone shall remain faithful to him even if he rules unfairly. This is proved true when Creon says, "Should the city tell me how I am to rule them?" (790).
Creon's character possesses an infinite number of glitches in his personality, but his excessive pride was the root of his problems. His pride leads him to make accusations, before he considers the wise advice of others. Creon's pride also fills him not just as a king superior to the Gods, but also a man superior to women. The issue of Antigone being condemned to die becomes more than just a person who disobeys Creon; instead, the punishment is given even more eagerly, because it is a woman who disobeys a man. Creon's intelligent son warns Creon the people of Thebes sympathize with Antigone, but Creon accuses Haemon of being a "woman's slave" (line 756). Even though he is suppose to be loyal to the state and her citizens, he defensively questions if "the town [is] to tell [him] how [he] ought to rule?"(Line 734)The Theban king is too prideful to obey even the wisest of prophets, blind Teresias, insisting that "the whole crew of seers are money-mad" (line 1055). Creon finally puts his pride aside and listens to the Chorus' wise advice. It is difficult even then, and he obeys only because he fears the punishment that he might receive. "To yield [for Creon] is terrible" (line 1095) meaning to swallow his pride and admit that he is wrong is a very difficult thing for him to do. When Creon loses his wife and son, Creon's pride disappears, and he admits that he made a terrible mistake by not listening to anyone's advice.
“…a mere mortal, could override the gods, the great unwritten, unshakable traditions…These laws I was not about to break them… and face retribution of the gods.”(505-513) This provides a basis for Antigone’s hubris, her belief in God, standing for what is right, defying man’s rule. As the play progresses Antigone’s hubris becomes more apparent as she claims, “Give me glory! What greater could I win than to give my own brother a decent burial?”(562-563). This pride in committing a moral and God-willed deed reaches a point where Antigone thinks that it is
Antigone’s own excessive pride drives her to her defeat. Her arrogance and strive for self-importance blinds her to the consequences of her actions. Ismene, Antigone’s sister, rejects to take part in the crime leaving Antigone all on her own. Ismeme declares “why rush to extremes? Its madness, madness” (Sophocles 80). Ismene fails to comprehend the logic behind her siste...
In addition, Creon disregards what had historically been the best counsel for the city, the blind prophet Tiresias. Despite Tiresias’ warnings that his “high resolve that sets this plague on Thebes,” will “strike [him] down with the pains [he] perfected,” Creon’s stubborn commitment to the laws of state turns to be his error. Eventually convinced by Tiresias’ warnings, Creon resolves to release Antigone from her isolated tomb. Regrettably, he’s too late and the consequences of his insolence for the divine laws were far worse than if he had “[L]ay[ed] [my] pride bare to the blows of ruin” (1220). Creon’s undoing can be viewed as an allegory of the calamities that ensue when the laws of man pursue to challenge the ancient laws of gods.
In the speech, she uses allusion, diction, and particular sentence structure to increase the effectiveness of her argument. A key factor in the power of her speech is Antigone’s consideration of her audience. The first of these audiences is Creon, the king of Thebes. Creon is receiving this argument as an explanation for Antigone’s defiance of his law. Creon’s statement, “And yet you dared defy the law,” evokes this response, in which Antigone says, “Your edict, King, was strong,” (“Antigone” 1035 Line 56-59).
This decision, to bury her brother, was very heroic in that even though she knew death was at stake, she knew where her loyalties lied.