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Examples of tragedy according to aristotle
Reading on antigone the character
Antigone character analysis
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The Hero, Tragically Many people enjoy reading about Greek plays. Greek plays are not only interesting stories but also teachings from Ancient Greece. A vital component of these plays is the tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character who is worthy of admiration but has a tragic flaw that eventually leads to his or her downfall. The character later recognizes the flaw and reflects on it. In Antigone, written by Sophocles, the tragic hero of the play was not Antigone, but Creon; Creon was a leader who earned respect, but his tragic flaw pulled him down by causing him to make a biased decision that destroyed his entire life and the people around him. Creon was a king who had achieved great things that earned him the trust and respect of his people, …show more content…
Creon still does not realize that he has made a bad decision because of his stubbornness, and he sentences Antigone to a chamber where she will starve to death. If all of this was not enough, his own son, Haimon, whose fiancee was Antigone, got into an argument with his father, reprimanding Creon for his rash decision, chastising him for his terrible reasoning, and scolding him for his selfishness. Creon tells Haemon that a son should live “hating his father’s enemies, honoring his father’s friends” (217). Haemon becomes enraged after listening to his father, and crudely tells him that he has terrible reasoning, that his father did not know everything. Haemon mentions that the people of Creon’s city were whispering about how wrongfully Antigone has died, questioning what shameful actions she has done to deserve it. Creon’s tragic flaw gets the better of him and he explodes into a fit. Creon is more disturbed at the fact that his son disagrees with him and that his son tells Creon that Creon was wrong. The conflict ends with Haimon foreshadowing his own death and also …show more content…
Many people think Antigone is the tragic hero; with her courage, she is able to rebel against Creon’s ridiculous decision and receive respect and admiration from fellow citizens of Thebes for doing so. Antigone also has a tragic flaw of too much bravery, leading to her death. One may easily think that Antigone is the tragic hero of the play, but she lacks a vital component of a tragic hero. Antigone does not realize or acknowledge that her tragic flaw has lead to her downfall. Not only does she refuse to repent on her flaw, she blames others for her downfall. Antigone claims that “The blasphemy of my birth has followed me”(226). She blames her father and brother, Oedipus, for giving birth to her and placing her in the situation she is in; he was the one who was the reason behind the war, which was the reason for Antigone’s brave decision. Antigone is proud of her actions and criticizes her mother and father for engaging in inappropriate activity that caused the entire conflict. Not for even one moment does she think over her actions and realize that her bravery is foolish in some ways and that her stubborn fearlessness is the reason for her downfall. The Choragos tells her, “You have made your choice, Your death is the doing of your own conscious hand.” (227). However, Antigone responds by asserting that
Throughout the story of Antigone, particularly the end, Creon proposes the bad-boy in control personality. He acts as the ruler he is and puts his power to work. He fears nothing unless his family is involved. He has no mercy when it comes to the law. Additionally, he is greatly affected by the environment he creates around himself.
Being in power yields the assumption that everything is possible. In Creon’s case, he states that “never, if I can help it, shall evil triumph over good.” Creon’s pride in his position as King skewed his perception of what is just. He opens his Kingship commenting on this very feature of kingship, that “no other touchstone can test the heart of a man” like that of utmost power. Ironically, Creon reaches this touchstone, only to fail, causing many tragic deaths....
Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero is someone of great importance or royalty. The hero must go through something terrible such as a relative’s death. We must feel what this character is feeling throughout the story. Aristotle also said that a tragic hero scan be defeated by a tragic flaw, such as hubris or human pride. In Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone, both Creon and Antigone are tragic heroes.
Antigone may be a tragic figure in the modern, common sense of the word; that is, she was someone who has something bad happen to her. "Oh," someone might say when they discover Antigone's fate, "how tragic." Nevertheless, they do not mean that Antigone is tragic in the classical Greek sense; rather they just mean that Antigone got a bad lot that she didn't deserve. Antigone cannot be a tragic figure in the classical Greek sense because she didn't have any character faults. She was brought low for other reasons -- in this case, she died because she was obedient to the will of the gods. That isn't a fault, it's a virtue. Throughout the play she shows herself to be kind, generous, and giving. Again, those are hardly vices.
There has always been a great debate over who is the true tragic hero in Sophocles' Antigone. Many scholars would stake claim to Antigone possessing all the necessary characteristics of a true tragic hero, but many others would argue that Creon holds many qualities as well. It is hard to discount Antigone as a tragic hero, because in fact, the play bears her name, but from careful reading, Creon meets Aristotle's criteria exactly and fits perfectly into the role. In order to determine whether or not Creon is the true tragic hero, one must answer the question: 'What is a Tragic Hero?' In Aristotle's Poetics, he discusses the basic criteria regarding a tragic hero. Aristotle states that tragic heroes must have a 'high' status or social position; characters must not be perfect, although, the character is pre-eminently good; they must have a single flaw that brings about their own demise and that of the others around them. Aristotle also mentions another quality of a tragic hero, which is that the character arouses pity in the audience usually because the punishment exceeds the crime and the hero is alive to face his suffering in order to achieve some self-recognition. After reviewing all these critera, it should be clear that Creon is the true tragic hero.
Antigone was caught and death was the price to pay as ordered by Creon, not to her surprise. Death to Antigone seemed wanted, it was the only thing left as honor for her. Haemon, the son of Creon and Antigone’s fiancé has enough respect for his father that he does not interfere with Creon's decision to put Antigone to death.
In the greek tragedy Antigone , the author Sophocles conveys Antigone as the tragic hero because she arouses the most fear, she shows both good and bad which is a tragic hero characteristic and Antigone has the tragic flaw of loyalty to her family and to the gods.
Aristotle's view on a tragic hero is someone that would have to be held in high standards (royalty) in order to evoke compassion and anxiety in the audience. Creon and Antigone are royalty and share the most important aspect of a tragic hero, each have a tragic flaw. Both of the two characters have an inability to compromise or even reason with. Antigone's tragic flaw was amplified by her loyalty for her brother; she acted irrational, in not taking preparation or thoroughness into consideration when burying her brother. Further more when confronted by Creon, himself she disrespected and basically told him to silence himself because his words were "distasteful" to her. So then sealing her death by becoming an immediate martyr for the wrong cause... anything against Creon's will.
In Greek Tragedies the definition of a Tragic Hero is a character who is a dignified superior character who meets a tragic end, possesses a tragic flaw and recognizes this flaw and the consequences that occur before the character’s demise/tragic end. In the Greek play Antigone by Sophocles I believe the tragic hero is Creon. Creon possesses all of the traits I mentioned before, his Pride (tragic flaw), his family dying (tragic end), his realization of his flaw, and him being King of Thebes (superior character).
Creon's insecurity blinds his ability to direct order in his country properly. After Antigone buried Polyneices Creon felt he needed to take a strong stand or people would think he would always be lenient toward criminals. However, to achieve this Creon felt he needed to take drastic action against Antigone. He once even said to his son, Haimon, who was about to marry Antigone, "The woman dies. I suppose she'll plead family ties. Well, let her. If I permit my own family to rebel, how shall I earn the world's obedience?" (19) This quote shows that Creon feels that to prove himself to the country he needs to earn the "world's obedience".
Antigone is a Greek tragic piece that stresses the use of power and morality versus the law written by Sophocles. Both Antigone and Creon, the main characters in the play, could represent the tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character who is known for being dignified and has a flaw that assists to his or her downfall. In my opinion, Creon best qualifies for being the tragic hero and fitting the definition read in the previous sentence. The things he said, did, and the comments that were made by those around him show how a man with everything could lose it all due to his own behavior.
Throughout literary history, tragic heroes have been defined as a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. However, philosophers such as Aristotle tried to find connections between tragic heroes in Greek plays. This in-depth analysis of tragic heroes lead Aristotle to create six criteria for a true tragic hero: He or she has to be a Noble figure of royalty and noble in character, has to be imperfect by design, has a flaw or error that is a choice, is punished excessively for this choice flaw, has to undergo a downfall that leads to a realization, and the story of this tragic hero has to make the audience reach a moment of catharsis or purging of emotions. A prime example of a tragic hero that fits all of these criteria is Creon from the play Antigone, written by Sophocles in 441 BC. The story of Antigone is a tragedy that describes a stubborn and proud king named Creon who refuses to allow a burial for the brother of Antigone. Creon’s excessive pride leads to a series of unfortunate events resulting in the death of Antigone, his son Haemon, and his wife Eurydice. Throughout the course of the play, Creon undergoes each standard that is required by Aristotle’s terms to be a tragic hero.
This disagreement creates the main conflict throughout the story. An integral part of Greek tragedies is the tragic hero. Developed from Aristotle’s writings, the tragic hero has impacted theater for centuries. Both Creon and Antigone could qualify as a tragic hero because both of their downfalls are a result of free will due to their tragic flaws, they are both born of noble status, and the tragedy of both helps to produce a catharsis and social revelation in the audience.
Aristotle once mentioned, “A man doesn 't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” Throughout society, tragic heroes are always present within every type of literature. A tragic hero is depicted as someone who makes a judgement which leads to his or her own destruction. They follow the five characteristics in which they are born from nobility, are doomed to make the wrong judgement, possess a tragic flaw, are responsible for their own fate, and lastly convey emotions to the audience. Tragic heroes appear over and over again throughout literature, especially Greek plays, because they serve a purpose to convince the audience to pity and sympathize with them. Tragic heroes have flaws which allow the audience to relate and
Everyone agrees that Oedipus is the quintessential Greek tragic hero. In fact, Aristotle had Oedipus specifically in mind when he first set down the requirements for tragedy in his Poetics. However, in other Greek tragedies, the tragic hero isn’t always so easy to identify. For example, in the play Antigone, the reader may have some difficulty deciding who the tragic hero is. Nevertheless, a careful examination of the facts reveals that Antigone is the true tragic heroine because she’s brave, flawed, and noble.