Antigone

Antigone

Every classic epic or play has a main character who is, in one way or another, a hero. Whether or not they are righteous heroes is not always the issue, but the fact that they face some sort of challenge and overcome the challenge despite all the odds, is the important issue behind being a hero. In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, two completely different characters could be considered the heroes of the play. Creon is a ruler of great strength who stands against all odds and remains strong and solid until his fall from power. He is revered as the hero of the play because he is one of the central characters and the play revolves around his actions. Antigone, Oedipus’ daughter is also revered as the heroine of the play, she is a character of great strength who also fights against the odds and propels the action of the play. However, she meets with a less than noble end when commits suicide at the play’s conclusion. The difference between these two characters is that while Creon was strong and faced his adversaries; he refused to look at the situation from every side and it forced him to fall from power. In the end Antigone turns out to be the hero of this play because her noble and defiant actions against Creon. Her character is more compelling than Creon’s because she is a true rebel and a martyr who fights strongly for what she believes in. Antigone takes the situation into her own hands and fights for what she believes. She does end up dying by her own hand, but her courageous actions earn her the title of heroine. Antigone is truly a rare character in Greek literature, she is a strong female character written in a time when male characters predominated.

Creon was a man who fought a good fight in the face of many adversaries. He maintained his integrity, such as it was, and was able to confront his problems and the events that took place around him. Despite any problems or issues, he remained strong and stable. However his heroism came through the predominately low characteristic of ignorance. While he did finally accept the will of the gods and the people, he did not face the reality with any great strength or recognition. Creon’s changes and process of learning as time goes by reflect a deeper humanity than the actions of Antigone, who is perhaps braver than believable.