Tragic Heroes: A Comparative Analysis Across Literature

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Macbeth, Brutus from Julius Ceasar, John Proctor from The Crucible, Hercules, Sirius Black from Harry Potter, and Spiderman all have a common fate, they are all tragic heroes. A tragic hero is a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. Every hero has a downfall and a purpose; typically it is for the greater good for everyone else. In The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles, there are two characters that could be defined as tragic heroes, they are Antigone and Creon. Bounteous people do not envisage Antigone as a tragic hero, these people believe she was crazy, had no purpose, and did not help the kingdom. Although, countless people do not comprehend that she actually did save the citizens of Thebas, and tried to help Creon. …show more content…

Creon was, to some extent, a king without having to directly solve entire problems while Oedipus ruled. However, before long, Oedipus was dethroned and blinded which allowed Creon to become ruler. On the other hand, Antigone lost her father and mother simultaneously, and was lead to believe her family was cursed. Furthermore, Antigone’s brothers killed one another in battle, which is tragic within it self. Nonetheless, Creon did lose his wife and only son, but Antigone had lost more. A tragic hero’s fortune should be from good to bad, and Antigone’s life qualifies for that description more then

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