The Tragic Hero of Sophocles' Antigone

The Tragic Hero of Antigone

In Sophocles' Antigone, the question of who the tragic hero actually is

has been the subject of a debate for years. It is unlikely for there to be

two tragic characters in a Greek tragedy, and there can be only one in the

play Antigone. The king Creon possesses some of the qualities that constitute

a tragic character, but does not have all of the necessary traits.

Antigone, however, contains all of the aspects that are required for her to be the

main character. According to Aristotle's Poetics, there are four major

traits, which are required of the tragic character. The character must be

a good and upstanding person. The character must focus on becoming a better

person, must be believable, and must be consistent in his or her behavior. Due

to the fact that Antigone represents these four character guidelines,

as well as several other protagonist traits, she can definitely be defined as

the tragic hero.

In order for Antigone to be the tragic character, she first must be a good

and upstanding person. Antigone is indeed a good-hearted person and has

committed no crime up to her decision to give her brother, Polynieces, a

proper burial. There is no doubt that Antigone is upstanding and a person

of importance in Thebes. She was scheduled to marry Haemon, the son of

Creon, and was considered a princess. Aristotle stated that the aspect of

a good person was first and most important when creating a tragic character.

The fact that Antigone is a woman makes no difference, because Aristotle

expressly said, "Even a woman may be good.though the woman may be said to

be an inferior being."

Aristotle's second rule for determining a tragic character is that the

person must aim at propriety. The character must work towards becoming a

better person. Antigone illustrates this second guideline by her effort

to clear her conscious and bring honor to her family by giving Polynieces a

decent burial. By taking this responsibility, and by denying Ismene's

involvement in her crime, Antigone shows that she has acquired a greater

courage within herself than she had possessed before. In no way does

Creon comply with Aristotle's second guideline. Throughout the play, he does

not allow himself to see the point of view from other people, such as when

Haemon tries to reason with him, and he neglects the blind prophet,

Tiresias, when he warns Creon of his actions.

The last two expectations of a tragic character are intertwined.

According to Aristotle, the character must be true to life and be consistent in