Essay on The Tragic Hero of Antigone - 871 Words

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. Antigone is a tragic hero because she is brave. One instance where Antigone shows bravery is when she is talking to Antigone about attempting to give her brother, Polynices, a proper burial, â€Å"When I have tried and failed, I†¦show more content†¦Antigone proves that she is a tragic hero because she is flawed in the fact that she has too much pride. One moment that displays that Antigone possesses too much pride, is when Ismene reminds her about the severe punishments that could result from giving Polynices a proper burial, â€Å"He has no right to keep me from my own†(128). This quote shows that Antigone is willing to disobey the king, Creon in order to please herself by giving Polynices a proper burial. Consisting of too much pride is eventually the cause of her death. A second instant where Antigone is shown to have an exceeding amount of pride is when she is determined to give Polynices a proper burial is when Ismene has been consistently telling her that she will not succeed, â€Å"Go your own way; I will bury my brother!†(128). Antigone is telling her sister, Ismene, that she will bury her brother no matter what, and there is nothing that will stop her from doing it. A third example of Antigone having too much pride is when she tells Ismene why she wants to persevere in giving her brother a proper burial, â€Å"convicted of reverence – I shall be content/ to live beside a brother whom I love†(128). Antigone loves Polynices so much that she wants to die for him, so that she can be buried next to him. This will give her pride if she accomplishes it. Antigone thinks that the only way this will happen is if she buries him herself, and then gets killed for burying him. In addition to having a flaw, another that provesShow MoreRelatedTragic Hero In Antigone948 Words   |  4 Pagesmakes them a hero. Heroes can help save the day, be strong against others, help people in tough situations. In Sophocles Antigone, the tragi c hero proves to be worthy of these traits as she presents herself to be stronger than the rest. She shows several characteristics that help her achieve this title. Although it is a high honor she had persevere in order to get to this point and it wasnt an easy task. For these accomplishments, Antigone has earned the title of a Tragic Hero. Antigone seems to beRead MoreThe Tragic Hero in Antigone1018 Words   |  5 Pagesfirst established during the fourth century in the Poetics, where he defines what makes a tragic hero. Aristotle suggests that a tragic hero is a character who has a high social standing and embodies great nobility in his/her personality. They are neither a villain nor are they entirely good, but a person somewhat like us, raised to a higher position in society. 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All tragic heroes should have the characteristics of rank, a tragic flaw, a downfall, and a recognition of mistakes. The seemingly tragic hero is Antigone. She wants to bury her brother Polyneices even though this would be going against Creon, who is her uncle and the king. When Antigone buriesRead More Antigone the Tragic Hero Essay929 Words   |  4 PagesA Tragic Hero A tragic hero is a character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw, which combined with fate, results into a tragedy. The tragic hero must fall from good luck and well being to misery and misfortune. The tragic hero causes a sense of pity through the tragic downfall that weakens the character. In Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone follows her own beliefs by giving her brother a proper burial, even if she has to break the law of King Creon. Because of her innocentRead MoreEssay on The Tragic Hero of Antigone568 Words   |  3 PagesGreece, Sophocles wrote the greatly admired tragedy, Antigone. Antigone includes many themes such as Freedom, Protection of Personal Dignity, Obedience to Civil Law, Protection of Community/Nation, Loyalty/Obligation to Family, and Observance of Religious Law. Many of the Greek tragedies that have been written include a tragic hero that has his/her tragic flaw. In Antigone there are two main characters; Creon, the tyrant king of Thebes, and Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. One of theseRead MoreEssay on Antigone is a Tragic Hero823 Words   |  4 PagesAntigone is a Tragic Hero A subject of debate in Sophocles’ play Antigone is which character complies with the characteristics of a tragic hero. The qualities that constitute a tragic hero are, in no particular order, having a high social position, not being overly good or bad, isolation, being tenacious in their actions, arousing pity in the audience, a revelatory manifestation, and having a single flaw that brings about their own demise and the demise of others around them. Creon possessesRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Antigone By Sophocles1075 Words   |  5 Pagesof the Greek philosopher Aristotle, â€Å"A man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.† Thus, according to Aristotle, the tragic hero must be able to discern how his actions caused his demise. The tragic hero has a tragic flaw, known as hamartia, recognizes that this flaw contributes to his misfortune because of an error in judgment, but is nonetheless deserving of sympathy. Creon, the hero of the dra ma Antigone by Sophocles, fulfills this definition. He exhibits hubrisRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Sophocles Antigone Essay1357 Words   |  6 Pagesdraws on the emotions of the audience is to get them to relate to the tragic hero, and that is why it was so important for a tragedy to have a proper one. Antigone features the perfect example of a hero in a tragedy. In Antigone, King Creon is the tragic hero since he is adherent to a moral mean, he is life-like, he exhibits a tragic quality which results in a plot reversal, and ends in a moment of lament. Creon is the ideal tragic hero, since he’s morally upstanding but not blameless at the same timeRead More Antigone as a Tragic Hero Essay499 Words   |  2 PagesAntigone as a tragic hero The debate over who is the tragic hero in Antigone is unanswered. The belief that Antigone is the hero is a tough one. Antigone is widely thought of as the tragic hero of the play bearing her name. She would seem to fit the part in light of the fact that she dies for doing what she believes is right. She buries her brother without worrying what might happen to her. Unlike Antigone, Ismene says â€Å"And break the law, our death will be more shameful even then theirs† (pg.5