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Foil Characters In Antigone

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In the most well known and the least read pieces of literature, narratives all have one key idea in common: the good guy and the bad guy. Whether the piece is about superheros, elves, or robots, the idea of these two opposing characters continues, the most common type of foil. A foil is two characters that contrast each other on many regards. The antagonist, or bad guy, often is a foil to the protagonist, or the good guy. In Sophocles’ Antigone, the antagonist, Creon is a foil to the protagonist, Antigone. Creon is also considered a flat character due to the fact we do not know much about said character. Antigone would be considered a round character because we know much about her ideals, personality, and defining traits. The contrast between these two characters is great, (and two masks will be used to compare them). Antigone is the perfect example of a protagonist, yet the opposite of ordinary in Roman society for she is loyal, headstrong, yet loving. On her mask there are two drawings, a rose surrounded by dust and a laurel crown. The laurel crown was often used to represent the gods in ancient roman times, and in this context it represents the fact that Antigone holds the laws of the gods above the laws of man. In Antigone she states that, “Your edict, was strong/ But all your strength is weakness itself against/ The immortal unrecorded laws of God.” This means although Creon’s laws are strong, the god’s laws are above everything, which proves the fact that she holds god’s laws higher than anything else. The second drawing, a wilting rose surrounded by dust represents Antigone …show more content…

Creon is hot tempered, egotistical, unchangeable, and only follows the laws on man. On the other hand, Antigone is headstrong, loyal, loving, and follows the laws of the gods. These opposing traits make Creon and Antigone both foils as well as the antagonist and

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