The Tragic Hero In The Play Antigone
Nico Stirling
WHO IS THE TRAGIC HERO IN THE PLAY ANTIGONE?
The play Antigone is a tragedy, and it seems likely that Antigone, who the play was named after, is the tragic hero. There is however a disagreement between weather it is actually Antigone or instead Creon, the King of the Thebes. Creon takes part of the play through out while Antigone dies before the end making it seem like it is him who is the tragic hero, but Creon surprisingly does not die by the end of the play which is unusual for the tragic hero. This has become a widely debated question of whether the tragic hero is Antigone, Creon, or maybe even both. Antigone is a central character who is very important. However she only fits a few of Aristotle 's characteristics of a tragic hero. Creon on the other hand seems to meet nearly all of them. This shows that Creon is the actual tragic hero of the play and therefore he is the main protagonist.
First of all I will be considering if Antigone fits the description of a tragic hero. The play was named after Antigone so before we actually watch or read the
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A common characteristic of a tragic hero is that they were of noble birth. Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and Eurydice, who were the king and queen of Thebes, so she was born into the royal family, but the fact that Oedipus was the son of Eurydice makes their marriage incestuous and therefore seen as sinful. This seems to conflict with the idea that a tragic hero starts off as a very virtuous and noble character, because Antigone starts off as someone who is closely related to a sinful act. This is supported by the fact that Antigone knows that she has to be punished by god to die on page 138 where she says to Creon "I knew that I should have to die, of course with or without your order.” Another common trait of tragic heroes is that fact that their
What Caused Creon's Downfall
254 Words | 2 PagesSophocles’ play, Antigone, sets up Creon as the tragic hero from the beginning. Creon is the tragic hero because his stubbornness is his biggest flaw. He is the tragic hero because he is selfish and he does not listen to others, which causes his downfall. Creon’s stubbornness caused his downfall.
Similarities Between Antigone And Creon
543 Words | 3 PagesA Tragic Hero: Creon In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, horrific events describe the makings of a tragic hero. Antigone contrasts with Creon when they are on the other side of the argument of whether Polyneices should be buried. In Antigone, royal sons kill each other but only one gets a burial because he was the king. This lead to Antigone trying to bury her brother in which she is sentenced to death.
Examples Of Creon In Antigone
1321 Words | 6 PagesAristotle once said, "A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall." In the play, Antigone, by Sophocles, King Creon is the main tragic hero, because of the decisions he made leading to his destruction. After the death of Polyneices and Eteocles, Creon was crowned King of Thebes. All of the citizens of thebes feared Creon because of the prideful tone he showed in his first speech, and in Aristotle’s description of a tragic hero, the character almost always displays excessive pride. Another decision that Aristotle said most tragic heroes go through is an error in judgement, which Creon made when sentencing Antigone to death.
Antigone Creon: A Tragic Hero
720 Words | 3 PagesIn the play Antigone Creon is king and he has made many irreversible mistakes and judgments because of how he has all the power of the city they live in. Most tragic hero’s have made huge mistakes because of the power they get. In the play Antigone Creon is a tragic hero because he has realize he has made an irreversible mistake, was born into nobility, and doomed to make a serious error in judgment. Creon has realize he has made many irreversible mistake in the story Antigone.
Creon's Tragic Hero In Sophocles Antigone
660 Words | 3 PagesAlmost always, in Greek tragedies a “tragic hero” has a hamartia, or tragic flaw, which will cause their concluding demise. In the Greek playwright, Antigone written by Sophocles, the interesting character, Creon, is a prime example of this. According the Aristotle’s theory, to be a tragic hero you have to have three traits: a flaw, a fall, and acceptance of your current situation. Creon’s flaw is his ego, which blinds him and lures him to do rather profane activities. Due to Creon’s ego, him losing everything caused by that very hamartia, and acceptance of the series of unfortunate events that occurred; Creon is the tragic hero in Antigone
Who Is Creon Tragic Hero
721 Words | 3 PagesIn every piece of literature, there are multiple kinds of characters. In Greek literature, the tragic hero often makes an appearance. Sometimes, there is more than one. A tragic hero is one whose tragic flaw leads to the suffering of others and their downfall. In Antigone, a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles, there are two characters who could be considered tragic heroes.
Aristotle's Antigone As A Tragic Hero
723 Words | 3 PagesAristotle describes a tragic hero as a man or woman of high standing who is capable of great suffering. He or she possesses many good qualities, but displays a single, fatal, character flaw which results in the character's downfall. Because of Aristotle's definition, Antigone would be considered a tragic hero. Antigone is a tragic hero first because of her high standing. She is the daughter of Oedipus and a princess of Thebes.
Creon Tragic Flaws
809 Words | 4 PagesThe play, Antigone, is a tragedy written by the Greek poet Sophocles. A common theme among tragedies is that they have a tragic hero, and Antigone is no different. The tragic hero of this poem is Creon, the King of Thebes. Creon is faced with the difficult task of punishing his niece, Antigone. She has broken one of his laws stating that no one is to give proper burial rites to Polyneices, Antigone’s brother, because he tried to overthrow Creon.
Examples Of Tragic Hero In Creon
734 Words | 3 PagesAntigone is one of the greatest tragedies ever written by Sophocles. There is a controversial question about this play: Who is the tragic hero? Could it be Antigone or Creon? Even though the play’s name is Antigone, but as I read the story. A sensible and responsible king, Creon, is a tragic hero because of his power madness, self-righteousness, and ruthlessness.
Antigone: Creon As A Tragic Hero
1234 Words | 5 Pages“Not so self-centered that you never listen to other people” (Hugh Hefner). In the story of Antigone, Creon shows the characteristics of a tragic hero, as he is the king he shows his self-confident and he does not recognize his flaws until the end of the story. All of this leads into his downfall in the tragedy and causes him to realized what he had done. Creon is a tragic hero because of his self-righteousness, his excessive pride, and he does not listen to the opinion of others.
Creon Is The Tragic Hero In Antigone
798 Words | 4 PagesWhen asked, “Who is the tragic hero in Antigone?,” you might automatically think of the character Antigone. The character’s name is the title of the play like in “Hamlet”. The only difference is that Hamlet was the tragic hero in “Hamlet” moreover Creon is the tragic hero in “Antigone”. It all comes down to the definition of Aristotle’s tragic hero. Aristotle states that a tragic hero is, “a person who must evoke a sense of pity and fear in the audience.
Creon: A Tragic Hero In Antigone By Sophocles
1092 Words | 5 PagesIn Sophocles’ play Antigone, Creon, the king of Thebes, best represents a tragic hero. Creon demonstrates goodness in his intentions for Thebes as well as his fragile state due to the fact that he recently lost several family members. Creon, newly named king, finds himself as highest ranking official around, showing superiority. Creon often acts stubborn and prideful, his tragic flaw. And lastly, he must come to terms with the fact that he caused the death of his wife, son, and niece.
Who Is Creon The Protagonist In Antigone
1133 Words | 5 PagesCreon is the protagonist in Antigone, because his motivation throughout Antigone is the stability and wellbeing of Thebes. Moreover, Antigone is the antagonist in Antigone, because her motivation is selfish and deceiving. In Antigone the setting is Thebes post the death of both airs to the throne. Eteocles dies defending his country from his brother Polynieces which died attempting to reclaim his right to the throne. The conflict throughout Antigone is Antigone’s responsibility to bury her brother Polynices and the law created by Creon, the new king of Thebes, which states that “No one shall bury him, no one mourn for him.”
Antigone Vs Creon Tragic Hero
850 Words | 4 PagesThe tragic hero is a character in a book that comes from a noble background that has a tragic flaw which brings the character the greatest suffering which results in their downfall. In “Antigone”, there are two characters who can be considered the tragic hero of the story: Creon and Antigone. Antigone is a brave and fearless women who dies for a noble cause, while Creon is a controlling and powerful king of Thebes. Both Creon and Antigone have qualities to make them the tragic hero, but Creon is the true “tragic hero” because his hamartia causes his downfall. Creon is the tragic hero of “Antigone” because his hubris muddles his judgment and makes him cause his own undoing.
Literary Analysis Of Antigone
967 Words | 4 PagesJaanvi Shah Mr. Eyre English 9 March, 2015 Literary Analysis of Antigone John Foster says, “pride comes before fall.” As the action of the Sophocles 's Antigone unfolds, it is clear that the protagonist Creon has all the six characteristics of a tragic hero. Teiresias interactions with Creon help to demonstrate three of those typical traits: Creon’s noble stature, his tragic flaw of having pride and arrogance, and his free choice that makes his downfall his own fault. Creon, the King of Thebes, accords with Aristotle’s theory of a tragic hero beginning as powerful distinguished and important person.
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