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A discussion of the concept of the tragic hero
The definition of a tragic hero
Tragic hero elements
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Tragic Hero A tragic hero is described as a character who is neither good nor bad, they have tragic flaws, they must be born to royal bloodlines, and they must have a downfall and suffering. In the play Antigone there are two main characters who could be the tragic hero, Antigone and Creon. Antigone because she is the sister of the dead brother and Creon because he is the king of Thebes. The real tragic hero of the pay Antigone is Creon because he portrays all these traits of a tragic hero according to Aristotle. Creon is born of royal bloodlines step one of being a tragic hero, he was the brother of the queen Jocasta and the uncle of the king Eteocles. Creon is neither good no bad. Creon is human he has good moments along with his bad moments. Creons bad moments in the play are contributed to his tragic flaws. The people of Thebes are very loyal to him they will not allow the barrel of Polynices. “What is the duty, then, you lay on us? To side with no one breaking this command. No man is foolish enough to go courting death.” Creon said talking to the chorus (171-173) And to not allow the barrel of a body back then was a big tabu. It was a disgrace to gods. Creon ordering the death on Antigone was his downfall …show more content…
She thought she was right and that is was all Creons fault and that she did not care if she was going to die. Antigone says to her sister in the beginning “I will not urge you. No, if you wish to join me now I would not let you. Do you think best. As for me, I will burry him; and if I die for that, I am content. I shall rest like a loved one with whom I have loved, innocent in my guilt.” (59-62) this also foreshadows her death to the audience Most of all she did not realize that because of her action it was a domino affect and it cause her fiance to kill himself along with his
In Sophocles' Antigone, the question of whom the real tragic hero comes into play. Antigone possesses all the aspects of a tragic hero. Creon possesses many qualities of a tragic hero, but doesn’t totally fit in the role. These traits include: not being overly “wholesome or corrupt”, being persistent in their actions, developing pity in the audience or reader- especially in the beginning of the story, and having a major flaw that is their ultimate downfall. Antigone possesses all of these traits therefore qualifying as the tragic hero.
Creon highlighted as the tragic figure, initially created decisions he thought was for the welfare and well-being of Thebes; however, Antigone, who rebelled against Creon’s decisions, caused Creon’s rage to cloud his rational way of thinking. When Creon decided to forbid the burial of Polynices, as he believed Polynices was a traitor to Thebes, Antigone was outraged. This decision, viewed through the eyes of Creon, was just and fair; on the other hand, Antigone viewed his decision as cruel and selfish, which resulted into a major conflict between these two characters. When Antigone disobeyed his proclamation, Creon became infuriated towards this rebellious act. Those small events within the play expressed Creon as a ruler doing what he believes is right; on the other hand, Antigone’s rebellion expressed otherwise. Antigone was soon shown to cause an evil spark within Creon. This “spark” caused Creon to intensify his punishments towards Antigone, which in turn caused a chain reaction of events and eventually led to his tragic decline. Being portrayed as a menacing villain throughout the play, Creon began as an honorable man; however, overwhelming events and confrontations caused Creon to evolve in to this monstrous figure.
Creon abused his power by thinking that he can change or brake the laws of the Gods and not allowing other people to brake his laws. He did not want to burry Polyneices' body, but one of the God's law is that every human deserves to be buried after death not depending what that certain person did in his lifetime. Creon caused fear among his people by making a public announcement that nobody is allowed to burry Polyneices. He said that the state of Thebes consists of only him, and that there are no other laws then his.
In the book Antigone, Creon and Antigone can be considered as the tragic heroes of the play. Antigone is considered the tragic hero because of the characteristics she shows such as her ambition to defeat Creon, Creon shows more of the characteristics clearly. Creon is the king of Thebes. He is also Antigone's uncle. Creon became king after a fight between Eteocles and Polyneices. One may see Creon as a harsh and controlling ruler, but he is not good nor bad because he shows signs of both like when he wanted to give Eteocles a proper burial . Creon is the tragic hero of the Antigone, because of his dominance in society, high rank, tragic flaw; and self-pride.
The tragic hero, Antigone, is the tragic hero because she displays both good and bad throughout the greek tragedy Antigone. A quote that reveals she is good is “ This death of mine is of no importance; but If I had left my brother lying in death unburied, I should have suffered” ( 2. 69-71). This quote shows that Antigone is doing good because she is honoring her family by not leaving her brother unburied. Antigone is also seen as bad because King Creon talks to Antigone and says “ This girl is guilty of a double insolence, breaking the given laws and boasting about it” ( 2. 80-81). That quote shows Antigone is bad because she broke the law and was telling everyone about what she did , which also showed that she had hubris about her actions. Antigone is the tragic hero because
Antigone is a great Greek tragedy by Sophocles. The story is about a young woman who has buried her brother by breaking king’s decree, and now she is punished for obeying God’s law. There are many arguments about who is the tragic hero in Sophocles’ Antigone. Some believe that it is Creon because he also has the characteristics of a tragic hero. Others believe that it is Antigone because the play bears her name. Antigone is the perfect hero, to exemplify the meaning of a tragic hero. In order to determine whether Antigone is the tragic hero, one will have to answer the question, what is a tragic hero? According to Aristotle, “The tragic hero is a character of noble stature and has greatness, he/she is not perfect, the hero's downfall and it is partially his/her own fault, and the hero's misfortunate is not wholly deserved.” (Aristotle) Antigone is a tragic hero because she has a high social standing in Thebes, she neither good nor bad, and her suffering appears to be unjust and unfair to the audience.
Creon, in his paranoia was plagued with the feeling of incompetence and need to establish dominance. His decree that no one would bury Polyneices only provoked the people of Thebes into thinking of him as insensitive to their culture. When his ruling was disobeyed, only led him to him to believe that conspiracy was about and that no matter, family or not, he would punish Antigone, causing a chain reaction of events causing the loss of his entire family, except Ismene. Leaving the audience experiencing pity and fear for both characters.
"Ah Creon! Is there no man left in the world” Tiresias Greek theatre played a large role in Greece. The citizens were supposed to learn from the mistakes made in tragedies. The citizens should have learned what not to be like as a citizen or a person. Antigone's words, actions, and ideas contrast with Creon’s character to the point of these two characters having conflicting motivations. These conflicting motivations cause the characteristics of strong, willed, and stubborn to be highlighted within Creon’s character. In the end, these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by being a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy, and the character interactions advance the plot and develops the theme by evaluating the importance of fate.
Antigone comes out as the only one in Thebes that will speak up about Polynices burial. Creon has no room in his kingdom for people that put private matters above the other people of the common good. He wants no part of what Antigone is doing t her brother and thinks that what she is doing, she should be put to death for it. “(Chorus) There is a certain reverence for piety. But for him in authority, he cannot see that authority defied; it is own self-willed temper that has destroyed you.” (Sophocles 1587). Creon is used in this play as the bad guy or antagonist. He does not want Antigone’s brother to have the proper burial because he betrayed all the common people when in battle. The twos play use Creon in the same light but with different words and different
George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, a German philosopher during the nineteenth century, proposed a theory for the way Greek tragedy was written it. He said that it is actually a struggle between two good sides. Hegel’s theory aligns with Sophocle’s play, Antigone, in the fact that Antigone and Creon could both be “good” according to differing view points. Both Antigone and Creon were able to make claims that would validate their own personal views, creating a conflict between two “good sides.”
Reading famous plays draws our attention to many different aspects of the type of characters, the storyline, and the dialogue between characters. We get wrapped up in the plot and forget to focus on the way the characters are developed through diction. Sophocles does a fine job of demonstrating characteristics through certain phrases said by the characters. In Sophocles’ work, Antigone, set in 400 B.C, aspects of life revolved around the individual’s social status and cultural values. In Antigone, the social classes were: the gods at the top, then the government, and family at the bottom while men were above women. A few cultural social rights women had were burial rights and the right to mourn. These two are specifically important in Antigone
In the beginning of the play Creon presents a strong confident image, although it becomes apparent self-doubt is present due to his inability to accept a diminished view of himself. Whilst giving the orders to murder anyone who tries to bury Antigone’s brother, Creon refuses the advice of his trusted council because they suggest he may be in the wrong. Creon so harshly yells Stop right there, before I am gorged with rage! (Page 12). The personality trait of being unyieldingly stubborn is one a majority can of people relate to. Therefore the audience might have felt sympathy towards him during that moment. Often the audience relates well to the tragic and can ...
Antigone, which was written by Sophocles, is possibly the first written play that still exists today (www.imagi... 1). There is much controversy between who the 'tragic hero' is in the play. Some people say Antigone, some say Creon, others even say Heamon. I believe Creon displays all of the characteristics of a 'tragic hero'. He receives compassion through the audience, yet recognizes his weaknesses, and his downfalls from his own self-pride, stubbornness, and controlling demands. He is the true protagonist.
The throne of the king of Thebes was passed from King Laius to Oedipus to Creon, making Creon a noble and royal figure. Being a part of the nobility is the first part of the requirement of being a tragic hero involving being a noble and having noble character. Along with having a noble title, Creon possesses the attribute of being noble and honorable. Putting aside Creon’s pride and selfishness for now, he still has the wellbeing and safety of his country, Thebes, at heart. Creon explain...
In the play Antigone, the debate over who is the real tragic hero is and the controversy of Greek ideals in the Antigone continues on to this day. Who is the tragic hero in Antigone? Is it Antigone herself or is it Creon the ruler of Thebes? The belief that Antigone is, is a strong one. Still there are people who think Creon is the tragic hero. Antigone is widely thought as the tragic her. The play is named after her. In addition, she is the antagonist in it. Many people usually associate the antagonist, the good guy as a tragic hero. Look at much television shows, especially cartoons, the good person usually wins. Then there are those who might think Creon was the tragic hero because the gods were against him, and that he truly loved his country. There are five criteria or standards you must meet first in order to be a tragic hero. First, you must be a person of high character or status. The character must not be too overwhelmingly evil or good. Then they must be brought from happiness to misery. Then brought from happiness to misery. Second, the hero enacts a harmartia, "wrong act." This either may be a flaw in judgment or an error. Third, the hero experiences a perpateia, reversal of fortune. This is the tragic downfall or plot twist in the story. Fourth, the hero recognizes his or her responsibility. Fifth, the story ends with a catastrophe. The catastrophe either may be an emotional event, this even may be a death.