Antigone

2422 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Antigone character analysis

Sophocles’ theme is traversed throughout the trilogy showing how Sophocles views a tragic hero. It is essential to first know the background information behind Antigone in order to fully comprehend the story. Two new characters are introduced in the previous play, Oedipus in Colonus. The story, Oedipus Rex, leaves off with Creon banishing Oedipus from Thebes. Because of his suffering, Oedipus exits Thebes as a humbled and god-centered individual. At the time, society expected the son to foster the wellbeing of a parent, especially if he or she was disabled. Neither Polyneices nor Eteocles desired to attend to their father’s protection. Antigone, the elder and zealous daughter, decides to risk her life to protect her father due to the duty of the gods and her family. Oedipus’ guilt has been revealed publicly thus creating anxiety within the people that the guilt will spread. Oedipus and Antigone arrive in shambles and rags at a grove in Colonus located just outside of Athens. This again shows the humility of Oedipus for he chose not to reign as king in Corinth. Subsequently, a stranger arrives informing the visitors that the grave is sacred and a dedication to the Furies and that the King of Athens is an amiable and generous ruler named Theseus. Oedipus replies to the stranger to notify Theseus asking him for permission to reside in the grove. This brings confusion to the Chorus, representing the citizens of Colonus, and they ask Oedipus the reason of dwelling in the sacred grove. The identity of Oedipus is revealed to the Chorus and they are horrified that he may bring a moral pollution. Antigone interjects pointing out that Oedipus is carrying the guilt alone and that his suffering was an act of sanctification. Un...

... middle of paper ...

...one still continues to strive and propose a proper burial for her brother. Similarly, this is also seen with Creon, where also seen before, he wishes the best for Thebes and strives to accomplish that in spite of the reprimands of Antigone, the Choragos, Haimon, and Teiresias. Both tragic heroes had similar mindsets throughout all the circumstances of the story making them credible for the position.

In order to fully portray his view, Sophocles uses both Creon and Antigone as they function together as a tragic hero, none overtaking the other. Creon’s pride impedes but at the end, he brings shame upon himself. Antigone’s pride and wayward nature was valued by the people, and she desired what was best for her family and the moral sovereignty of the gods. Both characters depict Sophocles’ interpretation as a tragic hero by their characteristics and actions.

Show More
Related

  • Creon As Tragic Hero of Sophocles’ Antigone

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since the play’s inception, there has always existed a contention concerning the true hero of Sophocles’ Antigone. It is a widely held belief that Antigone must be the main character simply because she and the drama share name. This is, of course, a very logical assumption. Certainly Sophocles must have at least meant her to be viewed as the protagonist, else he would not have given her the play’s title. Analytically speaking, however, Creon does seem to more categorically fit the appellation of “Tragic Hero.” There is no doubt as to the nature of the work, that being tragedy. Along with this genre comes certain established prerequisites, and Creon is the only character that satisfactorily fits them all.

    Read More

  • Sophocles' Antigone - Creon's Mistakes

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the awe-inspiring play of Antigone, Sophocles introduces two remarkable characters, Antigone and Creon. A conflict between these two obstinate characters leads to fatal consequences for themselves and their kindred.  The firm stances of Creon and Antigone stem from two great imperatives: his loyalty to the state and her dedication to her family, her religion but most of all her conscience. The identity of the tragic hero of this play is still heavily debated.  This tragedy could have been prevented if it had not been for Creon's pitiful mistakes.

    Read More

  • Pride Brought to a Thought of Dust

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    After the two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, kill themselves in battle, Creon becomes the King of Thebes. Creon quickly establishes his authority over the City of Thebes. He states, “Polyneices, I say, is to have no burial: no man is to touch him or say the least prayer for him; he shall lie on the plain, unburied; and the birds and the scavenging dogs can do with him whatever they like” (Sophocles 1808). As for the brother Eteocles, Creon demands that he has a proper burial because he was fighting for his country. In addition, Creon explains to his senators that they are not to support anyone who breaks the law. Without hesitation, Creon expects everyone in Thebes to follow his decree. He does not care that the tradition has always been to give everyone a proper burial. In this case, Creon defies the laws of the Gods further demonstrating his stubborn ways. Within his establishment as King, Creon automatically has various demands and expectations from the senators and the people of Thebes.

    Read More

  • Antigone Deserves More Sympathy than Creon

    2545 Words  | 6 Pages

    In the Antigone, unlike the Oedipus Tyrannus, paradoxically, the hero who is left in agony at the end of the play is not the title role. Instead King Creon, the newly appointed and tyrannical ruler, is left all alone in his empty palace with his wife's corpse in his hands, having just seen the suicide of his son. However, despite this pitiable fate for the character, his actions and behavior earlier in the play leave the final scene evoking more satisfaction than pity at his torment. The way the martyr Antigone went against the King and the city of Thebes was not entirely honorable or without ulterior motives of fulfilling pious concerns but it is difficult to lose sight of the fact that this passionate and pious young woman was condemned to living imprisonment.

    Read More

  • The Tragic Heros in Sophocles' Antigone

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Antigone

    1762 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the struggle between Creon and Antigone, Sophocles' audience would have recognized a genuine conflict of duties and values. From the Greek point of view, both Creon's and Antigone's positions are flawed, because both oversimplify ethical life by recognizing only one kind of good or duty. By oversimplifying, each ignores the fact that a conflict exists at all, or that deliberation is necessary. Moreover, both Creon and Antigone display the dangerous flaw of pride in the way they justify and carry out their decisions. Antigone admits right from the beginning that she wants to carry out the burial because the action is glorious. Antigone has a savage spirit; she has spent most of her life burying her family members.

    Read More

  • Antigone by Sophocles

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    A tragic hero has many definitions but Creons characteristics fit each single one. He displayed a fatal flaw that drove him mad near the end but also understood that his predicament was caused by him alone. Antigone cannot be the tragic hero because although she possesses several flaws, she experiences no true illumination. She does not met the required the traits for the tragic hero. Creon wanted to protect the state above personal cost, a task that was achieved in a way. Creon is the tragic hero in Sophocles Antigone because he can’t accept a diminished view of himself; he endures great suffering and is enlightened in the end.

    Read More

  • Antigone By Creon Essay

    484 Words  | 1 Pages

    ee cummings once said, “to be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else—means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight.” That quotation is exemplified in many works of literature, but the opposite is too. No matter what people try to be or not to be, they don’t always succeed. For example, in the play, Antigone, by Sophocles, the character, Antigone displays the idea of being her own person, but Creon displays the opposite of that.

    Read More

  • Antigone

    1416 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the tragedy concludes, the chorus issues its final words: "Pray for no more at all. For what is destined for us, men mortal, there is no escape," demonstrating how justice remains impartial to the prejudice of men; those who make imprudent judgments will ultimately suffer from the consequences of their actions. In Sophocles' Antigone, these prejudices notably surface in the form of paternalism as demonstrated through Creon's government, highlighting the importance of gender roles throughout the play. Therefore, analyzing the motif of gender roles and its effect on the definition of justice through the perspectives of Ismene, Antigone, and Creon enables the audience to understand how Sophocles' macroscopic analogy to humanity's prejudiced judgments as well (and ambiguity of justice)

    Read More

  • Antigone

    650 Words  | 2 Pages

    Justice is a word we hear today all the time. Left and right we hear of judges and citizens demanding justice. Is justice always the right way? It seems that justice is not always the correct solution to a problem, but a solution that is the easiest to make. The classic play Antigone is a perfect example of this. Antigone is classic tragedy at its finest. A simple civilized and humane right of burying a loved one is turned into a great loss. Creon’s inapt decision to hold his power and sentence Antigone to death causes him to lose the people he loves most. The “justice” of the play is simply Creon’s punishment for his cruelty to Antigone.

    Read More

  • The Source of Conflict between Antigone and Creon in Sophocles' Antigone

    1274 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the following paper, I plan to discuss the source of conflict between the title characters of Antigone and Creon in Sophocles’ “Antigone”. I also plan to discuss how each character justifies his or her actions and what arguments they give for their justifications. I will also write about the strengths and weaknesses of these arguments. The final points I try to make are about who Sophocles thinks is right and who I think is right.

    Read More

  • Antigone

    561 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Creon's Role in Antigone

    435 Words  | 1 Pages

    Creon in the play Antigone by Sophocles plays a major role within the play. Antigone also plays an important role, as these two character’s conflicting views led to utter disaster, which highlights Creon as a tragic figure. Within the play Creon attempted to establish decisions for the common good; however, his decisions resulted in tragedy. Creon highlighted as the tragic figure, initially created decisions he thought were 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.

    Read More

  • How Does Creon Change In Antigone

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the play Antigone by Sophocles, some of the characters show dynamic changes in their personalities and actions. Various factors that are presented in the story influence the change in the behavior and point of view of the characters. In this time period of Greek drama, the literary element of the tragic hero was common, in which a main character, neither good nor bad and typically of high class, suffers from some sort of arrogance or excessive pride (hubris), but then encounters an event that acts as an epiphany for the character to realize that they have been wrong the whole time. Sophocles presents the element of a tragic hero in the character Creon, for his self-righteousness is shown all throughout the play until the very end,

    Read More

  • Antigone

    2995 Words  | 6 Pages

    Antigone could also be referred to as a tragedy sub-genre. Tragedy "recounts casually related series of events in the life of a person of significance, culminating in an unhappy catastrophe, the whole treated with dignity and seriousness" (554). Antigone is one of Sophocles' many famous tragedies. It is centered around the tragic outcome that may take place in the occurrence of being prideful. Sophocles portrays that pride can result in tragedy and in disaster. In the story, Creon is prideful as his position of King and he ultimately brings his city to ruins. "Tragedy" played a major role in the story.

    Read More

More about Antigone

Open Document