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Summary of antigone sophocles
Summary of antigone sophocles
Sophocles portrayal of antigone
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In the Greek play Antigone by Sophocles is very different from traditional plays or tragedies. Not only does the play have two prominent characters, Antigone and King Creon, the two characters also function as a tragic hero. However, which of the two character is the real tragic hero? Antigone’s tragedy is from conflict and passion. To really understand which of the two character is the ‘real’ tragic hero, one must understand the definition of a tragic hero.
According to Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, a tragic hero must be born from a high social class and his or her downfall must be caused by a fatal flaw of that character. Aristotle also mentioned that a tragic hero is someone that is between two extremes. Neither good nor bad, just their fatal flaws brining misfortune to themselves. The purpose of a tragic hero is to create catharsis for the audience by empathising with the protagonist. Therefore a proper tragedy
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The one fact that distinguishes Creon and Antigone is that Creon has a moment of development, a moment of revelation. While Antigone was stuck in her tomb, she never had a moment where she thought about what she had done was right or wrong. However, Creon undergoes a moment of revelation when Tiresias prophecisezes the doom of Thebes
Creon is a tragic hero, because his downfall is due to his flaw which is his avaricious and hubris character. Even though Creon possess many positive qualities, his pride and arrogance effects his decisions. His fatal flaw was that his arrogance made him reluctant to value other people’s opinion. As he refuses to let Antigone go free, even though his own son and the chorus tried to persuade him. Because of his love for the state, he loses his wife and his
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.
In the beginning of the play Creon is portrayed as King and a leader unwilling to bend the rules in order to protect the city. The way Creon responds to Antigone, “While I’m alive, no woman is going to lord over me”, shows he is stubborn and also his pride. (593-594) While the play continues Creon’s pride grows, and he thinks he can never be wrong and punishes Antigone by locking her up in a cave. However, things turn a different way when the Prophet tells Creon that he must free Antigone or face the wrath of Gods. After hearing this Creon changes his mind, “I shackled her, I’ll set her free myself. I am afraid it’s best to keep the established laws…” (1236-1238) But, as Creon tries to set Antigone free, he is faced with suicides of Antigone and Haemon, and followed by the suicide of his wife, Eurydice. This moment in the play serves as the downfall of Creon. But unlike Antigone, Creon reaches anagnorisis, which is the moment in the play when the tragic character realizes his hubris has led to his downfall. “And the guilt is all mine- can never be fixed…god help me, I admit all!”(1441-1445) Ultimately, Creon is more of a proper tragic character than Antigone because of he has an epiphany, a moment when he realizes his hubris has caused conflicts and deaths in the
Choosing to follow authority and the law is admirable and important in order to have a stable society; however, prioritizing family over all is imbedded in humanity. Family is part of one’s identity and greatly affects one's morals and opinions. If a person solely lives a rigid life, following authority over family, then compassion and the ability to be flexible is lost. Sophocles poses if authority or family is superior through the characters Antigone and Creon as their actions and opinions drastically contrast. Creon puts more importance on his rule and the law, while Antigone emphasizes the devotion to her bloodline and the gods. Antigone, although depicting that authority and the king’s rule is important, puts more importance
Creon has attributes such as ignorance, hubris, and self knowledge that distinguish him as being the tragic hero of Antigone. Creon’s presumptuous personality lead to his pitiful downfall. Creon’s qualities such as nobility and self knowledge show the positive aspects of being a tragic hero as well. Using a mix of these characteristics, Creon accurately exhibits the tragic hero of Antigone.
A tragic hero can be defined as someone with a substantial personality flaw that causes them to endure great suffering with a reversal of character near the end. Antigone possesses certain traits that could potentially render her the tragic hero, but Creon truly embodies all characteristics. Creon is the tragic hero in “Antigone” due to several qualities he displays throughout the play; he can’t accept a diminished view of himself, he endures great suffering and he is enlightened in the end. 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.
Other critics argue that Creon is the tragic hero of Antigone. They say that his noble quality is his caring for Antigone and Ismene when thier father was persecuted. Those who stand behind Creon also argue that Antigone never had a true epiphany, a key element in being a tragic hero. Creon, on the other hand, realized his mistake when Teiresias made his prophecy. He is forced to live, knowing that three people are dead because of his ignorance, which is a punishment worse than death.
There were some differences between Antigone and Creon. For instance, Antigone's action was more heroic than her uncle's action because, she defied the power of the state out of love for her brother and faith in her conscience" I was born to join in love, not hate that is my nature" and she spoke out against the king in this manner. She was first a woman and second she knew that her fate could be sealed if she didn't try to
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.
Creon was seen in a different context in Oedipus compared to his character in Antigone.
A person once said, “The Antigone [is] one of the most sublime and in every respect most excellent works of art of all time” (Hegel). The play Antigone [is] written in the 6th century by the writer Sophocles (Willocks). Sophocles is a play writer and he made tragedies more complex. A tragedy always ends in defeat or death, has a hero who is confronted by hostile forces and has a tragic hero who has to make a choice difficult moral choice. The main character is usually the tragic heroine. A tragic hero is a person who has a dramatic change in fortune, morally good, heroic in stature or social position, true to life and consistent (Willocks). Creon is the king and he believes whatever he said should be obeyed. He did not listen to the Greek
In Antigone, we see that Creon fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. As king of Thebes, he has the character traits that make him an extraordinary person and a tragic flaw that leads to his ultimate downfall. Although many dislike him, Creon’s journey as a tragic hero makes the audience pity him. Unlike comic book superheros, Creon is human. His mistakes are ones we can connect with. In life, we aren’t handed happy endings, and tragic heros like Creon show us this.
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.
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.
A tragic hero is supposed to either have a character flaw or an error of judgment. In the play, Creon has two flaws. He has the character flaw of willful arrogance and his unyielding behavior and he has the flaw of making and error of judgment when he passes the proclamation. Along with a character flaw, a tragic hero must realize the fall. Creon truly realizes his fall when he states “Alas, how miserable I feel to look upon this second horror.” (line 1430-1440) The mistakes that he made are exemplified when Creon states, “Alas, my son, you died so young a death before your time.”(line 1410) He is feeling so much regret and disappointment in himself. This is the first part in the play where he realizes his mistake in passing an unjust proclamation and accepts responsibility for all that has happened. It is the first time that he has woken up to the realities of what he has done to his family. He had already taken the first step towards repentance of his wrong doing when he personally sees to it that the body of Polynices received a proper burial. However, he was too late to rescue Haemon, Antigone, or his wife. Creon is truly paying the consequences of being inflexible and
Antigone thought at first that her actions were justified and righteous when it came to the question of morals and ethics. Creon was not at all different, believing that his way was the "right" way, or the way the "Gods" would have chosen. Both realized the mistake they made, and regretted it later, when it was too late.