A True Hero in Antigone
Throughout the ages, people have come and gone. Some are lucky enough to be thought of as heroes. As a hero, one should have certain qualities. Though different characteristics are used to describe heroes, they all require an admiration from someone. Compassion, courage, and loyalty are three traits that are among the most important a hero should have. King David, Antigone, and Robin Hood all possessed these qualities. King David is a historical figure that comes from the Bible. He lived around one thousand B.C. and was born as a shepherd (Doss 10-143). While David was still young, God sent a man named Samuel to anoint him as the next king. Traveling as a young boy, David killed a giant with only a sling and a stone, and then cut the giant’s head off with his sword. King Saul, the first king of Israel, heard of this and summoned David to be a warrior for his army and play the harp for him. Saul became jealous of David and his favor with the people. After numerous attempts to kill him, David fled. David remained a warrior even after he had. After Saul’s death, David was appointed to be the second king of Israel. To keep his people happy he conquered Jerusalem and made it the capitol. David wrote many chapters in the book of Psalms (Bible 301-371). Antigone comes from the play Antigone by Sophocles. The play was written and performed around four hundred B.C. She was born as a princess and had two brothers and a sister. The two brothers had been at war and after their deaths Antigone tried to give her one brother the burial he was entitled to. The king ordered that no one would bury him and Antigone was arrested for doing so. During her punishment, Antigone’s fiancé went to the ki...
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...ny blame for Antigone’s own actions. She then stays loyal to her beliefs by not lying to the king and by keeping her conviction of what she thought was right (Sophocles 744 – 792). Robin Hood was loyal to the poor and remained steadfast in helping them throughout his life even though he was faced with diversity. He was loyal to his followers, the Merry Men, and kept them as safe as possible. Robin Hood didn’t let anything get in the way of his goal of helping the poor (Encarta).
Most of the heroes today encompass at least these three qualities. Many movie characters will have one or two of these characteristics but may not have all three. If the character does have the three, they are usually not simultaneous. These qualities are hard to embrace in the world today. Anyone that can integrate compassion, courage, and loyalty in one personality is a true hero.
... do, for all your crown and your trappings, and your guards—all that you can do is to have me killed”( Sophocles190 ).This kind of bravery ultimately proves that Antigone is courageous and willing to stand up to man and do so openly in pride. This kind of courageousness was rare for women of that time. Antigone dies bravely and in loyalty of her brother and because of this she is a model of a strong female protagonist as she clearly did not abide do gender expectations.
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.
Every generation has its own heroes that display, what they believe to be, ideal characteristics. While each is different in their own way, many of these role models share similar qualities. Most tend to have courage, strength, compassion, or another respected trait, but this is not necessarily why they win the adoration of their followers.
basically serves as a building block to her being admirable. Certain examples through out the play
Antigone is a Greek tragic piece that stresses the use of power and morality versus the law written by Sophocles. Both Antigone and Creon, the main characters in the play, could represent the tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character who is known for being dignified and has a flaw that assists to his or her downfall. In my opinion, Creon best qualifies for being the tragic hero and fitting the definition read in the previous sentence. The things he said, did, and the comments that were made by those around him show how a man with everything could lose it all due to his own behavior.
Third, Antigone is a wonderful example of a martyr. Her legacy will live on, and inspire many other rebels to stand up for their beliefs. Antigone dared to defy the King’s threat of death to bury her brother, and shows true family pride. The people take pity on Antigone, and feel that she should be let alone. Haemon, Creon's son and Antigone's betrothed, states how the people of Thebes feel. “On every side I hear voices of pity for this poor girl doomed to the cruelest death…for an honorable action-burying a brother who was killed in battle…has she not rather earned a crown of gold” (
The opening events of the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, quickly establish the central conflict between Antigone and Creon. Creon has decreed that the traitor Polynices, who tried to burn down the temple of gods in Thebes, must not be given proper burial. Antigone is the only one who will speak against this decree and insists on the sacredness of family and a symbolic burial for her brother. Whereas Antigone sees no validity in a law that disregards the duty family members owe one another, Creon's point of view is exactly opposite. He has no use for anyone who places private ties above the common good, as he proclaims firmly to the Chorus and the audience as he revels in his victory over Polynices. He sees Polynices as an enemy to the state because he attacked his brother. Creon's first speech, which is dominated by words such as "authority” and "law”, shows the extent to which Creon fixates on government and law as the supreme authority. Between Antigone and Creon there can be no compromise—they both find absolute validity in the respective loyalties they uphold.
Antigone is a play about a woman who disobeyed the King's order to not bury her brother. The play was written by the famous Greek tragedian, Sophocles, in 441 B.C. The story took place in the city of Thebes and the time period is not mentioned. The main characters introduced in the play are of Antigone, Ismene, Creon, and Haemon. The primary focus was centered on Antigone and the consequences she faces after breaking the King's orders.
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)
Neither Creon nor Antigone, were either all bad or all good. Creon while tyrant like only wanted Thebes to flourish, Antigone while showing honor to her brother never stopped to really consider the effect that her actions would have on others.
In Sophocles’ Antigone, Antigone saw her action of burying her brother as a just one. It may not have been just in the eyes of Creon and the people of Thebes, but she was not concerned with the laws that mortals had made. Antigone saw the divine laws of the gods to be much more important than those of mortals. She felt that if she died while upholding the laws of the gods, that her afterlife would be better than if she had not. Our lives on this earth are so short, that to see a good afterlife over the horizon will make people go against the laws of humans.
I ruled out that Antigone probably was a tragic hero to a lesser extent, however, when she started to question her actions. A real hero of any sort always does what they think is right. Since Creon still hadn't changed his mind at that point, I was perplexed on who would become the one who regretted their actions later, and was eventually going to experience a catharsis.
In order for Antigone to be the tragic character, she first must be a good
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
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.