Out of the plays studied during this class, there is hardly a better example of the hero being so integral to the play’s plot and themes than Antigone. Antigone, whose name is the title of the play, strives to do what is right, despite being opposed by the law and her sister’s lack of initial support. Standing up to a seemingly invincible dictator with nothing but her convictions, the story of Antigone is empowering. Essentially, most of the lessons taught through Antigone are taught through the hero and the journey she goes through. By focusing on and analyzing Antigone’s role as the hero, it becomes obvious that Antigone is a true example of heroic archetypes, an idea that is strengthened by her motivations, as well as that Antigone’s values …show more content…
In Antigone’s case, her life would certainly be a mix between a quest for vengeance and a tragic quest. The initial stage, or as we learned, “Departure”, is certainly in the first scene when she confides in her sister that she wishes to bury her brother. She is then “initiated” when she confronts Creon and is willingly arrested for her deeds in giving her brother his last rites (1497), as she has accepted her fate and develops her resolve and convictions for her actions. Her “road of trials” is shown throughout her main struggles with Creon, such as when he threatens not only Antigone, but her sister (1498), and even when she threatens her marriage and expects his son, her future husband, to take his side (1500). Antigone then approaches her “innermost cave” quite literally when she is lead to die in her tomb, weeping and contemplating her own life and eventually taking it (1519). Overall, Antigone’s life is truly a hero’s journey, but because she is a tragic hero, she never experiences reintegration with society. However, her knowledge, in a way, is spread to society through her death, as Creon weeps over his mistakes and the misfortune that he has brought upon
Antigone’s stubbornness is not what makes her successful in life but what drove her to her own destruction. In Antigone Creon becomes king of Thebes because Oedipus got exiled for killing Laius which is his own father. While Creon is king Eteocles and Polyneices get into a fight which results in both of them dying. As a result, Creon grants proper burial to Eteocles but not Polyneices which makes Antigone upset because they are her brothers and she believes that both of them should of been gaven a proper burial. Since Creon has granted those right Antigone goes and buries Polyneices against Creon's order. While she is burying him one of the guards see her and turns her into Creon. Creon arrests her and sends her to a cave that is far away from civilization. While she is in the cave she hangs herself. Antigone is the hero of the
Antigone's tragedy was a story that is unbearable, and horrific when it is fully understood in the sense of the magnitude of all of the factors that came together to form a fragile, problematic situation. The joint murder of her brothers that was committed against each other, they turned against each other, driven by the lust for power and control. An opinion about how and why the conflict began, is that megalomania was an overwhelming aspect of the provocateur. Creon’s choice between honoring one brother and leaving the other to decompose shamefully with no honor at all. The way these enabling events led to the formation of a partially self-detrimental plan by Antigone, who was appalled that a decision such as that could've even been considered, much less imposed. For her to deal with the turn of events in such a quick succession can be seen as cruel and unbearable, which is one of the aspects
Readers will think Antigone is the tragic hero of this story because she is very independent and is very determined when she puts her mind up to something. Some people would consider her a role model and she would be someone that they would look up to. She sets her mind to bury her brother even though she knew it against the law. “But I will
Creon’s tragedy was being king and having to show a good example to the citizens of Thebes in order to help it stay together after the war. This lead to a struggle between moral beliefs and the maintaining law which was more clearly explored in the film. Antigone felt that it was more important to keep her promise to her brother than following the law that was placed that would endanger her life. Even with many opportunities to save her life she decided to continue in her goal of burying her brother. The ideas expressed by the chorus reveal the characters like Creon and Antigone lead themselves to their own fates through their
The story “Antigone” has a epic and tragic hero like every other story does; and what this will be about is, who represents a epic hero and why they do. In the story, the person who best represents a epic hero is Antigone; and the reason for that is, she shows exceptional amounts of compassion. Through the story, she wants for her brother to get the burial he deserves and goes through many obstacles and suffering the consequences for helping him.
Her defiance of Creon's decision exemplifies the tragic consequences of hubris, as the king's pride precipitates a cascade of catastrophic events. Moreover, Antigone's inexorable fate, intertwined with her commitment to divine law, underscores the theme of fate versus free will, emphasizing the force of destiny in shaping human
Antigone is one of the two central characters of the play, along with Creon. Like Creon, she too has a claim to being the tragic hero of Antigone. Her first qualifying aspect is being introduced as a good, upstanding person. She is kind-hearted and caring, especially for her family as she was willing to defy her uncle’s royal edict forbidding the burial of her fallen brother Polyneices. She is also a person of high-esteem and stature. As the daughter of the late King Oedipus and Queen Jocasta, as well as the current King Creon’s niece, Antigone is well known throughout Thebes. She is also slated to marry Haemon, Creon’s son. Thus, she is essentially seen as a princess and is adored by the Theban people. The next qualifying aspect is her relatability
To begin, Antigone demonstrates her head-strong and determined behaviour throughout the play; through her actions and many dialogues, Antigone proves to be inflexible and unshakable at times. In addition, A World Enclosed outlines that the hero in the tragedy is not admirable or heroic at all, but rather, they have a destructive flaw to their character that sparks tragedy to unfold. By the same token, Antigone's determination and stubbornness, and arguably many more flaws, ignite tragedy in this story as well. This is demonstrated when Antigone is
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
With that being said, Antigone is having more of an internal battle, which later becomes an external as well. Antigone loses her brothers, and she feels that she must take measures to make sure her brothers both equally receive the proper burial. “Listen, Ismene: Creon buried our brother, Eteocles, with military honors, gave him a soldier's funeral, and it was right that he should--but Polyneices, who fought as bravely and died as miserably--they say that Creon has sworn no one shall bury him, no one mourn for him, but his body must lie in the fields, a sweet treasure for carrion birds to find as they search for food. That is what they say, and our good Creon is coming here to announce it publicly; and the penalty--stoning to death in the public square! There it is, and now you can prove what you are: a true sister, or a traitor to your family” (Sophocles’ Line 9-14). Antigone is struggling to cope with the perception that her own uncle is choosing to go against the family will. Antigone fairly declares her opposition to her sister, but she finds herself standing alone through her journey. Creon can restrict her life, because he is the overhead of her. Even though he is her uncle; he can still take away her freedom, because he is king of Thebes. Similar to Thoreau’s hardship, Antigone is convinced that the supervision
Antigone was a princess of Thebes, the niece of Creon, who sought out to go against the king’s edict in order to bury her deceased brother. A significant imperfection to her personality was her everlasting stubbornness. In one part of the play, Choragus has even proclaimed that Antigone was “headstrong” and “ deaf to reason”, who has “never learned to yield”. It is this imperfection that influenced her to provoke Creon by saying “I beg you: kill me”, as well as calling him a “ fool that convicts me of folly”. Antigone did not entirely deserve to be buried alive in an enclosed cave for her actions, yet is was herself that brought about her miserable outcome, by committing suicide. She may be a tragic character in the play, but she also had characteristics that contradict with the definition of a tragic hero. She was always aware of the effect her actions would have on her wellbeing, yet did not gain this understanding after her death sentence. Also, Antigone’s misfortune was not completely unfortunate, for in the end, Haemon joined her in the underworld and “ she is at last his bride in the house of the
In the story, Antigone by Sophocle is a Greek tragedy whose characters misfortunes lead to their final deaths. This play is about a royal family’s cured and King Creon’s selfish ways. Antigone is a young royal lady who fights for her beliefs and defies the king’s ruling by burying her dead brother. In the end, to the king’s dismay, finds that all his loved ones, dead. Creon and Antigone differ from each other by how Antigone is loyal, beliefs, and consideration.
A tragic hero is a character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw, which combined with fate, results into a tragedy. The tragic hero must fall from good luck and well being to misery and misfortune. The tragic hero causes a sense of pity through the tragic downfall that weakens the character. In Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone follows her own beliefs by giving her brother a proper burial, even if she has to break the law of King Creon. Because of her innocent actions, Antigone is punished unjustly and unfairly. Through her risky and unselfish actions, ability to follow her own beliefs, and perseverance Antigone is the tragic hero of this play.
Even though Antigone exhibits a blamable pride and a hunger for glory, her disobedience is less serious than those of Creon. It is evident that Antigone’s actions are driven by a love for her brother, and a desire to please the gods. While Creon’s actions are
In Antigone, Antigone’s behavior turns out to be the sole cause of all the problems within the play. Usually, the protagonist’s choices lead to the crux of the tragedy. In Antigone, the main character, Antigone, portrays the role of the protagonist. Antigone’s determination to commit heresy initiated all the chaos within the play. Often, the crux of the tragedy affects the protagonist and innocent bystanders. The first being Antigone’s lover, Haimon, who was the son of Creon and Eurydice, Creon’s wife. Due to Antigone taking her own life, Haimon ends up taking his life as well. This action, allegedly, being done out of sadness for his lover, “Haimon lay beside hers, his arms about her waist, lamenting her, his love lost under ground, crying out that his father has stolen her away from him” (Sophocles 5.960-963). The second being Haimon’s mother, Eurydice, who likewise killed herself, but this time, out of sadness for