The True Tragic Hero of Antigone

The qualifications of a tragic hero vary between Aristotle and Shakespeare. Aristotle thinks of a tragic hero as someone who is a noble character by choice and makes his/her own destiny, while Shakespeare sees a tragic hero as someone who is born of nobility and born to be important. Although both tragic hero's end in a tragic death that effects many people, not all tragic hero's fit perfectly into both categories. In Sophocles’ Antigone, Creon is considered a tragic hero. Creon follows Aristotle's…

What makes a hero? In our society, a hero is thought of as a tall man who wears a cape and has super powers, but to the Greeks, it was very different. In every Greek tragedy, there is the tragic hero, defined by Aristotle as a character who is an extraordinary person, with both good and bad qualities. Although the character reaches a level of insight, a tragic flaw, such as hamartia, leads to their failure in the end. A perfect example of this can be found in Sophocles’ trilogy, The Theban Plays…

The True Tragic Hero of Creon in Sophocles' Antigone There has always been a great debate over who is the true tragic hero in Sophocles' Antigone. Many scholars would stake claim to Antigone possessing all the necessary characteristics of a true tragic hero, but many others would argue that Creon holds many qualities as well. It is hard to discount Antigone as a tragic hero, because in fact, the play bears her name, but from careful reading, Creon meets Aristotle's criteria exactly and fits…

Greek tragic hero. In fact, Aristotle had Oedipus specifically in mind when he first set down the requirements for tragedy in his Poetics. However, in other Greek tragedies, the tragic hero isn’t always so easy to identify. For example, in the play Antigone, the reader may have some difficulty deciding who the tragic hero is. Nevertheless, a careful examination of the facts reveals that Antigone is the true tragic heroine because she’s brave, flawed, and noble. Antigone is a tragic hero because…

Antigone: Not the Tragic Hero Sophocles, a great tragedian, was the one who gave Greek tragedies their traditional form. An important part of traditional Greek tragedies is the presence of a tragic hero. All tragic heroes should have the characteristics of rank, a tragic flaw, a downfall, and a recognition of mistakes. The seemingly tragic hero is Antigone. She wants to bury her brother Polyneices even though this would be going against Creon, who is her uncle and the king. When Antigone buries…

A Tragic Hero 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…

first established during the fourth century in the Poetics, where he defines what makes a tragic hero. Aristotle suggests that a tragic hero is a character who has a high social standing and embodies great nobility in his/her personality. They are neither a villain nor are they entirely good, but a person somewhat like us, raised to a higher position in society. In addition, the downfall of a tragic hero is caused by fault of their own, often through arrogance or pride, as the result of free…

Antigone is a Tragic Hero A subject of debate in Sophocles’ play Antigone is which character complies with the characteristics of a tragic hero. The qualities that constitute a tragic hero are, in no particular order, having a high social position, not being overly good or bad, isolation, being tenacious in their actions, arousing pity in the audience, a revelatory manifestation, and having a single flaw that brings about their own demise and the demise of others around them. Creon possesses…

Greece, Sophocles wrote the greatly admired tragedy, Antigone. Antigone includes many themes such as Freedom, Protection of Personal Dignity, Obedience to Civil Law, Protection of Community/Nation, Loyalty/Obligation to Family, and Observance of Religious Law. Many of the Greek tragedies that have been written include a tragic hero that has his/her tragic flaw. In Antigone there are two main characters; Creon, the tyrant king of Thebes, and Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. One of these…

Antigone as a tragic hero The debate over who is the tragic hero in Antigone is unanswered. The belief that Antigone is the hero is a tough one. Antigone is widely thought of as the tragic hero of the play bearing her name. She would seem to fit the part in light of the fact that she dies for doing what she believes is right. She buries her brother without worrying what might happen to her. Unlike Antigone, Ismene says “And break the law, our death will be more shameful even then theirs” (pg.5…