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Antigone Tragic Hero Essay

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In Greek tragedies, a tragic hero embodies someone of an important social position that achieves a recognition of fate, destiny, or will of the gods. The tragic hero also has a desire to do good deeds, exhibits virtues, and displays character traits or morals “better” than the other characters. In the play, Antigone, written by Sophocles, Antigone embodies the tragic hero because she achieves recognition of the will of the gods, she displays better character traits and morals than the other characters, and she has a desire to do good for her family.
Throughout the play, Antigone achieves recognition of the will of the gods regarding the death and burial of her brother, Polyneices. Antigone strongly believes that the fulfillment of the will of the gods is much more important than obeying an order from Creon, a mortal king. For example, Antigone retorts to Creon, “Nor did I think your orders were so strong that you, a mortal man, could over-run the gods’ unwritten and unfailing laws” (Sophocles 14). Antigone explicitly states that she will not obey Creon’s orders since they infringe on her duty to the gods. This statement reveals Antigone’s tenacity and passion for fulfilling this duty. When Antigone states “unwritten and unfailing laws” it shows how she believes …show more content…
These qualities make Antigone the tragic hero of this Greek tragedy. She overcomes the obstacles of Creon’s orders and Ismene’s protests to give her brother, Polyneices, the honorable burial that he deserves. Antigone, the protagonist, demonstrates the qualities which make her the tragic hero of the play, Antigone. It is significant to cast Antigone as the tragic hero, because when interpreting Antigone as the tragic hero, the reader leaves with the message that a person’s hunger for power can lead to their

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