...suffering, or defeat.” Though Creon at points can fill the role of a tragic hero in Antigone, Antigone is the only character to truly play the part of one. Sophocles writes tragedies, which are named after the tragic hero in each specific play. As in Oedipus Rex, the piece of theatre is named after the tragic hero, Oedipus. Thus only clarifying why Sophocles named one of his plays Antigone, the title being based off of the main tragic hero role. Antigone is a more appropriate title for the play Antigone because of Antigone’s immense bravery and individuality in behalf of her late brother, creating the plot in the play due...
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...Who is the tragic hero of Antigone? Aristotle defines a tragic hero as one with a fatal flaw that leads to a reversal of fortune, or peripeteia. This fatal flaw is often Hubris, which is excessive pride. Creon fits all these roles, therefore he should be labelled as the tragic hero of Antigone. Creon also faces anagnorisis, in which the tragic hero realizes the situation they're in and is often followed by regret. Not only that, but Creon's fatal flaw, excessive pride, impacts the story more than Antigone did. As previously stated, Creon's flaw is his excessive pride and arrogance. In the story of Antigone, Creon gives Antigone's brother, Eteocles, a proper burial, but refuses to bury Polynices for betraying their city and leaves him out to rot. Antigone was appalled by this and for the sake of family and love went against Creon's wishes and buried Polynices. Antigone is eventually caught doing so and is sent to Creon. Creon, being arrogant as always, insists on Antigone being killed for her actions....
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...the story, Antigone, all character’s emotion influence their way of acting. Antigone’s loyalty got in her way and broke the law. She went against Creon’s law and buried Polyneices. Creon’s anger made him blind against reason. He wouldn’t listen to anybody. Haimon’s love for Antigone made him go against his father. He ended up killing himself at the end. Antigone’s loyalty and pride led her to her downfall. She went against Creon’s Law on not burying Polyneices.She still did these because of her loyalty to her family and the god’s laws. She only wanted to be remembered for burying Polyneices.She didn’t let Ismene help her or take any guilt for it. After doing all these, she ended up locked in a vault for the rest of her life. She ended...
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...Who ever thought that Creon, a fearsome king and leader, would yearn to see death come quickly to his side. Antigone, by Sophocles, takes place in the City of Thebes, ruled by King Creon after he came to the throne. After King Creon declared a decree stating that Eteocles would have burial rights while Polyneices would rot, unburied. Antigone was angered and buried her brother, Polyneices. Creon punished her by sending her locked away to a vault. That causes a series of events to unfold. Following the suicide of Haimon, Creon’s son, Queen Eurydice and Antigone, Creon’s niece, both fall victims of death. King Creon is considered a tragic hero, the main character in a tragedy who suffers a downfall caused by his/her tragic flaws, because he made...
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...well established theme in Antigone is the right of the individual to reject society's infringement on her freedom to perform a personal obligation,[14] obvious in Antigone's refusal to let Creon dictate what she is allowed to do with her family members. She says to Ismene about Creon's edict, "He has no right to keep me from my own."[15] Related to this theme is the question whether Antigone's will to bury her brother is based on rational thought or instinct, a debate whose contributors include greats like Goethe.[14] [edit] Natural law and contemporary legal institutions In Antigone, Sophocles asks the question, which law is greater: the gods' or man's. Sophocles votes for the law of the gods. He does this in order to save Athens from the moral destruction which seems imminent. Sophocles wants to warn his countrymen about hubris, or arrogance, because he knows this will be their downfall. In Antigone, the hubris of Creon is revealed. [edit] Civil disobedience The contrasting views of Creon and Antigone with regard to laws higher than those of state inform their different conclusions about civil disobedience. Creon demands obedience to the law above all else, right or wrong. He says that "there is nothing worse than disobedience to authority" (An. 671). Antigone responds with the idea that state law is not absolute, and that it can be broken in civil disobedience in extreme cases, such as honoring the gods, whose rule and authority outweigh Creon's. [edit] Citizenship The...
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...The True Tragic Hero of Antigone Since early Greek and Roman times, authors havecreated stories following the life of a tragic hero. Tragic heroes, though they are noble, have a hamartia, or a fatal flaw that causes their inevitable downfall. Sophocles utilizes the role of tragic hero to develop the theme of pride in Anitigone. The protagonist of the play is repeatedly misconceived because Sophocles develops the roles of multiple characters into ones that could be interpreted as a tragic hero. Creon is a member of the royal family of Thebes who becomes king. In assuming this role of immense power and responsibility, he faces misfortunes that lead him to tragedy. The often-misunderstood Creon is the true tragic hero in Sophocles’ play...
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...Sophocles’ Greek tragedy Antigone, Antigone has the responsibility of being loyal to her brother, Polynices. Her intuition and strong will discourages her from listening to the power of the state, thus disobeying part of her family, to respect her immediate family. Her devotion leads to the destruction of Creon and herself. Proving that Antigone’s role as a part of a family, does not stand in her determination to do what she believes to be right. It is for this reason that she is willing to destroy herself and Creon to fulfill her duty to both her immediate family and the Gods above. In order to understand Antigone’s actions and motivation, it is important to understand the importance of what a proper burial is to the people of ancient Greece. Unlike most religions, the Greek did not believe in the reward and punishment concept after death. They did not believe that good people went to heaven, while the evil suffered in hell. They believed that life after death was a sad and miserable affair, and the dead deserved to rest in peace. They believed in the importance of a proper burial, as proposed and supported by the gods. The gods mandated the way people lived their everyday life, and how they lived their life after death. The general belief of the people, was that those who did not get a proper burial would not get any peace. They would spend their time wandering by the river Styx for eternity, while also being denied entrance to the underworld. Creon’s decision to deny Polynices...
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...Antigone And The Position Of Women The play “Antigone” is a Greek tragedy written by the author Sophocles. In the play there are many important themes displayed throughout the plot. One important theme is that of the position of woman in 442 BC. During the time that “Antigone” was written women were looked at as the weaker sex. Antigone however believed that she was as strong as the men that ruled in her society which led to her downfall. Ultimately women in this period were treated as unimportant and weaker than the men that lived in that time. Men had ruled the towns and cities that occupied the land and the women had performed the duties that men had assigned to them. In 442 BC women believed that they were the inferior sex when compared to the men that lived during that time because men had power and influence over the people and cities. Ismene says “You ought to realize we are only women, not meant in nature to fight against men, and that we are ruled, by those who are stronger” (lines 70-73). These words said my Ismene prove that women looked at themselves as a weaker sex than the men. Ismene believes that as women, both her and her sister Antigone should not and cannot disobey Creon’s orders by burying their own brother. In this time period women feared the men that ruled over them although Antigone had the strength mentally to rebel. The ruling class of the men thought of themselves in much higher standing and importance than that of women. Creon, the king of the...
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...ANTIGONE Antigone is a tragedy by Sophocles written in or before 441 BC. Chronologically, it is the third of the three Theban plays but was written first. The play expands on the Theban legend that predated it and picks up where Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes ends. This play is based on the life story of Antigone, the daughter of Oeudipe and Jocaste. It is a legend of her sacrifice for her loved ones, her believes and her honour. Antigone’s brother Polynice had betrayed his country and died during the war. Creon, the king of Thebes had refused to give him a burial. Antigone is outraged by this decision and goes as far as sacrificing her life, to give her brother a burial he deserves. Even law of the king does not stop her from doing what she thinks is right. Antigone is the tragic heroine of the play and this play revolves around her struggle against the autocratic laws of the state. Even she manages to give Polynice a rightful burial but, this burial costs Antigone her life. SYNOPSIS In the beginning of the play, two brothers leading opposite sides in Thebes' civil war died fighting each other for the throne. Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, has decided that Eteocles will be honored and Polyneices will be in public shame. The rebel brother's body will not be sanctified by holy rites, and will lie unburied on the battlefield, prey for carrion animals like worms and vultures, the harshest punishment at the time. Antigone and Ismene are the sisters of the dead Polyneices...
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...The term tragic hero is when a literary character makes a judgement error which ultimately results in their downfall. Famous author, Sophocles, wrote a popular play in the genre of drama known as “Antigone”, he explains what the effects of character interaction have on a given person. In this play he describes what happens when the characters Antigone, sister of Ismene, and Creon, ruler of the state clash and contribute to Creon’s development as a tragic hero, and to the plot of the play. In “Antigone”, the two brothers of Ismene and Antigone, Polyneices and Eteocles, end up killing each other due to supporting different sides of the Thebes’ Civil War. Creon, the new ruler decided that Eteocles will have an honorable burial, while the other will be laid unburied for the animals to eat upon....
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...Antigone Antigone is very much her father’s daughter, and she begins her play with the same swift decisiveness with which Oedipus began his. Within the first fifty lines, she is planning to defy Creon’s order and bury Polynices. Unlike her father, however, Antigone possesses a remarkable ability to remember the past. Whereas Oedipus defies Tiresias, the prophet who has helped him so many times, and whereas he seems almost to have forgotten his encounter with Laius at the three-way crossroads, Antigone begins her play by talking about the many griefs that her father handed down to his children. Because of her acute awareness of her own history, Antigone is much more dangerous than Oedipus, especially to Creon. Aware of the kind of fate her family has been allotted, Antigone feels she has nothing to lose. The thought of death at Creon’s hands that so terrifies Ismene does not even faze Antigone, who looks forward to the glory of dying for her brother. Yet even in her expression of this noble sentiment, we see the way in which Antigone continues to be haunted by the perversion that has destroyed her family. Speaking about being killed for burying Polynices, she says that she will lie with the one she loves, loved by him, and it is difficult not to hear at least the hint of sexual overtones, as though the self-destructive impulses of the Oedipus family always tend toward the incestuous. Antigone draws attention to the difference between divine law and human law. More than any...
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...The question of who is right and who is wrong in Antigone between the two main characters, Creon and Antigone, is an issue that is directly dependant on the gods. In this case, it is Antigone who is right and Creon who is wrong in their decisions. Antigone's reasons were just and accepting of the gods' control when she accepted her fate, while Creon indirectly assumes control for himself by disregarding and disrespecting the gods which results in his unprepared outcome. It is important to understand the reasoning behind the characters' decision-making and how these decisions relate to the gods in order to understand the purpose of the story's outcome and it's sound chain of events. It is known that following the gods with respect is a sign of good fate and righteousness. Antigone is respectful of the gods throughout the story and even complies with her fate as she makes her final decision of whether to go through with her burial plans for Polynices. However, Creon is disrespectful many times towards the gods, in particular when he insults Zeus, when talking about Polynices' dead corpse, by saying " But you will never cover up that corpse, not if the very eagles tear their food from him, and leave it at the throne of Zeus." (Antigone, lines 1039-1041). Creon is wrong in disgracing Zeus' throne and presuming his own commands stand stronger than Zeus'. It is clear in the text that Creon has forgotten that the power that has been bestowed on him as a king would never amount the...
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...What goes up, must come down. This can often apply to characters in literature. In the tragedy Antigone, by Sophocles, Creon, a hard headed, recently crowned king loses everything he holds dear. Creon’s stubborn pride leads him to make a series of regrettable decisions that have catastrophic consequences for his people, his family, and himself. His blindness to his rank and status as king suggests that he let his morals get the best of him, from what was actually morally right. Initially, by the laws of God, Creon enforces a law that forbids his nephew Polyneices to be buried, for he thinks of him as a traitor. Though he is newly crowned, Creon’s first Law is pretty strict. Anyone who argues against him is sentenced to death. You can clearly see his strict order of law, and law enforcement. Creon doesn’t take no for an answer. Once he is told someone disobeyed his law, he begins to rage in anger, and even threatens the sentry who told him the news, that he would kill him, making others fearful of him. Creon's wife, along with other people such as his son Haemon, disagree with his decision to sentence Antigone, Polyneices sister, to death when he finds out it was her who broke his law, and buried her brother out of respect for the family. He refuses to listen to the others. They believe what he...
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...Rachel Arber Professor Herron Literature 201 November 16, 2013 Antigone: A Rose Amongst Thorns In his fifth century play, Antigone, Sophocles invites the reader on a journey of power, heroism, and feminism. Oedipus’s sons, Eteocles and Polyneices, have killed each other in a battle over who will take over their father’s throne. Creon, the current King of Thebes, has now declared that Polyneices betrayed him and forbids him to have a proper burial. Antigone, sister of Polyneices, feels that her brother’s body needs to have full respect and decides she is going to bury her brother. She discusses this plan with her sister Ismene who sends her off with her disapproval to bury their beloved Polyneices. Antigone is caught red handed by Creon’s guards and they bring her in to the king. Antigone admits to the fact that she has gone against the law and has given her brother a proper burial, but defends her actions saying that the gods would have wanted this. As a consequence for her actions, Creon sentences Antigone to her death and banishes her to a cave. After much deliberation he regrets his decision. However, it is too late as Creon finds Antigone has taken her own life. Through her actions of bravery and defiance Antigone exemplifies true feminist ideals. She is a shining example of a woman who stands for what she believes. Antigone proves to be a hero in every generation, but especially in her time. In fifth century Greece women were seen as having no influence...
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... Antigone Antigone returns to her home city-state of Thebes to discover both of her brothers, Polynices and Eteocles, have murdered each other. Creon, her uncle who is now king, has decreed that no man shall bury Polynices because he has been declared a traitor. Whoever dares to defy the law will be put to death in unimaginably harsh manners. Antigone is caught and is sentenced to death. However, by the time Creon has figured out he was wrong, Antigone has already hung herself. Her fiancé Haimon, who is Creon’s son, has also committed suicide. Haimon’s mother, who is Queen Eurydice has followed suit and has committed suicide as well. Antigone’s devotion to her values and beliefs are what make her such a powerful female lead. Throughout the play, she shows the difference between having loyalty in what you believe is true and what the state declares as true. After analyzing this theme, it is clear that having loyalty to yourself and your family is much more important than loyalty to the laws created by the government. The first scene of Antigone portrays the protagonist Antigone and her sister Ismene disagreeing about burying Polynices and defying Creon. Antigone’s loyalty remains with her dead brothers and her own values and beliefs. Antigone divulges to Ismene her incredible plan to sneak away to bury her traitorous brother. Ismene however, wants no part in the project Antigone has decided to take on, because Ismene believes...
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