Antigone, the Tragic Heroine
There is still a great debate on who is, in fact, the true tragic hero in Sophocles' Antigone. Many hold that it must be Antigone, herself; after all, the play does bear her name. I conclude that she is the actual heroine, for she perfectly exemplifies the meaning of tragic hero. In order to determine whether or not Antigone is the true tragic hero, one will first have to answer the question, what is a tragic hero? Aristotle, when discussing the nature of such a hero in his theory of drama, states that such a hero is neither purely innocent nor purely evil. This person is usually born high in the ranks of society and must also possess a tragic flaw, which originates from within and usually manifests itself through poor judgment and/or extreme arrogance. The tragic flaw also dooms the character to a ruinous and inevitable destiny. In a tragedy, this should arouse pity in the audience, and the character should show to have recognized the essential actuality. Antigone has all of these qualities, and therefore, she is the true tragic heroine. The first qualifying aspect is that Antigone is of a high social standing in Thebes. Because of her high standing she is capable of great suffering, in that she has a lot of fame and regard
She fits every requirement marked by every characteristic of a tragic hero. Again, with stunning decisiveness, the horrors resulting from the sins of superiority are laid out, showing the audience the need of maintaining balance and a calm manner in our own actions, despite the situation. Creon is defeated by his own actions, and Antigone's own tragic death marks the beginning of that defeat. A hero must be noble in his customs. Creon, despite the counsel of several people, feels that regardless of the people's opinion, Antigone must be executed for her "traitorous actions". Her choice to bury Polynices is what the play revolves around. All of Thebes sympathizes with Antigone, especially after she has been sentenced to death. Antigone also shows signs of overbearing pride, which is also her tragic flaw. But the true epiphany in this play would have been right before Antigone hung herself, when she realized what has become of her life due to her own fatal flaw. He never obtains any sympathy from characters or the audience, and does not produce a single flaw which brings about the demise of himself and everyone around him. It is obvious that she had the pity of the entire city except for Creon. Since she was to be married to Creon's son Haemon, the whole city seemed to know how tragic her life had become. Although Creon closely resembles what a tragic hero must be, it is clear that Antigone is the true tragic hero. The tragic hero is relatively a good and an honorable person, but disaster comes due to a moral fault.
Common topics in this essay:
Sophocles' Antigone,
Meaning Antigone's,
Antigone Mix,
Oedipus Despite,
King Creon,
tragic hero,
tragic flaw,
,
true tragic,
true tragic hero,
innocent nor,
son haemon,
balance calm,
antigone true,
antigone's downfall,
own actions,
calm manner,
antigone true tragic,
balance calm manner,
|
Acceptance Essays
