Antigone, the Tragic Hero Essay

Antigone, the Tragic Hero

In the play, from Antigone, Sophocles portrays Antigone as the tragic hero. The King, Creon, possesses some of the qualities that constitute a tragic character, but does not have all of the necessary traits. Antigone, however, contains all of the aspects that are required for her to be considered the tragic hero. She is more of a hero then Creon for many reasons; she is brave, a good and upstanding person, she focuses on becoming a better person, and is consistent in her behavior. Antigone also obtains a fatal flaw that brings about her down fall.

Antigone is a tragic heroine because she is brave. One instance where Antigone shows bravery is when she is talking to Ismene about attempting to give her brother, Polyneices, a proper burial, I will bury him; and if I must die/I say that this crime is holy (Sophocles, Scene 1, 1023). This quote demonstrates that Antigone is brave because she is determined to at least try to give Polyneices a proper burial. She is willing to give her life just so that Polyneices will be buried. She is not afraid to lose her life and she is proud of herself. Antigone follows the laws of gods before those of men because she is courageous and determined to get what she believes is the right thing to do. These reasons are why Antigone is a brave character.

Antigone is a good-hearted person and has committed no crime up to her decision to give Polyneices a proper burial. There is no doubt that Antigone is an upstanding person because she states, I deny nothing (Scene 1, 52). When confronted about the illegal deed that she committed, she came out and did the right thing and did not try and hide what she had done. That is the reason that Antigone is a good hearted-person.

Antigone illustrates working towards becoming a better person by her effort toclear her conscious and bring honor to her family by giving Polyneices adecent burial. She states to Ismene to show her reasoning, I shall lie down/With him in death, and I shall be as dear/To him as he to me (Scene 1, 56-58). Antigone takes responsibility by denying Ismenes involvement in her crime, You would not help me You shall not lessen my death by sharing it (Scene 2, 132-139). By doing that, Antigone shows that she has acquired a greater courage within herself than she had possessed before. Antigone strives to become a better person as shown by the statements above.

Antigone is also very consistent in her behavior, and does not demonstrate a dynamic personality. Throughout the entire play, Antigone stands by her beliefs and keeps her attitude constant. As Antigone is charged with the burying of her brother, an action which the King has declared unlawful, she holds like stone to her undying gratitude for her deceased brother. She holds to this thought because of the fact that she believes that her, who died fighting against the state, must be interred with the same honor as her brother who died defending the state. Antigone has the same behavior throughout the play.

Antigone's flaws are her headstrong behavior, her stubbornness, and her overbearing pride in her family which ultimately brought about her demise and the downfall of those around her.Her stubbornness of course, is what forces Antigone to rashly take matters in to her own hands, and take the body of Polyneices. She did notrealize until she was about to die, that she had possibly acted foolishly. Antigone shared her flaw with Creon, who seemed to have an even more obstinate personality. Her downfall began with her proud soul and neglecting the Kings law. She goes against Creon to stay true to herself and her own family, and by that decision, her fate was sealed. Antigones proud soul shines through when she is confronted for the crime and comes clean without hesitation. She is not ashamed for her acts because she believes it was the correct response to the situation. Antigone not only defies Creon's edict, but also makes a mockery of it when he asks her about it. When asked if she knows the law, her exclamation is, "It was public. Could I help hearing it (Scene 1, 55). This line clearly shows that Antigone knows that she broke the command and also is not shamed to admit it to the creator of the ruling himself. This shows that Antigones flaws are being stubborn, having an over bearing personality, and behaving in a headstrong manner.

Throughout the play, from Antigone, Sophocles uses Antigone as the tragic hero. She portrays those features throughout the entire play. Antigone is the tragic hero in the play even though she is one of the two main characters. She meets all of the aspects of the definition of a tragic hero, when Creon does not. That is why the character Antigone is more tragic.

Works Cited

Sophocles. From Antigone. The Language of Literature. New York, McDougal Littell. 2001.