Antigone: The Tragic Hero

A detailed Summary of Antigone: The Tragic Hero

Antigone is a classic work that never ceases to be analyzed by critics and students around the world. The debate over who is the real tragic hero of Sophocles' play Antigone is a topic that is heavily discussed. To this day there is still no agreement. Some people believe that Antigone is the real tragic hero of this tragedy, while others believe that the hero is in fact her uncle, Creon. It is logical to say that Antigone is the tragic hero of Antigone more so than Creon because she is a likeable character, extracts pity from the audience, and her plight affects many.

To begin, Creon's character is less likeable to the audience. From his very first lines in the play it is established that he believes that his royalty makes him superior to all. "No man can be fully known, in soul and spirit and mind, until he hath been seen versed in rule and law-giving"(Oates 278). He makes it clear to everyone that he has the final say in matters of the land. He makes the laws and everyone else has to abide by them. Creon thinks that if the gods give him the power make up any law he so pleases that it is obvious that it shall be followed because it is their will that he rule. In this play, the audience knows,

Secondly, Antigone does a good job at extracting pity from the audience. She appeals the sense of emotion with heart felt dialogue. One of the most pitiful points in this play is when she makes her last speech. She then looks back on what actually occurred. This is the first time that Antigone actually realizes her own sorrow. Earlier on she is still blind to the fact that this is the end for her. She will not get to have a life. She will not get to give life to someone else. "...see what I suffer, and from whom, because I feared to cast away the fear of Heaven!" (Oates 291). Here she is appealing to the gods. She is basically saying, "Look, I am suffering because I so longed to please you (gods). The audience feels sorry for Antigone because she is the accused. Many will side with the accused because their future is doomed. Not only does Antigone extract pity from the audience, she extracts it from other characters in the play. Ismene has always been sympathetic of her plight and shows this by trying to share the blame. The chorus is also sympathetic and so they try to persuade Creon that punishing her may not be the best thing. Lastly, Creon is sympathetic toward Antigone. When he first becomes aware that she is the culprit, he tries to give her a way out. "...knewest thou that an edict had forbidden this?" (Oates 282) This line implies that if Antigone denied knowing, she would have been set free. Even after he has made the decision that she shall be punished, he goes back on his decision and tries to rescue her.

Lastly, Antigone's plight weighs heavily on the lives of most all the characters in the play. It has already been discussed that Ismene was so hurt by the upcoming death of her dear sister that she wanted to take some of the blame. The next person to be affected was Haemon, son of Creon. Haemon was supposed to wed Antigone in the future. Because of the stubbornness of his father, he will no longer have the wife that he promised. Haemon

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Approximate Word count = 1325
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English