Antigone

A detailed Summary of Antigone


People of authority are frequently confronted with problems in which a choice between family and government must be made. In the play Antigone by Sophocles, Creon is in such a position. He, as king mandated a law that was disregarded by his own niece. He made the choice to seize Antigone, which was not a wise decision. For that mistake and what he suffered, Creon is a tragic hero. Creon possesses all the characteristics that a tragic hero must to be deserving of the title.

A tragic hero has an effect on others, be it the general population or family. Creon had an effect on many. Creon's address to Thebes on the ruling of the burial of Eteocles and Polyneices shows how much power he had over the people of Thebes (Pg. 196-197). Creon also was the head of the royal family since Oedipus and his sons were all dead. He cared for Antigone and Ismene when their father was persecuted. Haimon also was very much affected by Creon as he shows his father respect: " I am your son, father. You are my guide / You make things clear for me, and I obey you" (Pg. 216).

Another characteristic of a tragic hero is that in some way, he is responsible for his own downfall. Creon was clearly responsible for his collapse. He is the one who d


An additional trait of a tragic hero is possession of a fundamental character weakness. Creon's tragic flaws are stubbornness and a disposition brimming with arrogance. As Creon says in his address to Thebes, he is on a level with the gods and can take lives away as he pleases (Pg. 196-197). He abused his power thinking he could go against the decree of the gods! Another indication of his pride is that since the beginning of the play he denied the right of Polyneices to be buried. Also, Creon was the only one who thought Antigone should be condemned for burying her brother and would not listen to anyone else's arguments until the very end, which shows his stubbornness. Another point that displays his stubbornness is that many people forewarned him not to punish Antigone (Pg. 221 and 233). He was mainly angered by the fact she was a woman who defied him in public. Creon was particularly cruel in his punishment for Antigone. He condemned her to be locked up and starved to death. He could have put her to death in a fast and effective way, but wanted her to suffer. He also wanted everyone to realize the consequences of ignoring his rulings.

A tragic hero finally must not be th

Some common words found in the essay are:
Antigone Pg, Haimon Eurydice, Sophocles Creon, Antigone Ismene, Creon Antigone, Thebes Pg, , tragic hero, Eteocles Polyneices, pg 196-197, antigone condemned, trait tragic hero, trait tragic, dead creon, own fault, pg 245, address thebes,

Approximate Word count = 803
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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