Antigone, the Tragic Heroine

A detailed Summary of 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

Antigone also shows signs of overbearing pride, which is also her tragic flaw. Her excessive insolence was very evident when Ismene returned to stand by Antigone's side, but was rejected by Antigone, "Mix not your death with mine. Do not claim work you did not touch, I shall suffice to die" (Sophocles 21). Thus, despite the great tragedy and sorrow of Antigone's tale, the audience will in a sense learn from her mistakes, see the possibility of themselves to suffer as she did. Furthermore, if balance and a calm manner are not maintained, they will indeed be wiser from knowing her story.

The story of Antigone was a classic Greek tragedy; a continuation of the immense tragedy that had already befallen from Oedipus. Despite her failings and downfall, justice of the human spirit shines through in the end, producing the story as a true tragedy. Creon is defeated by his own actions, and Antigone's own tragic death marks the beginning of that defeat. Although Creon closely resembles what a tragic hero must be, it is clear that Antigone is the true tragic hero. She fits every requirement marked by every characteristic of a tragic hero.

Antigone's downfall has great significance to the development of the tragic character. The tragic hero is relatively a good and an honorable person, but disaster comes due to a moral fault. Her fall into disgrace began with her proud soul, and by that decision, her fate was inevitable. 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. Meaning that Antigone's demise was caused by her own perhaps brash actions, but the audienc

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Approximate Word count = 1166
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English