Analysis Of Antigone By Sophocles - 1074 Words

Smith 1 Gabriel Smith Professor Christopher Foster English 1302 01 March 2016 Essay 2: Antigone A hero is a person who shows courage or noble qualities in the face of danger. There are many different types of heroes in literature and media such as superheroes saving the world, or an everyday fireman saving a kitten from a tree. Deriving from Greek literature, tragic heroes are common among early literature. Tragic heroes are defined by Aristotle by the following requirements, they must come from royalty and have excessive pride in themselves, create a sense of fear and pity in the audience that comes from unmerited adversity, and lastly, a tragic hero’s own death or great suffering must originate from their own flaws or errors in judgment (â€Å"Aristotle The Elements of Tragedy†). In Sophocles’ play â€Å"Antigone†, King Creon fits all the requirements of a tragic hero. Creon believed that his own decisions and rulings would benefit his kingdom for the better. However, his decisions and rulings end up leading to his downfall when Antigone decides t o bury her brother, Polynices, which Creon ruled was against the law to do. Being the fair king he is, Creon believed he had no other choice but to punish Antigone for her actions. Creon’s decision to punish Antigone ultimately ends up in tragedy for him. Many would argue that Antigone is the hero in the play and Creon the villain. However, upon fuller examination one can conclude that Creon only wanted to create order in his kingdom.Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Antigone By Sophocles1859 Words   |  8 Pagesthe play I am summarizing is called Antigone by Sophocles, the genre of this play is Greek tragic, it comes after two other plays where as in the first one Oedipus was supposed to end up being the king so he killed his father and wanted marry the mother. Where as in the second one its just stories of his kids and their meetings with Theseus, the King of Athens. Antigone main properties of a Greek tragedy play would have to be the characters and the plot. Antigone ends up sacrificing herself just toRead MoreAnalysis Of Antigone By Sophocles1078 Words   |  5 Pagesworld. Sophocles perfectly and beautifully was able to portray the ambiguity of our reality. Antigone and Kreon both have valid reasoning and are justified in their v iews in Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone. Neither is purely good or evil, but are simply two embodiments of contradicting beliefs, each based upon just reasoning. Antigone’s rebellion is based on her love for her brother, an act of emotion and passion. Kreon’s verdict is based upon logic and reason from his position of power. Antigone is aRead MoreAnalysis Of Antigone By Sophocles1408 Words   |  6 PagesGuadalupe Martinez July 1, 2015 AP Literature Antigone Throughout the course of human existence, there has been a clear division line that defines the gender roles that have been followed. 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Sophocles play Antigone shows us the three different types of women: Antigone, the protagonist that is highly determined; Ismene, the fragile sister of Antigone; and Eurydice, the wife of Creon. Each of these characters lifestyles,personalities, and choices directly affects the character s mortality. The women characters in Antigone show great difference of the most important two stages of life, life and death. One of the conflicts in Antigone, is the struggle betweenRead MoreAnalysis Of Sophocles Antigone By Sophocles And The Libation Bearers2088 Words   |  9 PagesSince ancient times, Greece has honored the importance of family relationships and values through their literature and culture. The importance of kinship is seen explicitly in the plays Antigone by Sophocles and The Libation Bearers by Aeschylus. Both plays utilize family values as thei r central theme and root of action. 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