Why antigone is not a tragic hero

What is the main conflict of the play Antigone? Creon has declared that the body of Polynices may not be given a proper burial because he led the forces that invaded Thebes, but Antigone wishes to give her brother a proper burial nevertheless.

How is Antigone a tragedy? Antigone's tragedy comes because of her unswerving loyalty to her brother, Polynices, and her determination to give him burial honours despite the personal danger. Her defiance and disregard of Creon leads to him imprisoning her alive in a tomb, where she commits suicide. Who is the tragic hero in Oedipus the King?

In terms of the Aristotelian theory of tragedy, Oedipus is a tragic hero because he is not perfect, but has tragic flaws. Aristotle points out that Oedipus' tragic flaw is excessive pride hubris and self-righteousness. He also points out certain characteristics that determine as tragic hero. How do you define hero? What is a tragic hero essay? A Tragic Hero A tragic hero is a character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw, which combined with fate, results into a tragedy.

The tragic hero must fall from good luck and well being to misery and misfortune. Who is the tragic hero Antigone or Creon essay? Creon fits Aristotle's tragic hero traits as a significant person who is faced with difficult decisions. Creon is significant because he is king. This makes him both renowned and prosperous.

What is the thesis of Antigone? A possible thesis to explain why Antigone is justified in disobeying Creon's law could be something like this: Antigone is justified in disobeying Creon's law because she believes she is following higher and more just laws: her sense of duty to family and the gods.

Why is Creon indebted to Teiresias? It was Teiresias who revealed the truth of Oedipus about fulfillment of the prophecy, causing Oedipus to leave Thebes. This eventually leads Creon to being on the throne as king. Antigone was right in defying the King Creon because she had the right to bury her brother and her brother had the right to receive a respectful burial which would honor their family.

Possible Answer: Though Antigone bemoans her fate and believes death is a cruel and unnecessary punishment for burying Polyneices, she is never apologetic for actually covering his body. She believes until the end that she did the right thing. Antigone acts as a feminist hero before the word feminism even existed. She stands up for what she believes is right, even though it means surrendering her life. She never hides from what she has done, but instead she states boldly what she thinks, calling out King Kreon in his various injustices.

She is strong, passionate, and full of love; sometimes to a fault; she feels a heaviness of duty to her family name and to the Gods, and to her, they are one and the same; fearless and thoughtful, takes risks, and is quick to judge; empowered by her defiance, she is proud, sensitive, and open, which gives her a …. Antigone and Creon act as symbols of honoring the gods versus honoring man.

Antigone will not turn away from the gods, while Creon insists that you must obey the laws of man. Teiresias also acts as a symbol of the will of the gods. As the king of Thebes in Antigone, Creon is a complete autocrat, a leader who identifies the power and dignity of the state entirely with himself. A messenger announces that Antigone has hanged herself and that Haemon, agonized at her death, has also killed himself. On hearing the news, Eurydice, the queen, retreats into the palace where she, too, kills herself after cursing her husband, Creon.

Next, Antigone does have a tragic flaw. Her tragic flaw is that she has hubris, which is excessive pride, and that leads her to be unbending. Ironically, Antigone means unbending in Greek.

Because she is unbending, she will not denounce her decision to bury Polynices. Creon realizes his error in the end yet faces the brunt of his tragedy.

Therefore, he is the true archetypal tragic hero in Antigone…. Juliet was willing to sacrifice her life in order to be with Romeo. Book: Antigone. Antigone: Not the Tragic Hero Sophocles , a great tragedian, was the one who gave Greek tragedies their traditional form.

An important part of traditional Greek tragedies is the presence of a tragic hero. All tragic heroes should have the characteristics of rank, a tragic flaw, a downfall, and a recognition of mistakes. The seemingly tragic hero is Antigone. She wants to bury her brother Polyneices even though this would be going against Creon, who is her uncle and the king.

When Antigone buries Polyneices Creon sentences her to death because of it. All she has is a title, she is of no value and has no power in her society because she is a woman. In the Prologue Antigone tries to get her sister, Ismene to help her bury their brother Polyneices. She obviously accepts that she is inferior to men as seen in her response. Not only are women not valued highly in ancient Greek society, they are in essence powerless.

At this time women had no rights and they were considered property. They do not have the power and strength to go against men. Antigone as a woman therefore cannot have rank, even if she is a princess, because in her society she has no value, power, or the respect of others. Antigone might not possess the characteristic of rank, but does possess the characteristic of a tragic flaw as evident through her response to Ismene. This pride is exhibited at the beginning when she speaks to her sister, Ismene, in an attempt to gain her help in burying their brother Polyneices.

Antigone also says that if she died it would be fine because she did it for the gods and that she does not believe that Ismene cares for the gods and their laws. In this setting the gods are an extremely important part of the society. She obviously has a high opinion of herself by risking her life, and by her refusal to listen to her sister.

She does not believe those beliefs are right and stubbornly ignores them. By acting this way she is demonstrating pride because a prideful person does not take into consideration anything going against them and their beliefs.

Firstly it again establishes the importance she puts to the gods laws. In this time period it was important to respect the gods. By suggesting Ismene does not respect the gods Antigone is entirely discarding Ismene.