Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, 2500 years ago, the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus observed, “Character is destiny.” Those very three words sum up the life of the woman here before you. Indeed, her character and the flaws in it, led her to a tragic fate. I am here today to prove that Antigone, who we once assumed was a tragic hero, is not what we thought her to be. Let me remind you that there are six points to Aristotle’s view of a tragic hero, all of which much be satisfied in order for the character to be classified as such and here they are: 1.
He or she must be the protagonist of the story. 2. The character should be of high class or upper standing. 3. The hero must have a tragic flaw, such as an error of judgement or a character defect such as arrogance and pride. 4.
The character must have a fall from good grace. 5. The hero must then recognize that a mistake was made. 6. That you, the audience, must feel pity, because the character is suffering, and fear, because the hero is given a better situation than we are given.
So after hearing the list of criteria, does Antigone satisfy these requirements of Aristotle’s view of a tragic hero. Today with me, I have exhibits that further prove that this girl, Antigone, is a fake and an imposter. Now remember, if Antigone’s character does not even include on of the six points of Aristotle’s view, than she is truly not a tragic hero. As we know, Antigone is definately the protagonist of the story, so the first rule is no problem for her. Lets look at exhibit A; Antigone’s confession, ” Thebes, and you my father’s gods/ And rulers of Thebes, you see me now, the last/ Unhappy daughter of a line of kings,” rules out the second standard of being born of high class or royalty. The third rule that the character must have a tragic flaw or character defect, is clearly shown in exhibit B.
The Essay on Antigone Character Analysis Tragic Hero
Antigone Character Analysis Essay Dealing with enemies has been a problem ever since the beginning of time. In Antigone, by Sophocles, the value of dealing with your family and dealing with your Enemies become a huge problem for a King such as Creon. All throughout this play, Creon holds a title of authority that he must observe. After Oedipus left Thebes and Creon took over as King, there was a ...
Exhibit B shows that one of Antigone’s tragic flaw is her absence of humbleness, Choragus, in scence 2, explains Antigone, “Like father, like daughter: both headstrong, deaf to reson! / She has never learned to yield.” Also, you may not agree that her stubbornness is not a “tragic flaw” but Antigone furthermore suffers from a sense of boastfulness and arrogance. Exhibit C, exclaimed by Creon, .”.. Pride? In a slave? / This girl is guilty of a double insolence, Breaking the given laws and boasting of it.” And finally, even though her “fall from good grace” is not that tragic, she did suffer death even from a princess’s tanning. You may ask, why am I defending her as a tragic hero or why am I only pointing out what we already know.
Ladies and gentlemen, I defend those four reasons of Antigone’s character as being that of a tragic hero but these are the only four that satisfy Aristotle’s view. The other two: the character must admit that a mistake was made and that the audience must feel a need to feel pity and fear of the situation. Clearly, if even one of Aristotle’s detail was contradicted than Antigone wouldn’t be a tragic hero but two of his descriptions were disclaimed. To start with the unveiling of the real truth, exhibit D, a small passage from Scence 4, disagrees entirely with the fifth defining point of a tragic hero which is that she must recognize that mistake was made. If I remember correctly, no such humbleness comes to my mind, instead Antigone confessed of her self to Creon, “And yet, as men’s hearts know, I have done no wrong, I have not sinned before God. Or if I have, I shall know the truth in death.
The Term Paper on Antigone: an Assessment of Antigone’s and Creon
How was your understanding of cultural and contextual considerations of the work developed through the interactive oral? After taking part in the interactive oral presentation carried out by Sonia’s group, I now believe that I have gained a much greater understanding of the play Antigone. Themes commented on by the presentation were women, religion and tragedy; further examining their place in ...
But if the guilt lies upon Creon who judged me, then I pray, May his punishment equal my own.”.
