...The Tragic Hero in Antigone According to the dictionary, a tragic hero is a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy. In the story "Antigone," by Sophocles, Antigone has all the necessary traits to be qualified as the tragic character of the story. She is an honorable and important person, she has a fearless attitude, and she ends up facing a downfall because of her deeds. Antigone is an honorable and important person in Thebes. She obviously has a very good heart because she has decided to give her brother Polynieces a proper burial even though her uncle, Creon, has forbidden anyone to and has states that if someone does then they will be put to death. Antigone tells her sister, Ismene, "Ismene, I am going to bury him" (Antigone Prologue. 31) Even though she has Creon's threat in her mind, she takes the responsibility of bringing "honor to her family" by burying Polynieces. This shows good character as she is showing love for her family. Also, she does not let Ismene take part in her "crime". This shows how considerate she is of her sister's well being. Another important trait which Antigone has is her fearless attitude and her consistency. Throughout the play, Antigone sticks to her believes. Once she has made the decision to bury Polynieces, she does it without any fear. "Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way" (Antigone Prologue...
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...Creon and Haemon; Conflict of Antigone Creon and Haemon have dissimilar points of views when it comes to Antigone because Haemon has affection for Antigone while Creon feels animosity towards her. In the play, “Antigone” Sophocles tells the story of King Creon who rules Thebes the town. Haemon who is the son of the king falls in love with Antigone. Antigone is the niece of Creon and sister of Polynices. She plays a stubborn character. When her family is involved with the situation her attitude becomes aggressive. Polynices who is a traitor takes his last breath fighting against Thebes. The King announces anyone to honor or bury the body of Polynices would suffer a death due to the fact that he was a traitor of Thebes. The conflict of the play involves Antigone who disobeys Creon’s authority. In the speech between Haemon and Creon an Antigone is revealed between the two that exhibits Creon’s misogyny and Haemon’s analysis of his father’s discriminating attitude toward women in general. Note the tone in the following quotation: Creon: “Oh Haemon, Never lose your sense of judgment over a woman. The warmth, the rush of pleasure, it all goes cold in your arms, I warn you…a worthless woman in your house, a misery in your bed. What wound cuts deeper than a loved one turned against you? Spit her out, like a mortal enemy- let the girl go. Let her find a husband down among the dead” (1328). Creon expresses misogyny in this quote. He consults with his...
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...In the play “Antigone”, by Sophocles, there is an antagonism between Antigone and Creon. As the novelist George Eliot says, “the antagonism between valid claims”, there is such an antagonism in the play, and it is hard to judge who is right because they both have their valid claims. Is Antigone right to bury her brother Polynices’ died body even though she will die? Yes, she is right, because she has her valid claims. First, Antigone has a strong belief in protecting her family. Antigone states: “for me, the doer, death is the best. Loving, I shall lie with him, yes, with my loved one, when I have dared the crime of piety”(71). Polynices is her brother, there is blood relation between them. I remembered that once, when my brother disputed with other people, and they wanted to fight with my brother; however, I stood in front of my brother immediately and wanted to protect him! At that moment, I don’ t where my courage comes from, but I did. It is how Antigone believes: even though I will be killed, I still want to protect my brother. Religious belief is another reason in Antigone’s decision to break the law and bury her brother. She states: “For me it was not Zeus who made that order. Nor did that Justice who lives with the gods below mark out such laws to hold among mankind”(450). She believes the God’s law is the only law that she obey, even though she will break the law of the state. If one believes that someone or something is the great in the world, then nothing can...
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...Antigone vs. Creon: Struggles, Beliefs, and Morals In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, Creon and his young niece Antigone encounter many struggles in their lives because of moral views and political laws. Conflicts would arise when the values and actions of these two individuals disagreed with one another. Antigone’s conflict in the play held the approach of god’s law in the way, and on the opposing side, Creon chose his way of political beliefs that he would personally create as king. In my paper, I will discuss these characters, and interpret why and how their actions reflect their own personal beliefs and morals as individuals. The difference in beliefs, moral views, and opinions seen through-out the play were constantly disputed between Creon and Antigone. Antigone felt that Creon ignored the laws of gods through his laws. When she was captured after giving her brother proper rites and brought to Creon, she said, “Your edict, King was strong, but all your strength is weakness itself against the immortal unrecorded laws of God. They are not merely now: they were, and shall be operative forever, beyond man utterly” (Rand, 4). Antigone supports the laws of the God’s in heaven and believes that if someone is not given proper burial rites after death, they will not go to heaven. Her religious views were very important to her and the love for her brother would ultimately sway her decisions to go against the law of the king. Creon’s laws and orders became very personal...
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...Oedipus was great play that contained quite the drama and suspense. Basically Oedipus was abandoned by his parents at birth and brought up into another royal family. As Oedipus becomes older he takes the reign of Thebes and later tries to investigate who murdered the previous king before him. What Oedipus did not know is he himself committed the murder. See Oedipus’ fate was foreseen long ago by the greater Gods, it was said the he would kill his own father and marry his own mother. So he did, not without recognition of who his real parents were. Oedipus was shattered by what he had done so he blinded himself by the power of Apollo and Iocaste his wife/biological mother committed suicide. The prophecy revealed what Oedipus destiny would be, he tried to avoid it with his freewill. Fate played role in everyone around Oedipus and himself. When Laios and Iocaste had Oedipus they took him to the Oracle at Delphi, there they were told of Oedipus’ destiny; to kill Laios and marry Iocaste. The couple decided to pierce his feet and abandon him on a mountainside by a Shepard. The Shepard did not follow through and gave Oedipus to a herdsman from Corinth, where he was then raised by Polybus and Merope. As Oedipus grew into a man he eventually discovered that he was not their biological son and also learned of the prophecy he was given. Fate then stepped in again when Oedipus tried to outsmart his destiny by feeling to Thebes from Corinth. He then ended up at a division of three roads;...
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...Antigone Essay The Tragic Hero in Antigone According to the dictionary, a tragic hero is a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy. In the story "Antigone," by Sophocles, Antigone has all the necessary traits to be qualified as the tragic character of the story. She is an honorable and important person, she has a fearless attitude, and she ends up facing a downfall because of her deeds. Antigone is an honorable and important person in Thebes. She obviously has a very good heart because she has decided to give her brother Polynieces a proper burial even though her uncle, Creon, has forbidden anyone to and has states that if someone does then they will be put to death. Antigone tells her sister, Ismene, "Ismene, I am going to bury him" (Antigone Prologue. 31) Even though she has Creon's threat in her mind, she takes the responsibility of bringing "honor to her family" by burying Polynieces. This shows good character as she is showing love for her family. Also, she does not let Ismene take part in her "crime". This shows how considerate she is of her sister's well being. Another important trait which Antigone has is her fearless attitude and her consistency. Throughout the play, Antigone sticks to her believes. Once she has made the decision to bury Polynieces, she does it without any fear. "Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way" ...
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...Tragic Flaws of Oedipus “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness” (King Jr). Currently, we are living in an era that is filled with much greed and selfishness. However, selfishness and greed is a natural trait of the human population. The difference maker in each individual person is amount of selfishness that is chosen to be revealed. For example, in World War II, Hitler’s choice to invade Russia was what ultimately caused his own defeat (Bullock). The dictator of Germany had already conquered the majority of Europe and had no intentions of stopping. This greed and selfishness of Hitler was what ultimately dug himself his own grave. This has been a continuous act throughout history as shown in the story “Oedipus Rex”. This story written in 430 B.C, revolves around a man named Oedipus that has a strange fate (Senaca, Boyle). His unfortunate fate will eventually cause him to act in selfish manner that will ruin his life. In this story, Oedipus is a born into royalty but daunted with a fate that is unforgiveable. Once born, a prophet gave the information to the parents that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. With this horrendous information, the parents made the decision to kill Oedipus. As the servant went into the woods to kill the infant, his conscious would not allow him to finish the execution. Scared to go back with the infant, the servant handed the baby off to Polybus...
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...The Greek tragedy, Antigone shows the opposition between human and divine laws that people are forced to choose between. What the reader witnesses in this play is not only a conflict of personalities, but also a clash of principles. Creon, Antigone’s uncle, is also the ruler of Thebes. Creon is viewed as a practical man as he distances himself from the tragic purpose and goals of Oedipus. He states his only interest is in political and social order. Creon represents a political ideal and loyalty to his city. He has organized a society that has been built on guiding principles to maintain and strengthen itself, “with laws like these I will make our city grow,” and to ensure its stability. Creon makes his position absolutely clear in his address to the elders. This address contains strong reasons for a new decree on the town of Thebes. In Creon’s eyes, Eteocles died fighting for his city, and as a reward, ‘will be buried and receive all honors,’ alas sent to the afterlife. Polynices, who also fell in the same battle, ‘returned from exile with hopes of burning his native land’ and will pay a punishment of having no grave, no burial, and no mourning from anyone. Polynices’ dead body to be left unburied, ‘a feast for bird and dogs,’ left for the town to see slowly decay. Creon justifies this decision by pointing out that it is his duty to look to the stability and welfare of his country, as well as seeing it to be his duty to honor the good, and punish the...
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...In his Poetics, Aristotle outlined the ingredients necessary for a good tragedy, and he based his formula on what he considered to be the perfect tragedy, Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. According to Aristotle, a tragedy must be an imitation of life in the form of a serious story that is complete in itself. A good tragedy will evoke pity and fear in its viewers, causing the viewers to experience a feeling of catharsis. Catharsis, in Greek, means "purgation" or "purification"; running through the gamut of these strong emotions will leave viewers feeling elated, in the same way we often claim that "a good cry" will make one feel better. Aristotle also outlined the characteristics of a good tragic hero. He must be "better than we are," a man who is superior to the average man in some way. In Oedipus's case, he is superior not only because of social standing, but also because he is smart ? he is the only person who could solve the Sphinx's riddle. At the same time, a tragic hero must evoke both pity and fear, and Aristotle claims that the best way to do this is if he is imperfect. A character with a mixture of good and evil is more compelling that a character who is merely good. And Oedipus is definitely not perfect; although a clever man, he is blind to the truth and refuses to believe Teiresias's warnings. Although he is a good father, he unwittingly fathered children in incest. A tragic hero suffers because of his hamartia, a Greek word that is often translated as "tragic flaw"...
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... Born on August the sixth eighteen nine, Alfred Tennyson was born into a family, who wasn't rich but, was well off. His first publication was a collection of poems all written by him and his siblings .He, of course, attended school at Louth Grammar School for four years and later attended Trinity College, Cambridge. He became Poet Laureate in 1850 and held the position until his death in 1892. He used a wide range of subjects such as medieval legend to classical myths. The poem Iphigenia was written about a girl who is being sacrificed. It is told from the girl’s perspective and her memory is anything but crystal clear. She names the location of her sacrifice “that sad place” and through saying “My father held his hands upon his face” she lets us know her father is there. The mythical allusion in this poem refers to a time during the Trojan war when Agamemnon sacrifices a stag, one of Artemis’ sacred animals. The Greeks come to the conclusion that, one of Agamemnon's daughters has to be sacrificed. He decides it will be Iphigenia, but just as she is about to be murdered Artemis swoops down and saves her. Iphigenias becomes a priestess of Artemis and the poem is simply her reflecting on the past. Tennyson uses personification, similes, and imagery to tell the story. An example of personification is “my voice was thick with sighs”. A simile is noticed when Iphigenia compares not being able to speak to not being able to speak in dreams. Lastly imagery is used when Iphigenia described...
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...Nelly Delamango was born on February 13, 1850, but the name “Rainbow Delamango” was given to her in 1868. Everyone would be able to agree that she is an infamous figure in the wild west. Small stature, eyes as brown as a muddy river, plain face with nothing unique about it. In the town of Bisbee, where she was born and raised, she grew up as a poor person in a rich town, until she started working on her craft. She didn’t have friends so she needed another way to find entertainment. As a person who loved actual, jewelry, and anything expensive, she would stop at nothing to get the rewards. Her solution you may ask was to kill everyone who stood in her way of it. She never faced consequences until she saw the end of her days. Now, killing...
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...Nahash, the Ammonite besieged Jabesh Gilead and all the men of Jabesh said to him to make a treaty with them, and they will be serve him. However, Nahash said he would make a treaty if he is allowed to gouge out the right eye of each of them and so all of Israel would be ashamed. The elders of Jabesh said to give seven days so they can send messengers throughout, Israel; if no one comes to rescue them they would surrender. When the messengers came to Gibeah they told the people the news, and the people cried loudly. Saul had finished plowing in the fields with his oxen. He was coming home when he heard the people crying and asked “What’s wrong with the people and why are they crying?” When they told Saul what the messengers of Jabesh said to them, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul powerfully. Saul became very angry and he took a pair of oxen and cut them into pieces. Then he gave the pieces of oxen to his messengers and they carried the pieces along the whole land of Israel. The messengers announced that this would happen to the oxen of anyone who doesn’t follow Saul or Samuel. The people were afraid of the Lord. Saul gathered the people together at Bezek. There were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 men from Judah. They spoke to the messengers who had come. They said to tell the the people at Jabesh Gilead that before the day becomes hot the next day, they will be saved. The people at Jabesh were happy and said to Nahash the Ammonite that the next day they will give themselves...
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...Antigone, a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles and translated by Ruby Blondell, is a story in which the “hero” (Antigone) is easily praised and the “enemy” (Kreon) is easily hated. It is human nature to root for the underdog, or the one who is being wronged, and not give the other side a chance. The very opening scene of the play immediately shows us the thoughts and feelings of Antigone, and her hatred towards Kreon. This almost forces the audience to side with Antigone because we are given no insight to Kreon’s point of view until later on when it is almost too late. However, after a careful examination of the play, I developed more respect and sympathy for Kreon than I did Antigone, just by further studying their motives behind their actions. Kreon’s motives were clear, as he wanted to restore power and order in Thebes because the city was in such turmoil, and to do so he needed to stand firmly by his word. As for Antigone, most would think her motives came from the love of her brother, but over the course of the play it becomes more apparent that not only did her actions stem from selfish reasons, but they can also be seen as a huge act of rebellion against her own city. Even though the laws Kreon set for Thebes regarding Polyneices’ body were unjust and immoral, he gained more of my sympathy and respect than Antigone did because his motives behind his actions were purer. Kreon was given power of a government and city that was in complete turmoil and headed towards downfall...
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...Is Odysseus a Hero? The definition of a hero is: a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. In the epic poem Odyssey by Homer, the main character Odysseus has both positive and negative qualities. Two of Odysseus’s negative qualities are that he is arrogant and reckless. However, he is a tactician and he is also patient. Therefore, in the epic poem the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is a hero. His notable weaknesses are him being arrogant and reckless. He is arrogant because he thinks he's great because the “gods know his name.” This is arrogant because he thinks he is better than average people because his name is known by the gods. Another reason he is arrogant is because he tells the cyclops...
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...The rank and file are not the only Greeks who respect their commanders, though. While the fear of their commanders’ wrath is a great motivator for the common soldier, the heroes are not motivated by but place great importance in their good standing with their own superiors. Odysseus does not forget to remind them of this value, using it as yet another path to their honor, that is, their motivation. At first, since they are following a direct order, the officers are certain that they have the grace of Agamemnon. However, Odysseus plants doubts in their minds, suggesting: You don’t really know Agamemnon’s mind. He’s just testing us now, But before long he’s going to come down on us hard. Didn’t we all hear what he said in council? If he gets angry the whole army had better watch out. Kings are bred by Zeus and have tempers to match. (The Iliad 2.210-215) Here again Homer employs Odysseus’ wile, as he presents the possibility that Agamemnon’s orders are a test, rather than calling them out as poor orders—which would earn him no favors, with Agamemnon himself or with the officers, who still value Agamemnon’s thoughts more than Odysseus’. Now Odysseus encourages his fellow officers to consider the damage to their standing with Agamemnon were they to fail his test. This would both single them out as a fool were they to fail and would mean that they have not actually followed orders correctly, which was the only cause for retreat not to be dishonorable. Combined, these...
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