Antigone Tragic Hero Essay

Antigone: the Tragic Hero In Greek theatre, a play is either a comedy or a tragedy. Most often, Greek plays are tragic because the story ends with the fate of a tragic hero. A tragic hero a character whose fate, usually death, is brought about by an error in the character’s judgement. In the play Antigone, there could be two potential tragic heroes, in Greek plays, there can only be one. Antigone is the tragic hero because of her loyalty, her flaw in judgement, and her selfishness. Antigone’s loyalty to the gods is what gets her into trouble in the first place. In ancient Greece, not burying the dead was believed to be punishable by the gods. If a body is not buried properly, it cannot find rest and its soul cannot go to the Underworld. When Antigone’s two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, die in battle against one another, Eteocles is given a proper burial and ceremony, but King Creon orders that no one is to bury Polyneices for being a traitor. It is made a law that if anyone is to bury Polyneices, they will be sentenced to death. Since Antigone is very loyal to the gods and does not want to upset them. She is determined to bury her brother’s rotting corpse even though getting caught means death. After Antigone is caught burying Polyneices, she explains to Creon why she buried him and expresses why her loyalty to the gods is

Not only does her fate affect only her, but Haimon, the Queen, Creon and Ismene. In many Greek tragedies, there can be multiple characters who could potentially be the tragic hero. In the play Antigone, Antigone is definitely the tragic hero, although other readers may say Creon is. The component of a tragic hero is vital for a Greek tragedy to be a Greek tragedy, otherwise, the play would be a comedy. However, not matter whether a play is a tragedy or a comedy, fate always prevails in the