Antigone can be considered a tragic figure in the play “Antigone”, since the character owns the necessary elements of being a tragic figure, including a tragic flaw, a tragic fate, and how a character accepts their fate.
The tragic flaws that make her a tragic figure are her stubbornness as well as her loyalty to her brother, Polyneices. These flaws lead her to be very determined to provide her brother with a proper burial, even though it means that she acts against the decree of Creon and will finally be stoned to death. Throughout the play, there are several instances where Antigone’s tragic flaws are implied. One distinctive example is when she responses to her sister, Isemene, that “That must be your excuse, I suppose. But as for me,
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Moreover, by saying “I will bury the brother I love”, she shows her stubbornness because she acts against Creon’s decree, which states that the body of Polyneices will not be buried, and that who performs the burial for him will be stoned to death.
The tragic fate of Antigone is death, which results from her tragic flaws, loyalty and stubbornness. The speech “To me, since it was my hand That washed him clean and poured the ritual wine: And my reward is death before my time!” that Antigone says when she is about to be punished is one example that shows how her tragic flaws lead to her death. This speech shows
Yana Thanomchad Section: 141
65140070 Date: April 6, 2023@11.59PM that Antigone giving her brother a proper burial, which is driven by her loyalty as well as stubbornness, results in her being ordered to be walled up alive in a tomb in a cave to suffer a slow and agonizing death. However, it is not Creon’s order that ultimately causes her to meet death. Instead, it is Antigone’s decision to commit suicide that leads to her death. By deciding to take her own life, she still accepts her fate, but she just doesn’t want to suffer
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In fact, in addition to her, Haimon and the people in Thebes also believe that this action is honorable. Antigone’s attitude towards her fate might be that she doesn’t fear it and accepts it with honor. One example of this can be seen when Antigone says to Ismene that “Leave me my foolish plan: I am not afraid of the danger; if it means death, It will not be the worst of deaths ––death without honor.”
This speech reveals that despite of death from her action, she doesn’t fear it, is willing to accept it, and even considers it as death with honor. Regarding how the acceptance of her fate evokes emotions from the audience, it evokes both pity and admiration. Audiences may feel pity for her tragic death, as it is unjust that she has to accept and face death for only performing a sacred custom, which is considered necessary to perform for the dead. Additionally, audiences may admire her at the same time for her bravery in performing sacred custom for Polyneices despite being sentenced to death. Although it appears that her stubbornness and loyalty cause troubles,
Antigone actually does the right thing by obeying the divine law of the god and giving respect