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In Antigone Who Is The Main Character, Antigone Or Creon?

Short article on the play "Antigone" by Sophocles

Date : 23/05/2016

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John

Uploaded by : John
Uploaded on : 23/05/2016
Subject : English

It seems initially obvious that the protagonist of this play be an eponymous one. Would it not be strange if there were a character that gave her name to a play without being the centre of action? Yet in this play a strong case can be made for both Creon and Antigone as main characters as the classic traits of a tragic hero are displayed in both.

First Antigone. The definition of a tragic hero is a virtuous character who is destined for downfall normally as a result of a fatal flaw. When introduced to us, Antigone is indeed a virtuous character as she insists that she shall not fail her brother but;bury him ;[even if Ismene] will not ;. For Antigone, what matters is that her brother, whom she loves, must be properly laid down as instructed by the;gods ; regardless of the laws of the land. To further fortify her case, it is clear that destiny plays a huge part in the lives of all of Oedipus ; children. The idea that the family is forever cursed is enforced by the Chorus in saying;one generation cannot free the next some god will bring them crashing down, the race finds no release. ; Despite destiny however, we can also see that the demise of Antigone is brought about by her obstinate resolution and arrogance. Without speculating whether there are ways she could have had the law overturned without disobeying it, it is important to note that though she may have suffered after death, her downfall in life is entirely of her own accord. She insists that for her there is;nothing as great as death with glory ;. This refusal to follow the law of the land is what brings about her death. In this way we can see Antigone to be the classic tragic hero as seen in literature, a clear main character;; yet does Creon not also meet this criteria?

Similarly virtuous, Creon ;s decree seems to have manifested out of a desire to honour the reigning king and humiliate the intruder. For us his proclamation;Never at my hands will the traitor be honoured above the patriot ; appears wholly innocent. With the knowledge that Polynices returned from exile to try and remove Etoecles from the throne, Creon wants only to start his reign with an honourable decree, that he can use to emphasise his authority. However, as discovered through the play, it seems the reigning king too is fated for downfall. When Creon is visited by the soothsayer Tiresias tells him what is to be his fate saying,;The time is not far off when you shall pay back corpse for corpse, flesh of your own flesh. ; This is of course referring to the upcoming deaths of Creon ;s son and wife. What is interesting about this prediction is that just before he is told Creon himself proclaims,;Whatever [Tiresias] says, will not change his will. ; This stern and unrelenting attitude shows us that whatever it is that was destined to happen to Creon was set and would not have been avoided despite the efforts of others. Thus it is apparent that the king is also s character that is seemingly virtuous but destined to fail.

Having considered the case for both characters I believe there is only one conclusion that can be made. Sophocles wrote these plays before any set traditions were set regarding roles and protagonists, thus I believe in Antigone we have a case of two main characters. The audience can choose to sympathise with one while still seeing the case for the other. It is the ambiguity that Sophocles permits that allows the play to be both a timeless classic and thoroughly entertaining.

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