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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
Author Information
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.
This resource was uploaded by: John