In the time of Greek civilization, a key component of that culture was Greek theatre. The production of tragedies such as Antigone were meant to impress the gods, mainly Dionysis. However, these tragedies conveyed various messages and lessons to the audience through their characters. The most tragic character in Sophocles’ play, Creon, sets an example for the audience of what not to do in their lives. Creon becomes the tragic hero as a result of his influence over the audience, and the amount of…
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A Neglected Tragedy Antigone, by Sophocles, is the unfortunate tale of a cursed royal family troubled and transformed by the death of two brothers and the audacity of their younger sister, Antigone. Sophocles constructs a tragedy, but what lies ambiguous is the identity of the tragic hero. Antigone, a defiant young girl sentenced to death by her uncle due to her thirst for pride, defiance of law, and keen recollection of her adverse past, acts as center focus of tragedy in the play. However,…
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Chanakya, an old teacher, philosopher and royal adviser, once said, “It is better to be without a king, than to have a bad one.” In the traditional play Antigone written by Sophocles in 442 B.C.E., it can be argued whether or not the city of Thebes is better off without Creon as a ruler. In the play, Creon has proven himself to be a strict and conceded ruler, taking no opinion but his own. Many of his loyal subjects are frightened by him and prefer not to endure his company. The Sentry, too afraid…
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Creon: The Archetype of a Tragic Hero The Greek tragedy Antigone by Sophocles is a story of defiance on one part and ignorance on the other, ultimately resulting in downfall in both cases. The play begins in the aftermath of a civil war in Thebes; there are many casualties including two brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles. These brothers along with their sisters, Antigone and Ismene, are the children of Oedipus, the previous king who suffered a curse that led to his inevitable demise. The current…
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Creon and Antigone are both honorable people and yet, both are fatally proud and that is the source of the tragedy. To what extent do you agree? During the time of Ancient Greece, tragic plays were commonly used to deliver a moral message to their audience. Sophocles’ “Antigone” demonstrates the dangers of hubris and the disaster it can cause using the conflict between the two central characters, Antigone and Creon, as the basis of the tragedy. Although they are honourable in their own different…
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survived. Among these was the play Antigone. The tragedy follows a young woman named Antigone as she fights her newly appointed uncle King Creon for a proper burial of her brother Polyneices. He does not receive a proper burial unlike his brother Eteocles due to the fact that he is viewed as a traitor to Thebes. Creon and Antigone both display the qualities of a tragic hero, but Creon would be more qualified. First off, both characters are born into nobility. Creon’s noble background puts him in the…
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as his vanity and arrogance of a ruler hinder his reasoning and consequently lead to his downfall as the man of his household and the King of Thebes. When Oedipus accuses Kreon of stealing the throne and plotting to kill him, Kreon reasonably suggests: “You can not judge unless…
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the natural law of the Gods. In the end, his soul becomes purified of righteousness when his former arrogance fatefully terminates the lives of his beloved family. Creon’s arrogance continually ruffles the feathers of the community while he attempts to override natural law. He thinks himself superior over the Gods even though he remains merely a mortal. The Chorus alludes to the disdain over Creon’s lawful injustice when mentioning Zeus and stating, “Throughout the future...as through the past, your…
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Antigone Final In Ancient Greek theatre, we see examples of characters possessing excessive, engrossing pride that is often coupled with blatant arrogance, not regularly but most of the time. Hubris is constituted by a display of these aspects. Characters in plays are usually seen as those with Hubris, particularly the Tragic Hero. These characters in the story, usually royalty, suffer from a Tragic Flaw which is ultimately responsible for their descent unto their inevitably untimely death. Hubris…
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Antigone Essay People of power such as kings are often forced to choose between family and law. In the play Antigone, Creon has to make such a decision. He issues the edict to outlaw the burial of his traitor nephew, Poleneices. Creon makes all of his decisions based on his pride and his he position as the king. In Antigone, Sophocles uses characterization to emphasize that “There is no happiness where there is no wisdom.” (Sophocles, 767) and that too much pride is never good. "Fate has brought…
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