What facets are necessary to deem a character tragic? Characters in Sophocles’ Greek tragedy, Antigone, wholly encompass such factors. In Aristotle’s Poetics, he describes four characteristics that help make up a tragic character. However, the main concept in understanding a tragic character is to know that the character is not a victim. Of the essence of tragic characters, Aristotle states, “[They are] between two extremes - that of a man who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty.” Antigone embodies the four factors aimed at in a Greek tragedy, as well as several other tragic distinctions such as hamartia, grandeur, and a decline from good circumstances
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A tragic character is not wholly good, but if the individual’s intentions are good, then they are, too, at least to an extent. At the beginning of this play, the sons of Oedipus, Polynices and Eteocles, fight on opposite sides in battle, and are both killed as a result. The newly pronounced king, Creon, issues a city-wide proclamation demanding that no one try to honor Polynices with a proper burial or by mourning his death. Stubborn and rash Antigone blatantly defies this decree, sneaking past the guards and performing funeral rituals for her brother. This act seems wrong on the surface, since she was going against her king, but it was really an act of loyalty towards her family. Her intent was never to disgrace her king, but to pay tribute to Polynices. Therefore, her purpose is …show more content…
She cannot start out as one person, and by the end, be of a completely different mindset. In the very first scene of this play, Antigone displays her rashness, bravery, and obstinacy. She refuses to listen to reason, denying her sister’s pleas to consider the consequences they’d face if they were to defy the city. Her decision was made and she was not going to waver. As she is being condemned for her crimes, she exclaims, “I gave myself to death, long ago, so I might serve the dead.” Though it’s clear to Antigone by the end of the play that she was going to face a terrible punishment, she was still steadfast in her beliefs. She did not pity herself, for she knew she had chosen her
A tragic character is not wholly good, but if the individual’s intentions are good, then they are, too, at least to an extent. At the beginning of this play, the sons of Oedipus, Polynices and Eteocles, fight on opposite sides in battle, and are both killed as a result. The newly pronounced king, Creon, issues a city-wide proclamation demanding that no one try to honor Polynices with a proper burial or by mourning his death. Stubborn and rash Antigone blatantly defies this decree, sneaking past the guards and performing funeral rituals for her brother. This act seems wrong on the surface, since she was going against her king, but it was really an act of loyalty towards her family. Her intent was never to disgrace her king, but to pay tribute to Polynices. Therefore, her purpose is …show more content…
She cannot start out as one person, and by the end, be of a completely different mindset. In the very first scene of this play, Antigone displays her rashness, bravery, and obstinacy. She refuses to listen to reason, denying her sister’s pleas to consider the consequences they’d face if they were to defy the city. Her decision was made and she was not going to waver. As she is being condemned for her crimes, she exclaims, “I gave myself to death, long ago, so I might serve the dead.” Though it’s clear to Antigone by the end of the play that she was going to face a terrible punishment, she was still steadfast in her beliefs. She did not pity herself, for she knew she had chosen her