tragic hero essay

309 Words2 Pages
In the play Antigone; By Sophocles, Antigone’s two brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, were murdered by one another when Eteocles tried to stop Polyneices from entering the city of Thebes. Antigone’s uncle Creon, the King of Thebes, graced Eteocles with a proper burial while Polyneices body was sentenced to be put in the dessert and rot. No burial was granted and the people of Thebes where not even allowed to morn his death. When news of this law had reached Antigone, she was outraged and determined to give her brother the burial he deserved despite what Creon had ordered. Ismene, Antigone’s sister, agreed that Polyneices deserved a proper burial but was not going to go against the laws set out by her uncle and the King. Antigone’s nobility for her brother, and putting her morals and what she believed in over everything else makes Antigone a tragic hero. In the end Antigone’s pride and love for her brother ultimately leads to her demise.

Antigone’s nobility towards her brother is clear from the begging of the play. She is determined to give her brother a proper burial with no regards to what laws the king has set forth. She believes that Creon “has no right to keep [her] from [her] own” (L.48). Ismene agrees with Antigone and believes that her brother deserves the right to a proper burial but is not willing to break the law for it. Even when Creon questions Antigone about the burial of her brother, “[she] won’t deny anything” (L.443), and sticks to what she believes in, and admits to doing the crime. The people of Thebes agree with Antigone and support her decision to give Polyneices a proper burial. Antigone’s nobility for her brother, her beliefs, and her morals is clear through out the

More about tragic hero essay

Open Document