Literary writers mainly use characters who are vital when it comes to developing their themes. As such they have to ensure that the characters they pick accurately depict these issues in an explicit literary manner. Some of the characters involved in the literary pieces include tragic heroes who make judgmental errors which inevitably leads to their destruction. This is what Aristotle terms as a tragedy as it goes contrary to the reader's expectations. Aristotle derives this concept from Shakespearean literary pieces which depict heroes as people who make terrible choices which come with devastating effects. Additionally, Aristotle outlines various characteristics which one can use to decide whether a character is a tragic hero or not. An analysis of Antigone by Sophocles will shed more light on how Aristotle constructs the concept of tragedy related to a tragic hero.
The Concept of an Aristotelian Tragic Hero
A tragic hero is a character in the literary work which in spite of his capabilities ends up failing miserably by reaching his unexpected end. Usually, tragic heroes are of noble birth with excellent character and good intentions, but this does not help in reversing their undesired destinies. However, according to Aristotle tragic heroes have certain flaws which make them make judgmental errors which tend to reverse their good fortunes. The character also understands that it is his or her actions that brought about a reversal in his or her fortunes. More so, Johnson (2010), establishes that a tragic hero usually has excessive pride which makes his or her fate to be higher than he or she deserves. A tragic hero should be an average person who is neither worse nor better than the audience so that the audience can identify with him or her. In this way, the audience can easily pity this character once misfortune befalls him or her. According to Aristotle, a perfect hero would not attract sympathy from the audience as they would be considered to have an ideological superiority. On the other hand, the audience would not pity an evil or an imperfect hero as they will feel that he deserved the misfortune. In essence, an Aristotelian tragic hero eventually dies a sad death which he has a hand in due to making irreversible mistakes, but he or she must accept this death honorably.
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Development of Characters in Sophocles Antigone
The main characters in Sophocles Antigone are Creon, Antigone, Eteocles, Polyneices, and Ismene. Creon is Thebes’s new ruler who descends to power after Eteocles and Polyneices who are brothers killed each other in a civil war. Antigone and Ismene are sisters to Eteocles and Polyneices. Creon is depicted as the main antagonist in this play going by his decision not to accord Polyneices a decent burial. The writer develops the character of Creon from the beginning painting a ruler who is firm in his decision in spite of various attempts to make him reverse his decisions. Additionally, the writer affirms the role of the character as he even goes ahead to order that Antigone should be buried to the neck as a punishment for defying his orders. At the end though, the writer loosens Creon’s resolve when he realizes the devastating effects of his firmness.
Antigone is the other main character and the main protagonist in this play. The writer portrays her as a strong-willed woman who defies authority to stand for what she feels is the right and acceptable thing. The writer introduces her as a woman with an unshakeable resolve which he goes on to build until the end of the play. She is keen on according her brother a decent burial even without the help of her sister Ismene in defiance of Creon’s order. More so, the writer depicts a fearless character who is not afraid of death and even goes ahead to kill herself to prove her heroism.
Argument for the Tragic Hero in Sophocles’ Antigone
As discussed earlier an Aristotelian tragic hero has many defining characteristics which can be picked in Sophocles Antigone . The main characters in this play who can fit this definition are Creon the king of Thebes and Antigone. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero should be of an average character, not too worse or too good. Following this, one can say that both Creon and Antigone are tragic heroes. Antigone on one side has her flaws in that she is not ready to obey the edicts of a king who is on the throne. When Creon decreed that Polyneices body was to be left unburied for carrion birds to feed on it, he meant it, and no one was to go against it. However, Antigone would hear none of it and went ahead to perform funeral rites on her brother's body. Nonetheless, Antigone has admirable characters which play a role in arousing pity in the audience. Her love for family is so great that she is willing to risk her life to accord her brother a decent burial. Creon, on the other hand, is equally good and evil. He goes ahead to give a decree to prevent anyone from burying Polyneices’ body a decree that is not popular with the leader of the Chorus. More so he orders the imprisonment and burying of Antigone no matter its implication which stirs hate in the readers. However, in the end, he regrets his decisions when his son and wife dies eliciting pity in the readers.
Aristotle’s tragic hero faces many challenges, and eventual death which comes as a result of the characters own doing. Antigone stabs herself to death because of defying a decree by Creon. If she had not disobeyed the edict, her life would have been spared, and she would not have to take her own life. O the other hand Creon actions of refusing to accord decent burial to Polyneices seals his fate. In the process, his son stabs himself on realizing that Antigone is dead and his wife has committed suicide. Creon understands that his actions are responsible for the misfortune that has befallen him.
Major Themes in Antigone
The major themes in this play are fidelity and civil disobedience. Antigone feels that she need to bury her brother’s body in spite of a royal decree to leave the body unburied. She feels that she owes to his brother a duty to ensure that he receives a decent burial. Creon, on the other hand, tells his son Haemon that his fidelity lies with his father rather than with Antigone. However, one can see that Hemon’s fidelity lay with Antigone he killed himself on realizing that she had hanged herself. The theme of civil disobedience which is the plays central conflict according to Owoeye (2012), is portrayed by Antigone who goes ahead to perform ritual rites for his late brother in spite of a decree to leave the body unburied.
In conclusion, a tragic hero is a character who faces difficulties in the course of his or her life most of which are because of a judgmental error. Aristotle outlines various characteristics of a tragic hero who suffers immense tragedies. In Sophocles, Antigone , the tragic heroes are Creon the ruler of Thebes and Antigone, Eteocles, Polyneices’ and Ismene’s sister. Both of these characters allow tragedy in their lives by making choices that are irreversible. More so they fit the description of tragic heroes as they are average humans who are neither too good or too bad this eliciting pity in the audience. Consequently, they face terrible ends making this play to be laced with many tragedies as anticipated by Aristotle.
References
Johnson, G. (2010). Sophocles' Antigone: Tragedy as Satire? Essai , 7(Article 25). Retrieved from http://dc.cod.edu/essai/vol7/iss1/25.
Owoeye, O.K. (2012). Gender Pride as Tragic Flaw in Sophocles' Antigone. LUMINA, 23 (2), ISSN 2094-1188.
