Antigone: The True Tragic Hero

Antigone: The True Tragic Hero

According to the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, who first introduced literary analysis and analyzed tragedy in his Poetics, 2400 years ago, a tragic hero must:

Be born of high estate—that is, a person of noble birth with strong character and noble qualities
Possess a tragic, often fatal flaw, or mistake that leads to the hero’s downfall (either state or family or both)
Ultimately recognize and come to terms with the flaw or mistake that has led to tragic doom (anagnorisis)
Suffer greatly because of this flaw or mistake
Based on Aristotle’s criteria, who do you think is the true tragic hero of the play. Develop your answer in several paragraphs with sufficient and relevant evidence from the play for support.

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Antigone, the Theban princess holds all the characteristics of a true tragic hero in this play. Antigone possesses several strong characters and noble qualities which qualifies her as the tragic hero. She has a high position in the society, she is persistent in her actions, and she respects her gods, family and traditions. Her respect for her family and gods is seen when she opposes the directives of Creon and attempts to bury her brother. Antigone defends her family and gods and tells Ismene that she will be guilty of disobeying her gods, her traditions and vulnerable members of her family if she fails to bury her brother……………..

APA 328 words