by Charis Ow

English – SL

Antigone

A tragic hero – a character who commits actions or mistakes which eventually leads to his or her defeat, is usually one of the cornerstones incorporated by the playwright of a tragedy as the main character. Throughout the ages, the idea of the tragic hero which is created in ancient Greek tragedy, have been depicted in literature – famous plays such as Antigone. With the application of his stagecraft, playwright Sophocles has skilfully placed Antigone and Creon to prevail them as the tragic heroes, complementing the dramatic plot of this play. Key to his success is the way he subtly positions his characters in distinct settings, exploited the use of dialogue and plans their actions –to shape and mould both Antigone and Creon, his leading characters as tragic heroes.

Sophocles’ stagecraft vividly solidifies both Antigone and Creon as tragic heroes by placing them in various settings in this play.  In the prologue, he purposely situates Antigone in “an open place at dawn” where she meets Ismene to discourse about burying Polyneices – their brother, meanwhile creating a mood and impression to the audience that this meeting is perhaps utterly private. To look at this aspect with profundity, Sophocles closely connects this scene to any other stereotypical heroes, even up to date, where they are initiated to be secretive of their actions and plans. The fact that Sophocles also places Ismene and Antigone “outside of the palace gates” further accentuates the confidentiality of the situation – something a hero would normally do, to be secretive. Consequently, it gives the impression that perhaps Antigone is planning something prominent which will stir up the people of Thebes, including her family. Furthermore, in the end, Antigone’s downfall, as she is punished by Creon and dies for what she has plotted at the very beginning, the audience is convinced that she is seen to be a true tragic hero in this play. At the same time, Creon is also portrayed as the tragic hero by Sophocles the moment he “enters the house with Haemon’s corpse” in the exodus. The fact that Sophocles has set and placed him in his own home – a place where often a family dwells in, after Haemon’s death, creates an ironic impression to the audience and at the same time, tragic semblance as all of his family members are either dead or no longer associate with him. This explicitly indicates to the audience that Creon is indeed a tragic hero as he suffers more than he actually deserves.

Join now!

Sophocles has also taken advantage of formulating powerful dialogue for both Antigone and Creon to further emphasize their roles as tragic heroes. In the prologue, he has incorporated heroic lines meanwhile referring to her fearless opinions and brave nature as she expresses the view that those of noble birth (a tragic hero is often of noble birth) should show superior moral qualities and that it is “noble for her to die doing this” (burying Polyneices) as she is not only paying the honour due to her brother, but also respecting the laws honoured by the gods. As the Athenians ...

This is a preview of the whole essay