Introduction
According to Aristotle’s Poetics, tragedy is a theatrical style that depicts the catastrophic fall of an honorable or high-ranking character—often referred to as the tragic hero—due to their fatal fault or hamartia. This article will compare Creon and Antigone, the two central figures in Sophocles’ Antigone, as tragic heroes following Aristotle’s teachings. The essay will assess how each character exemplifies Aristotle’s concepts, including high estate, reversal of fate, self-knowledge, and arousing the audience’s sympathy and dread.
Creon Is a Perfect Tragic Hero
It might be claimed that Creon is the ideal tragic hero based on a study of the individuals and their behavior. Creon’s fatal weakness, hubris, causes him to act irrationally and ultimately lose everything he values, which finally leads to his demise (Butcher 270). After his catastrophic fall, he develops self-awareness and regret, demonstrating a substantial character transformation (Manai 2).
Antigone, in contrast, stays true to her beliefs and does not give up, even while facing death. Although Antigone suffers a sad end, her fatal fault is not as apparent as Creon’s, and she shows little self-awareness or regret. So, Creon more closely adheres to Aristotle’s description of a tragic hero.
Creon and Antigone Accroding to Aristotle’s Standards
High Estate
In Sophocles’ Antigone, Creon and Antigone come from noble origins, an essential element of tragedy. King of Thebes Creon is obligated to maintain the rules of the land because of his position of authority. The former king Oedipus’ daughter Antigone is a high-status person with a robust familial obligation (Manai 8).
The drama emphasizes the results of their deeds and judgments because of their social standing, showing how people’s errors in authority may have broad repercussions. Additionally, because of how they operate in defiance of Thebes’ rules and customs, their high estate highlights the topic of the individual against community ideals. Their position triggers the play’s primary tensions in this way, heightening the impact of their terrible endings.
Hubris and Hamartia
Greek tragedy revolves around the themes of hubris and hamartia, and both Creon and Antigone possess these tragic characteristics. Creon’s arrogance results from his kingly authority, which makes him think that human law takes precedence over divine law. His hamartia is his incapacity to reverse direction and heed the counsel of others around him (James 228).
Antigone’s feeling of familial obligation drove her to break the state’s rules and bury her brother even though it was against the law, which is where her hubris originates. Her hamartia is her refusal to give in or think about the repercussions of her choices. The drama emphasizes how these deadly defects have catastrophic outcomes due to their effects (James 222). The discussion of hubris and hamartia also highlights the idea of the individual against societal principles because both individuals find it challenging to balance their convictions with what the government expects of them.
Reversal of Fortune
A significant component of tragedy is the reversal of fortune, often when a character’s circumstances change from one of strength to one of weakness. Both Creon and Antigone encounter a turn of events in Antigone (Romanska 97). As he grows more alone and his family starts dying, Creon’s initial position of power as the king of Thebes begins to crumble.
Being an outsider and a woman, Antigone begins the play in a position of weakness (Heneghan 4). Nevertheless, when she becomes a martyr for her ideas, her position changes to one of strength. These turnarounds in luck serve as a reminder of both the brittleness of human power and position and the unpredictable nature of existence.
Self-Knowledge
Self-awareness is a critical component of the tragic hero’s journey. It speaks to a character’s understanding of their constraints, frailties, and shortcomings. In Antigone, Creon exhibits self-awareness by acknowledging his terrible weakness, hubris, and how it contributed to his demise (Romanska 93). He regrets what he did and acknowledges that his pride and obstinacy prevented him from seeing the truth (Heneghan 8).
However, Antigone does not show much insight about herself. Notwithstanding the repercussions of her acts, she remains faithful to her beliefs until the day of her death. Creon’s self-discovery quest is a cautionary story on the value of humility and the possible repercussions of disregarding one’s shortcomings.
Pity and Fear
The audience’s emotional reactions to a tragic hero’s demise in Aristotle’s Poetics are pity and dread. Hence, these sensations bring catharsis by releasing the audience’s feelings of sympathy and anxiety. Both Creon and Antigone make the spectator feel sympathy and terror for Antigone. Creon’s catastrophic fall and the death of his family members inspire sympathy, while his seclusion and journey into madness inspire terror (Heneghan 5).
Pity and horror are also evoked by Antigone’s persistent commitment to her ideas and final demise. Nevertheless, depending on how the audience interprets the characters and their acts’ meanings, these feelings may be evoked to varying degrees. Ultimately, the arousal of pity and dread is a potent weapon for capturing and influencing the audience’s emotions.
Character Analysis
Understanding tragedy in literature requires a fundamental grasp of the characters. The two primary characters of Antigone, Creon and Antigone, go through substantial character growth that ultimately leads to their destruction. Creon’s pride, obstinacy, and feeling of responsibility to maintain the state’s laws characterize him (Romanska 99).
Conversely, Antigone is distinguished by her unyielding adherence to her convictions and familial obligations. Both characters’ weaknesses are brought to light as the play progresses, which results in their untimely deaths. The spectator is compelled to consider the intricacies of human nature and the effects of one’s choices through character arcs. Ultimately, Creon and Antigone’s personalities examine the human mind and the elements contributing to the tragedy.
Literary Critics
Literary critics crucially influence the analysis and interpretation of tragedy in literature. Many commentators have shared their perspectives on Antigone’s characters, themes, and messages. Aristotle’s Poetics is still a pillar of literary criticism on tragedy, and it frequently serves as a foundation for study thanks to his definition of a tragic hero (Romanska 90).
The play’s examination of gender roles, family relationships, and political power has drawn the attention of other reviewers. Antigone’s rejection of conventional gender standards and its emphasis on the subjugation of women has drawn particular attention from feminist commentators. By embracing the literary critics’ observations, we may better comprehend Antigone’s diverse viewpoints and interpretations and its reputation as a classic work of tragic literature.
Conclusion
In summary, the tragedy and the human condition are compellingly explored in Antigone. The two main characters in the play function as tragic figures who personify tragedy, according to Aristotle, Creon, and Antigone. Their affluence, arrogance, hamartia, and turn of events lead to their demise and cause sympathy and anxiety in the viewer. The play also provides commentary on intricate subjects, including the harmony between personal and societal ideals, gender roles, and the effects of governmental power via the development of its characters.
Also, literary critics’ insights enhance our knowledge of the play and its different interpretations. Although both Creon and Antigone have terrible defects, it is Creon who finally achieves major self-discovery, and this serves as a warning about the perils of arrogance and stubbornness. Nevertheless, Antigone is still regarded as a classic work of tragic literature that fascinates and challenges readers.
Works Cited
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Heneghan, Fiacha. “Hegel’s Tragic Conception of World History.” 2021, pp. 1-10.
James, Tom. “Reinhold Niebuhr And The Aesthetics Of Political Leadership.” Paradoxical Virtue. Routledge, vol. 1, no. 19, 2020, pp. 220-238. Web.
Manai, Bashir Habib. “The Sophoclean Trilogy and Shakespeare’s King Lear in the Light of the Poetics.” International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation vol 2, no. 2, 2019, pp. 1-11. Web.
Romanska, Magda. “Antigone’s Choice: Tragedy and Philosophy from Dialectic to Aporia.” Performance Philosophy. Vol. 7, no. 2, 2022, pp. 89-110. Web.