Tragic Heroine

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Tragic Heroine In the play by Sophocles, Antigone, the tragic hero could be either Creon or Antigone. Although Antigone isn't the greatest of all people because she disobeys Creon's ruling, she is still the real tragic figure.

"Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way," Antigone says in the prologue to her sister Ismene. Antigone is well determined to please the gods by showing respect to her brother, Polyneices, and burying him despite Creon's edict because in Ancient Greece it was a big deal to make the gods proud. No one will stand in her way and that is a quality of a tragic figure, determined to do right. Like Creon said, " I swear by god..... the man who has done this thing shall pay for it!" Antigone will end up paying for it, but instead of death she will be put in a tomb for Haimon has convinced his father to not kill Antigone.

The heroine is being protected and that is a sign that she is admired. She will also not show fear. Antigone declaring, "Come: let us wait no longer," shows that she is not afraid for getting punished for showing respect to her brother and the gods. She also prays that Creon will get punished. Antigone thinks of others too by protecting the innocent from punishment. " But we are equally guilty!" Ismene shouts to Creon, but before she can go on Antigone stops her." No more, Ismene, you are alive, but I belong to death," she defends Ismene. The fact that Antigone is a woman back in Ancient Greece makes her even more great for standing up to Creon and protecting her sister. That is a quality a tragic figure has, by being brave enough to take the punishment herself.

Antigone hung herself and accepted her death for she had hoped and prayed that Creon would get what he deserves. "....I pray, may his punishment equal my own." Indeed Creon's punishment did equal Antigone's, yet he wasn't the one who died because his own son, Haimon, hung himself to show his love towards Antigone. Now the heroine can rest in peace knowing she has done right by pleasing the gods and as for Creon, his blindness brought him down for making bad choices.