Tragedy Essay Criteria

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Demise of a Hero

The play Antigone is one of the known Greek tragedies . Written by Sophocles and performed in 441 BC , the play is considered , up to the present time one of the most recognized tragedies ever written . But then , what is a tragedy and what differentiates it from other forms

Aristotle , in his Poetics , defined tragedy as "the imitation of an action that is serious and also , as having magnitude , complete in itself (Aristotle , VI .2 " Aside from such , tragedies also

have the ability to instigate a feeling of pity and fear for the character However , these feelings will be lost due to a catharsis or purging of such emotions caused by the tragic hero

There has been much debate as to who is the tragic hero in the play . In Aristetolian definition , the tragic hero is doomed to fail and posseses a tragic flaw , or fatal flaw . In the case of Antigone , her tragic flaw , or misjudgement , that is hamartia is her higher laws of duty to the gods and one 's family . She is willing to do all things for the laws she strongly abides by and fight for the family whom she is devoted to Creon , on the other hand , is quite the opposite . He disregards the directives from the gods . The characters ' tragic flaw takes the character down as the tragedy progresses . I quote from Antigone 's line "Gladly will I meet death in my sacred duty to the dead . Longer time have I to spend with them than with those who live upon the earth . Seek not to argue with me nothing so terrible can come to me but that an honored death remains (Sophocles ) Truly , Antigone is ready to face death to fulfill her duties . In Creon 's case , I quote "Honoring the good and punishing the vile , as well beseems a ruler , I have assigned due funeral rites to Eteocles , who died fighting for the fatherland but Polynices , who sought to make desolate with fire his native city and its gods , and who sought to glut himself with kindred blood and lead our citizens to slavery--to him shall no man give a tomb . Let the body lie mutilated , as a feast to dogs and birds . Therefore have I appointed watchers over his corpse , and do ye watch yourselves that no one disobey . Greed has often led men to their death (Sophocles

Aside from having a tragic flaw , Aristotle defines a tragic hero as having several other characteristics that invoke the emotions of the audience who are watching the tragedy . The tragic hero is characterized by four major attributes . The first , tragic flaw , or hubris has already been discussed in the earlier part . Another trait is that the character must be either born of noble blood , must posses nobility or is born with a high degree of wisdom . In the case of Antigone , she is born of nobility . Antigone is Oedipus ' and Jocata 's daughter . Then...