Heroes in Antigone

Journal #2: Heroes in Antigone?

In Antigone, The presence of a hero is little to none, or so it seems. The title character, Antigone, although not bluntly said for being so, is the hero in this book. A tragedy is a play in which a central character, called a tragic hero or protagonist suffers some serious misfortune which isn't accidental and therefore meaningless, but is significant in that the misfortune is logically connected with the heroes actions. Antigone fits this description perfectly. Antigone's actions, especially, make her more suitable to be the said, "hero" of the play. Antigone made a huge decision, which put her and her sister Ismene's life on the line just to bury her brother Polyneices. It was so important for her brother to have the proper burial, no matter what laws Creon, her uncle, has set. The burial of her brother would put his soul finally to rest, and dissipate the God's stirring anger for Polyneices' rotting body. And although she was at risk, she had absolutely no fear of Creon. For example, when Creon confronts her in scene 2, she has no look of anxiety in her eyes, and when he asks if she has done this deed from which the sentry blames her for, she accept it without hesitation. Antigone's motivation was purely about the honor she wanted for herself and her family. However, Ismene at first didn't want anything to do with this because she knew the consequences of breaking the law. Although Ismene just wanted to have the credit for helping Antigone, she didn't have the courage to complete such a tragic cause. Antigone's bravery makes her the suitable hero for this play.

An example of Antigone's heroic demeanor is when Creon brings her back to the palace, to tell her of her new punishment. Right before this scene in scene 3, Creon's son Haimon comes in and slowly starts to convince him to let Antigone go and that his punishment is foolish. This leads Creon to change is punishment from public stoning to leaving Antigone in the woods, encased in stone where she can die naturally. When Antigone is escorted back into the palace to be told her new punishment, she begins by speaking of how all should pity her, for her action was not wrong. She talks about Niobe, an ancient queen of Thebes who boasted of being superior to Leto, mother of Apollo and Artemis and ended up being turned into a stone column by Zeus. Comparing her sentence