King Lear and Antigone as Tragic Hero Essay - 1626 Words

Because Lear is capable of change, he becomes a tragic hero; because Antigone is incapable of change, she never becomes a tragic heroine. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as someone, usually a male, who â€Å"falls from a high place mainly due to their fatal flaw.† During the highest point of the tragic hero’s life, something is revealed to the protagonist causing a reversal in their fortune. This reversal of fortune is caused by the flaw in their character. Tragedy evokes catharsis, a feeling of pity for the protagonist in the audience. While both the characters of Lear and Antigone possess some tragic features required to be a tragic hero, only one proves to be the true tragic hero. Antigone can be considered a tragic hero, because†¦show more content†¦She is proud of her actions to the point of being blind to her own role in her death. She begs, â€Å"Be witness for me, denied all pity, unjustly judged!† implying that she is only a victim of unjust circumstances. As Antigone does not go through any anagnorisis she doesn’t go through the critical realisation or discovery that the typical tragic hero needs to go through. Antigone’s lack of self-knowledge accounts for her alleging the â€Å"thrice told doom of her father†. Instead of acknowledging her wrongful actions against the King she continually blames her unfortunate fate upon the â€Å"entire desting† of her ‘cursed’ family. She continually defies the states regulations and risks her own life to honour her brother. Antigone has many chances to back down but her own hubris means that she isn’t capable of change which leads to her unnecessary dea th. A moment of anagnorisis does occur in Antigone’s presence; however it is not she who realizes her own role in her downfall. The Chorus asserts, â€Å"You have made your choice, your death is the doing of your own conscious hand,† however Antigone refuses to accept these words. She insists she has â€Å"not sinned before God...But if the guilt lies upon Creon who judged me, then. I pray, may his punishment equal my own.† Nearing the end of the play, it is proven that Antigone is not a tragic hero, because she lacks a moment of anagnorisis highlighting how she is incapable of beingShow MoreRelatedThe Renaissance and It’s Affect on William Shakespeare’s Works2369 Words   |  10 Pagesby the Church. The genre of tragedy is rooted in the Greek dramas of Aeschylus (525-456 B.C., e.g. the Oresteia and Prometheus Bound), Euripides (ca. 480?-405 B.C., e.g. Medeaand The Trojan Women) and Sophocles (496-406 B.C., e.g. Oedipus Rex and Antigone). While S hakespeare probably did not know Greek tragedy directly, he would have been familiar with the Latin adaptations of Greek drama by the Roman (i.e. Latin-language) playwright Seneca (ca. 3 B.C.-65 A.D.; his nine tragedies include a MedeaRead MoreEssay Prompts4057 Words   |  17 PagesGreat Expectations Sister Carrie The Great Gatsby The Sound and Fury Gulliver’s Travels Sula Heart of Darkness The Sun Also Rises Invisible Man Their Eyes Were Watching God Joe Turner’s Come and Gone The Things They Carried King Lear The Turn of the Screw Major Barbara Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf 2004 (Form B): The most important themes in literature are sometimes developed in scenes in which a death or deaths take place. Choose a novel or play and write a well-organizedRead MoreThe Sonnet Form: William Shakespeare6305 Words   |  26 Pagesoral tradition and based partly on fact and partly on fiction. The terms legend and myth (see below) are often used interchangeably, but legends are typically rooted in real historical events, whereas myths are primarily supernatural. The stories of King Arthur and Robin Hood are examples of legends. Lyric: A short poetic composition that describes the thoughts of a single speaker. Most modern poetry is lyrical (as opposed to dramatic or narrative), employing such common forms as the ode and sonnet