After examining the play, Antigone, for tragic characters, it is seen that there couldbe many different possibilities. One character is clearly shown to be the tragic characterthough, and that is Antigone. She plays this role so great because she has all of the correctcharacteristics of a tragic character including her tragic flaw and her downfall. A tragiccharacter is defined as a person who suffers a downfall in the course of the play, this character also has a tragic flaw which is the event that brings about the downfall of thecharacter.
Although it could be seen that Antigone is the tragic character, there are manyother possibilities. The plot structure can give many hints or clues of which can reveal the tragiccharacter of the play. The play, “Antigone” offers many clues that the tragic character is infact, Antigone. Antigone has a tragic flaw which is her arrogance, or the fact that shechooses to bury her brother, Polynices, even though the law prohibits it due to the factthat he is a traitor. Her downfall is her death which comes after she buries Polynices, she iscaught and brought to Creon, whose is king and son Haimon is to marry her. He sentencesher to be banished and locked away in a cave in which she hangs herself and later Haimonalso kills himself.
The tragedy of this play is that the main character, Antigone, dies all because shewanted to bury her brother but is banished and kills herself. The aspect of Antigone affectsthe play in an important way because she wins favor of the reader/spectator because allshe wants to do is rightfully bury her brother. This leads to the end of the play in whichshe commits suicide as well as Haimon who commits suicide and everyone suffers thetragedy of their deaths. The concept of fate affects the tragic character’s actions in a very important way .
Antigone’s fate is that she makes a choice. This choice she makes leads to her suicide aswell as Haimon’s all because she wanted to bury Polynices but Creon’s laws prevent thisbut she does it anyway. Antigone suffers her fate as well as the other characters includingHaimon who also dies. A tragic character is essential to a play for many reasons.
The tragic charactersuffers a tragic flaw in which a character suffers a downfall. The concept of the tragiccharacter is relevant in all plays and is sometimes difficult to pick out such as this play,“Antigone.”
