Comparing the Idea of Tragic Hero in Antigone and Othello - Essay Example

His misfortune arouses pity in the audience because it occurs as a result of his error of judgment, and not from a premeditated act of evil. The tragedies of Antigone and Othello are written in such a way that the characters become victims of the crimes they have done. Creon is punished by Heaven with the suicide of his son, Haemon, and his wife, Eurydice because he takes pride in his new authority, but eschews human values. Similarly, Othello, a noble warrior, is contaminated with the sins of jealousy and corruption. He becomes confused and suffers a conflict with himself whether to believe his wife Desdemona or not. In the cases of Othello and Antigone, the protagonists suffer because of the sin they commit albeit due to error of judgment rather than deliberate design.

In Antigone, Sophocles portrays Creon, the king of Thebes, as a tragic hero. A nobleman by birth, he makes an error in judgment, which becomes his undoing. He becomes a villain because he refuses to bury the body of Polyneices. Both Creon and Antigone have been stubborn in their views. The tragedy of Creon is brought about only after Antigone, Haemon, his son, and Eurydice, his wife killed. Towards the end, Creon comes to remorse, which is one of the characteristics of a tragic hero. While taking into consideration this characteristic, one can come to the point that Creon is the real tragic hero as he comes to remorse but not Antigone. Antigone dies as a consequence of her belief, but Creon is ruined as a consequence of his decision. Karuna Shanker Mishra, in his work, The Tragic Hero through Ages, mentions that Sophocles thinks that it is sinful deeds that result in tragedy.

 The character of Creon proves this. “When he faces disaster, he realizes that his folly has caused the calamity” (Misra, 19). The title character Antigone, daughter of Oedipus can also be considered as a tragic hero. She could be considered as a hero rather than a heroine as her arrogant character which led to her ultimate and unavoidable tragic ending makes her a son of Oedipus. She was torn between her family and the state and finally chooses family over the state. The tragedy of Antigone starts even before her birth. Oedipus, her father, unknowingly marries his mother. Hence Antigone becomes a sister of Oedipus. Afterward, Oedipus blinds himself before his death which adds to the tragedy of Antigone. Later she is determined to bury the dead body of her brother Polyneices, despite Creon’s edict. Antigone kills herself and she could be considered as a true tragic hero caught in a violent flaw that was out of her control. Her actions are of a common man, but this brought about the downfall in her life. In her case, her arrogance is the tragic flaw that leads to her downfall. It is brought about to her by her hurried actions and this raises our pity towards her as we are aware of her situation and there is no other option for Antigone. She can be considered as a true tragic hero as she has all the requirements and characteristics of a tragic hero.