In Sophocles' Antigone, those roles are fulfilled by Antigone and Creon, respectively. After all, Antigone sacrifices herself to fulfill her moral duty to her family and the gods, and Creon stubbornly rejects Antigone's religious convictions as a rationale for disobeying his orders. This seems simple enough, right?
In the Greek definition of a protagonist, a tragically flawed character of high moral regard, one could argue that Antigone and Creon both display heroic qualities, and yet there is no greater villain than both of these characters.
She is besieged by pride, and does not listen to reason, despite her sister Ismene's pleas for reason and Creon's willingness to pardon her. Antigone prefers a righteous death to a morally passive life.
Antigone has lost every member of her family, except for her sister, and feels morally obligated to honor both of her brothers despite the circumstances of their deaths. She is outraged that Creon chose to honor Eteocles, but not Polyneices, and feels that she must set things right or suffer in the afterlife.
On the surface, the conflict between Antigone and Creon appears to be that of protagonist versus antagonist, but there is more to this literary face-off than meets the eye. Updated: 01/22/2021
In the Greek tragic tradition, there is typically a hero, also known as a protagonist, and a villain, also known as an antagonist. In Sophocles' Antigone, those roles are fulfilled by Antigone and Creon, respectively. After all, Antigone sacrifices herself to fulfill her moral duty to her family and the gods, and Creon stubbornly rejects Antigone's religious convictions as a rationale for disobeying his orders. This seems simple enough, right?
Antigone is motivated by a strong moral conviction that her brother must be honored in death and in doing so she must ''please those that are dead,'' as her time among the dead will be much longer than her time among the living. Antigone, however, is also plagued by a hamartia, or tragic flaw.
Creon's motivations are a bit more complex than the average villain. Throughout the play, he speaks to lawful reason. He is pragmatic to a fault and, like Antigone, he is also a victim of extreme pride. Unlike Antigone, however, Creon is willing to set his convictions aside and forgive Antigone's crime. Upon hearing from the prophet Teiresias that Antigone's death will bring about death in his own house, Creon decides to free Antigone, but it's too late. She has hanged herself.
Creon has ascended to the throne because Antigone's father, the king before Creon, is deceased, and her brothers are essentially outlaws. Both brothers plotted against their father, and then fought each other over the throne after his death.
Characterization in Greek Tragedy. Aristotle's ancient text Poetics describes the six pillars of Greek tragedy. Among them, Aristotle places character second in line behind the plot. In the Aristotelean tradition, character is defined by the delineation of virtue. A protagonist, or hero, is held in high esteem.
A protagonist, or hero, is held in high esteem. His or her actions and words portray a person of high moral standard. The antagonist, or villain, is portrayed in the opposite manner, usually motivated by immoral impulses such as greed, jealousy, or arrogance.
The title Antigone is an allusion to Sophocles's play of the same name on which this play is based. Anouilh's Antigone is clearly the tragic offspring of her father, Oedipus, insisting on her own point of view without compromise until her death.
This study guide and infographic for Jean Anouilh's Antigone offer summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Explore Course Hero's library of literature materials, including documents and Q&A pairs.