In the opening scene, a conversation between Antigone and her sister Ismene introduces us to the folly that has befallen their family. They allow us to see that prior to their current circumstance, they have greatly suffered. Their mother has committed suicide. Their father, King Oedipus, has cast himself to exile. The gods have had no mercy upon their lives. War broke out between their two brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles. Polyneices invades against the city of Thebes, to regain the throne. Eteocles, who was the legitimate heir,

Creon is unyielding. Only in the end does he see the error of his ways. It is not of high moral character that he has his epiphany. He sees his wrong doing through the loss of his son and wife, not through virtue. “Such a person is one who neither is superior [to us] in virtue and justice, nor undergoes a change to misfortune because of vice and wickedness, but because of some error, and who is one of those people with a great reputation and good fortune.” (Poetics 53a8-11, p.16)

We learn later in their conversation that Antigone has no mind to obey the law of a mortal man, but will cling to the laws of the Gods. It is here where she is introduced as the protagonist. She lets her plan of righting the wrong that is her brother’s fate be known to her sister. In return, her sister introduces another burden this tragic hero must bare: She is merely a woman.

Some topics in this essay:
King Polyneices, Creon Anitigone’s, God’s Creon, Aristotle Poetics, Antigone Ismene, Homer Joyce, According Aristotle, Eteocles Polyneices, King Oedipus, tragic hero, Creon Anitogone, creon tragic hero, play creon, laws gods, noble quality, obey law, law mortal, hero play, creon tragic, tragic hero play, obey law mortal, throughout play, pity fear,