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An Unorthodox Protagonist In Antigone, a drama written by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, the question of who the protagonist of the play is may be easily confused It is a highly disputed topic concerning exactly which character plays the role of the protagonist, Antigone or !reon In order to decide which character possesses the merits to be considered the true protagonist, one has to consider" what is the definition of protagonist# Is it simply the title character, or the most relatable or sympathetic character, or are there other qualifications# Greek tradition holds a $ariation of the definition that has stumped critics and has di$ided them o$er which character is best suited for the leading role %he self&reali'ation and recognition of one(s mistakes is also one of the credentials, and with further examination, !reon emerges as being best suited for the role of the protagonist )e deri$e our definition of a Greek tragedy from Aristotle, who originated that definition on the basis of plays from his time, such as Antigone Greek tradition defines the dramatic protagonist as one who is regarded as extraordinary, and is brought from happiness to agony *%he character(s stature is important because it makes his or her fall all the more terrifying+ ,-eyer ./012 3rom this basic definition, Aristotle went on to include that the protagonist is the main character that possesses a tragic flaw, and later reali'es his or her own faults and mistakes Aristotle used *hamartia+ as the term for these weaknesses ,-eyer ./0/2 4ased on these definitions, Antigone and !reon both ha$e the potential to be qualified as protagonist %hey both battle forcefully for something that they belie$e strongly in In Antigone5s case, she fights for the honorable burial of her brother She

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does this because she considers the laws of the gods to be greater than the edict laid down by her uncle !reon In the case of !reon, the king of %hebes, he fights for adherence to his laws !reon5s battle is not traditionally a conflict that would make him a sympathetic character, nor is the audience lead to feel all that much empathy for him, but he sticks to his own morals 6ust as Antigone remains de$oted to her own 4oth Antigone and !reon seem unwilling to concede or compromise with each other, staying dedicated to their position !reon also seems especially unwilling to concede based on the fact that his opponent is female *%herefore we must defend the men who li$e by law, ne$er let some woman triumph o$er us 4etter to fall from power, if fall we must, at the hands of a man 7 ne$er be rated inferior to a woman, ne$er + ,Sophocles ./882 After this, when arguing with 9aemon, he calls him a *woman(s accomplice+, and a *woman(s sla$e + 9e ad$ises 9aemon to *ne$er lose your sense of 6udgment o$er a woman+ ,Sophocles ./8:2 It is his unwillingness to admit that he could be wrong that leads to his ultimate downfall %he king is upset that his son would take the side of a traitor o$er him, e$en though she is his son(s fianc;e 9e sees his son(s defense of Antigone as unmanly, and as a sign of weakness 9e says that it would be better to fall at the hands of a man *<e$er be rated inferior to a woman, ne$er+ ,Sophocles ./882 9aemon is trying to con$ince his father that his ruling is un6ust !reon 6ust can(t get o$er him taking a woman(s side %he more the two argue the more it appears that !reon(s stubbornness is cemented by his sexist mindset Antigone and !reon both pro$e themsel$es to be extremely stubborn and

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prideful in their own actions In this, Antigone fulfills the first sense of the word protagonist %he entire play is titled after her name %he plot is focused around her and on her beliefs and the actions she takes to satisfy them Although, she may possess a tragic flaw that would ultimately make her the undisputed protagonist, her unwa$ering and defiance of !reon to the $ery end puts this into question In keeping with the fight, Antigone decides to kill herself before !reon has the chance, and it is this stubborn quality that most antagonists share" to fight against the protagonist and defy them to the bitter end She does not take responsibility for her mistakes, and ne$er finds herself to be in the wrong, and it is this lack of epiphany that makes !reon bested suited to be the protagonist Although the title of the play is Antigone5s name, !reon shows characteristics of a protagonist more so than Antigone herself )hen paired with the basic definition, !reon executes the role of protagonist when he recogni'es his own faults and tries to mend them 9e then accepts responsibility for his actions *And the guilt is all mine 7 !an ne$er be fixed on another man, <o escape for me I killed you, I, god help me, I admit it all + ,Sophocles .=>/2 Antigone does not do this !reon(s intense pride pre$ents him from relenting in the fight with Antigone until he sentences her to death, against the ad$ice of the town and his own son 4y enforcing this punishment, !reon is later make aware that he made mistakes !reon used this information to recogni'e his errors, and he attempted to go right his wrongs 9e first went to gi$e Polynices a proper burial and then went to the

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ca$e to release Antigone from her sentence, but when he arri$ed, his efforts were too late 9e found Antigone dead in her cell 4y trying to fix his mistakes, !reon showed characteristics of a protagonist Antigone and !reon both fulfill the basic definition of protagonist, but it is the final acceptance of blame that sets the two apart %hey both possess the stubborn characteristic of leading characters, but Antigone is stubborn and defiant to the end, while !reon is later de$astated and takes responsibility )hen taking the second half of the definition of protagonist into consideration, !reon is a more suitable candidate for the central character 9e not only plays an important role in the plot, but he also reali'es his mistakes and tries to fix them Unlike !reon, Antigone ne$er recogni'es her faults, and she fights !reon to her death, with her $ery death also being a form of rebelliousness against him, which is a quality that is usually found in the antagonist 4ased on these features, !reon shows himself to be an unorthodox contender for title of protagonist

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)orks !ited

-eyer, -ichael %he 4edford Introduction to ?iterature 8th ed 4oston" 4edford@St -artin(s, 0>>8 ./01&./0= Print Sophocles *Antigone+ %rans Aobert 3agles %he 4edford Introduction to ?iterature Bd -ichael -eyer 8th ed 4oston" 4edford@St -artin(s, 0>>8 ./CD&.=>= Print