Tragic Heroine
Antigone is a heroine that sacrifices her simplistic world for one much more dangerous and looked down upon in the name of her beloved brother’s spirit. Antigone is charged guilty for the crimes she committed against the law put down by the king, however she is innocent and her heart pure.
Antigone mentions several times that she is only doing her following actions for the loyalty that she has for her brother Polyneices. Antigone states with strong confidence, “I’ll do my duty to my brother—and yours as well, if you’re not prepared to. I won’t be caught betraying him”(Sophocles,64-66). When Antigone refers to ‘duty’ she is saying that as a sister to a brother, through loyalty and love, it is the least she can do to bring him happiness in the afterlife, even if it does conclude in her own horrid death.
Antigone is a tragic heroine because, even though all she has done is for the will of her brother, she is seen dead hanged by her own hands. Earlier Antigone had spoke with no hesitation, "So be what you want. I’ll still bury him. It would be fine to die while doing that" (88-89). In this quotation, Antigone accepts the fact that she may have to even face the horrors of death to complete the honorable deed of burying her dearest brother and coincidentally Antigone's world concludes in just that... The messenger describes her death as, “In the furthest corner of the tomb we saw Antigone hanging by the neck, held up in a noose—fine woven linen”(1358-1360). The detailed description brings a memorable yet graphic ending to Antigone’s long and courageous journey.
Antigone is innocent for her heart of purity and her actions only done for her beloved brother, even if the charges against her are named guilty. Antigone is strong, loyal, confident, and willing to sacrifice her own life for the happiness of another, therefore she is a heroine in her own time… A courageous and purely innocent woman to be look up to as a respectable example of how a sister should care for and love a brother.
