Topic > A comparison of the plays Macbeth and Antigone

"Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy." F. Scott Fitzgerald is not the only novelist who uses tragedy, especially tragic heroes, in his plots to promote disastrous events caused by fate. Both Shakespeare and Sophocles incorporate tragic heroes into their plays Macbeth and Antigone. A tragic hero, by definition, is often someone who ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time, but at the same time reveals strength, courage and independence, whatever fate has in store for him. Although Creon and Macbeth both share common aspects in the tragedy; ultimately, Macbeth is more of a tragic hero than Creon because Macbeth was portrayed as a more respectable person than Creon, however, unlike Creon, Macbeth never learned from his mistakes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Although both Macbeth and Creon start out as good characters, Macbeth is portrayed more heroically because his actions speak louder than Creon's dark words, and he is influenced by his wife, Lady Macbeth, while Creon chose his own path. Possessing supreme pride, having a capacity for suffering, and believing in their own freedom, both Creon and Macbeth are defined as tragic heroes. Although Creon was depicted as a very wealthy and feared king, he is still a flawed human being. In Greek religion, kings had no power to question the law of the gods, however, this is exactly where Creon was testing the waters. In his monologue, Creon gives his command that “Polyneices…shall have no burial: no man shall touch him, or at least pray for him; he will lie on the plain, unburied. (Line 29) However, Antigone still gives her brother a proper burial, thus deliberately disobeying Creon. Creon explicitly states, “Oh, but I hate it all the more when a traitor, caught red-handed, seeks to glorify his crimes” (lines 552-554). By commanding no burial, Creon defies the "great unwritten and unshakable traditions" ( Lines 502-503), known as the ancient law of the gods, for that is commanded which, after death, requires a worthy burial. In this way, he not only goes against the gods and the choir, but also against his own family, as he is destroying his son's marriage with a "traitor" just to demonstrate his own supremacy and proud thinking. In the same sense, Macbeth also refuses to give in to his surroundings. At the beginning, Macbeth is described as a “brave Macbeth” (Act 1, scene 2, line 18) and a “worthy gentleman” (Act 1, scene 2, line 26). When Ross spoke of the battle, he said: “Until Bellona's groom, he collected evidence. We compare him with self-comparisons” (Act 1, Scene 3, Lines 61-62) This quote exposes how Macbeth was a loyal and worthy warrior because “Bellona” alludes to the Roman goddess of war, and the phrase “Bellona's husband” implies that the individual is the fiercest warrior, because the goddess of war would only marry the bravest and most powerful warrior. “Lapped in trials… self-confrontations” indicates being clad in worthy armor while facing attacks from enemies, which further emphasizes how Macbeth demonstrated his courage and loyalty to the king during that battle and was one of Norway's best warriors. The king, Duncan, also called him worthy while Ross describes him as brave, pointing out that Macbeth is a war hero from the beginning. This reinforces the fact that Macbeth was a loyal citizen and was willing to die for his king, even though there was no close relationship between them. Macbeth's actions confirm that his good character is believable and consistent because in society"..