ENG200.003 -- Introduction to Literary Study

Prof. Eileen Joy

Fall 2009

SHORT PAPER #1: Character Anaylsis

Most commentators on Sophocles's play Antigone assume Antigone, for whom the play is named, to be the protagonist, and therefore also the tragic hero, of the play. That would also make Creon the chief antagonist, and the conflict between them the main spark that sets the plot into motion. At the same time, Creon himself exhibits many of the characteristics of the tragic hero--his stubborn pride, for example (a trait he shares with Antigone), leads to the downfall of his family, to his own ruin as a leader of the Theban people, and to immense personal suffering, whereas Antigone--although she does die--does not appear to experience great suffering as a result of her rebellious decision to defy Creon's law. Martha Nussbaum has argued (in an essay in our book) that BOTH Antigone and Creon are the protagonists of the play, "both active and receptive, neither exploiter nor simply victim." As to which one of the two has the "moral upper hand," well . . . . that's one of the great unanswered questions of literature that we won't try to answer here. What I would like for you to do, however, is to undertake a character analysis of EITHER Antigone or Creon. In other words, looking very carefully at the play itself, how would you describe the qualities of "mind, spirit, and behavior" of the character you choose? Keep in mind that character (a person's "inner mettle," so to speak--what a person is really made of deep down) is revealed primarily through the words and actions of the individual in question, but also through his or her interactions with other characters, and in the way other characters view and react to that individual, so concentrate on those aspects of the play.

2-3 paragraphs (TYPED and double-spaced) will suffice.