In Antigone, a drama written by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, the protagonist of the play may be easily confused. It is a highly debated subject concerning exactly which character plays the role of the protagonist, Antigone or Creon. Greek tradition defines the dramatic protagonist as one who plays the leading character, hero, or heroine. In a simpler term, the protagonist is the title character. Stemming from this basic definition, classical Greek literature went on to add that the protagonist is the main character that realizes his or her own faults and mistakes. This variation of the definition has stumped critics and has divided them over which character is best suited for the leading role.
Based on Greek literature, Antigone and Creon both hold the power to be named as protagonist. They both fight for something that they believe strongly in. In Antigone’s case, she fights for the righteous burial of her brother. She does this to give justice to her deceased brother and to please the gods. In the case of Creon, the leader of Thebes, he fights for adherence to his laws. Creon’s battle is not traditionally a hero’s conflict, but he sticks to his own ethics just as Antigone remains loyal to her own. Antigone and Creon both portray extreme pride and stubbornness in their actions. They both seem unwilling to concede to the other’s wishes, staying dedicated to their stances.
Antigone fulfills the first traditional sense of the word protagonist. The entire play is titled after her name. The plot is centered on her beliefs and the actions she takes to satisfy them. She wishes to give her sibling a proper burial, but once she decides to defy the laws of Creon by burying him, her measures are reversed when the soldiers of Thebes unbury him. Unyielding, Antigone once again disobeys Creon’s law and buries her brother. Her extreme pride leads to Antigone’s untimely death when she is caught burying her brother a second time. Creon sentences Antigone to death for insubordination. In keeping with the fight, Antigone decides to kill herself before Creon has the chance. This shows a stubborn quality that most protagonists share.
Although the title of the play is Antigone’s name, Creon shows characteristics of a protagonist as well. When paired with the basic definition, Creon executes the role of protagonist when he recognizes his faults and tries to mend them. His intense pride keeps him from forfeiting the fight with Antigone until he sentences her to death. With this punishment, the gods make Creon aware that he made mistakes. Creon used this information to recognize his errors, and he set about to right his wrongs. He went to the jail to release Antigone from her sentence, but when he arrived, his efforts were too late. He found Antigone dead in her cell. By attempting to fix his mistakes, Creon showed aspects of a protagonist.
Antigone and Creon both fulfill the basic definition of protagonist because the drama is centered on the actions taken by Antigone and her consequences that influence Creon’s actions. They both possess the stubborn characteristic of leading characters. When taking the second half of the definition of protagonist into consideration, Creon is a more suitable candidate for the central character. He not only plays an important role in the plot, but he also realizes his mistakes and tries to fix them. Unlike Creon, Antigone never recognizes her faults, and she fights Creon to her death, a quality that is sometimes found in the antagonist. Based on these features, Creon is the unorthodox contender for protagonist.
