Heroism In Antigone And Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

A hero is typically an individual that does unordinary and brave actions, and others tend look up to them because of their heroism. In Antigone and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, there are multiple characters that embody the characteristics of a hero. Antigone is a Greek writing that exemplifies what it means to stand for what you believe in as well as having a tragic downfall due to ones own fault. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a Middle English work that precisely goes through the Hero’s Journey. The two characters in Antigone that demonstrate their heroism is Antigone and Creon. Both Antigone and Creon show their stubborness throughout the story, but one more so than the other. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are also both heros†¦show more content†¦Creon, also in Antigone, exemplifies a true tragic hero. In the beginning of Creon’s leadership, he was convinced that he was the best King ever, and that everyone had to abide by his law and his law only. He was born into a high social class and thought everything revolved around him. â€Å"See that you never side with those who break my orders† (Sophocles 245) demonstrates Creon’s overconfidence because he believes that the laws of the god are below the importance of the laws of men. A mistake of Creon was how he determined Antigone’s punishment because he was more concerned about his public reputation, and he didn’t want a woman to rise above him. Creon was blinded by his own pride and dignity which ultimately caused his downfall. Tiresias had a prophecy and even tried to warn Creon that his pride was being frowned upon by the gods. â€Å"Stubbornness/brands you for stupidity---pride is a crime†(Sophocles 1136-1137). An epiphany occurred, â€Å"I know it myself—-I’m shaken, torn/ it’s a dreadful thing to yield.../lay my pride bare to the blows of ruin?/ that’s dreadful too† (Sophocles 1218-1221), in which he real ized his hubris affected his place in the world and how he dealt with challenges. A journey occurred as his flaws came to light in his eyes. He felt guilty about his actions and at the end of the play he stated that, â€Å"I killed you, I, god help me, I admit it all!†(Sophocles 1443-1444), even though it was too late for him to be taught wisdom.