Antigone, the Tragic Heroine

There is still a great debate on who is, in fact, the true tragic hero in Sophocles' Antigone. Many hold that it must be Antigone, herself; after all, the play does bear her name. I conclude that she is the actual heroine, for she perfectly exemplifies the meaning of tragic hero. In order to determine whether or not Antigone is the true tragic hero, one will first have to answer the question, what is a …

…befallen from Oedipus. Despite her failings and downfall, justice of the human spirit shines through in the end, producing the story as a true tragedy. Creon is defeated by his own actions, and Antigone's own tragic death marks the beginning of that defeat. Although Creon closely resembles what a tragic hero must be, it is clear that Antigone is the true tragic hero. She fits every requirement marked by every characteristic of a tragic hero.