Name:______________________________
Sally
ENG II
Antigone
Explanatory Essay
Definition of Tragic Hero
“A man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.”
-Aristotle
• Of noble birth/greatness
• Not perfect, suffer from some “tragic flaw” that eventually leads to their downfall.
• Enlightened, humbled, & learn from downfall
Assignment: Your job is to choose the character that best represents the definition of tragic hero.
You will explain how and why he/she can be considered a tragic hero. You MUST support this claim
with specific quotes/references to the play. BE AS SPECIFIC AS YOU CAN POSSIBLY BE! You cannot
simply state “Antigone was stubborn.” Find a passage in the play which represents her
stubbornness. ALWAYS support your claims with evidence when writing an essay.
Your essay must have…
Introductory Paragraph
Attention getter
Title & author of literary work
Preview points
*Thesis*
3 Body Paragraphs
Topic sentence
Support from the text
Details
 First 2 paragraphs explain all your reasoning as to why he/she is a tragic hero
 3rd paragraph explain why you chose them over the other character
Why did you choose this particular character?
Comment on the other character not fulfilling tragic hero as well as
your choice.
You need a properly cited Quote in each body paragraph!
Conclusion
Restate your thesis
Summarize your main points
Name:______________________________
Sally
ENG II
Antigone Essay Brainstorm
Who do you think better fulfills the Tragic Hero criteria: Antigone or Creon? __________________
How does your character fulfill the criteria?
Noble Birth/Capable of Greatness? ____________________________________________________
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Passage/Evidence from text? (INCLUDE SCENE and LINE #) __________________________________
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What is his/herTragic Flaw?_________________________________
Passage/Evidence from text? (INCLUDE SCENE and LINE #) __________________________________
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Your character must be enlightened, humbled, and learn from Downfall. Explain. ______________
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Passage/Evidence from text? (INCLUDE SCENE and LINE #) __________________________________
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Why does your character fulfill the criteria better than the other?
Overall, why is your character a better representation of “Tragic Hero” than the other? __________
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Passage/Evidence from text? (INCLUDE SCENE and LINE #) __________________________________
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