At its core, Antigone is a story about contrasts and the conflicts that arise between them: idealism and practicality, family loyalty and civic duty, actions and their consequences. It is not the simple tale of “good guys” and “bad guys.” It is a story about difficult decisions based on complex loyalties and complicated relationships. In many ways, it exposes the audience to two distinct viewpoints: that of a young idealist in the character of Antigone determined to serve her family honorably and to follow her own moral compass regardless of all consequences and that of her uncle, King Creon, who is most concerned with the well being of the state and the duty of its citizens to preserve law and order in the face of what he sees as treason. Their kinship becomes a complex entanglement that unravels more than either of them foresees. Tragedies such as Antigone played an essential role in the education of Athenian Citizens about their roles within the society and the reconciliation of the individual with the community. The experiences of the characters are real, and they demonstrate the complexity of the human experience. For our Reflection this week, use the Greek Tragedy study materials to determine two things: First, who is the tragic hero of the play, “Antigone,” and what is his or her hamartia? Which specific character trait or poor decision causes the character’s downfall? What mistake did they make? To receive full credit, you must support your claims using specific evidence from the video performance of the play. This performance video must be cited in your reflection using specific times in your parenthetical citations. Remember: your goal is to prove that you watched the entire video performance and that you did NOT simply google a summary of the play. Secondly, Aristotle sets some fairly firm rules for something to be considered a proper tragedy. After watching the performance of Antigone and reading through Aristotle’s ideas, do you believe Sophocles’ play satisfies Aristotle’s conditions? Be specific with your answers. Remember the purpose here is to demonstrate that you have watched and analyzed the play. Required sources/ citations: Antigone video posted in Canvas HAMARTIA (AH-MAHR-TEE-AH) The Greek word that describes what many people refer to as the “tragic flaw” of the hero of Greek tragedy, hamartia has a complex meaning which includes “sin,” “error,” “trespass,” and “missing the mark” (as in archery–missing the bulls-eye). The “mistake” of the hero has an integral place in the plot of the tragedy. The logic of the hero’s descent into misfortune is determined by the nature of his or her particular kind of hamartia. Important Notice: The purpose of Reflection questions is to demonstrate that you have completed the assigned readings, videos, and other materials for the week and have attempted to understand and reflect on the material. To accomplish this, be sure to offer analysis rather than merely summary and include specific quotes and examples from the assigned materials, including the textbook, to support your ideas. Be sure to include citations to identify where the information came from. When discussing the material, it is important to identify where your supporting evidence comes from by citing the names of assigned articles and videos and providing page numbers for information from the textbook. It is also best to use direct quotations from the assigned materials whenever possible. Since Reflection questions are meant to explore your personal interactions with the assigned materials, no outside materials are allowed (or necessary). This is not a research assignment.