Creon : The Tragic Hero In SophoclesAntigone

Second, Creon’s faults brought an endless life of pain upon himself. He carried an easily describable tragic flaw. Of course, this defect is a vital trait of the tragic hero of any work. Creon’s flaw was that he was stubborn. I could not reason what Antigone’s tragic flaw could be. I believe that if Sophocles wanted Antigone to be the tragic heroine, he would have stated it more clearly in the story. I am convinced that she was simply a victim of Creon’s stubbornness, therefore leading her away from the role of the tragic heroine. I would simply consider her as a type of “puppet” character that Sophocles ingenuously used to emphasize Creon’s flaw. Creon’s defect brings misery to his life, for that his stubbornness indirectly kills Antigone, Haemon, and Eurydice. This, of course, fits the definition of a tragic hero. This can be easily reasoned by simply reading the work.

Tragedy always involves human suffering, but not everyone who suffers is a Tragic Hero. According to Aristotle, there are five basic criteria that must be met for a character to be considered a Tragic Hero. Aristotle’s ideas about tragedy were recorded in his book of literacy theory titled Poetics. In it he has a great deal to say about the structure, purpose and intended effect of tragedy. His ideas have been adopted, disputed, expanded, and discussed for several centuries. In this essay, I will examine these criteria in regards to Antigone’s Creon, King of Thebes.

Every Greek tragedy must have a tragic hero. In Sophocle’s play, Antigone, the most tragic hero is Creon. He is an essentially good man of high position who takes pride in his role as king. He possesses the tragic flaws of excessive pride and an oversized ego. This causes the tragic reversal that leads to his emotional ruin and eventual remorse and repentance.

What would happen if one flaw in your character traits led to your ultimate downfall? The play Antigone, written by Sophocles, covers the story of a young girl named Antigone. She wishes to bury her brother Polyneices, who died in battle. However, King Creon refuses to allow Polyneices proper burial because of the treason he feels Polyneices had committed, even though appropriate burial rites were a sacred law among the ancient Greeks. Creon then locks up Antigone for her attempt to bury her brother. King Creon is therefore a tragic hero. “A tragic hero is a central character who is usually of high or noble birth and demonstrates a ‘fatal flaw.’ The tragic hero’s fatal flaw is hamartia, an ingrained character trait that causes the hero to make decisions leading to his or her death or downfall” (Springboard 253). King Creon is a tragic hero in Antigone due to his allowance of his own personal opinions, beliefs, and character traits to override those that he knows are approved of by the Gods; leading to his downfall.

The qualifications of a tragic hero vary between Aristotle and Shakespeare. Aristotle thinks of a tragic hero as someone who is a noble character by choice and makes his/her own destiny, while Shakespeare sees a tragic hero as someone who is born of nobility and born to be important. Although both tragic hero's end in a tragic death that effects many people, not all tragic hero's fit perfectly into both categories. In Sophocles’ Antigone, Creon is considered a tragic hero. Creon follows Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero by being a noble character by choice, having important potential, and falls due to "miscalculations" with circumstances that are beyond control.

    Creon is sincere in his belief that he is doing what is best for his country.  He feels that Polyneices was a traitor and enemy of the state because he came upon the city to fight his brother for rule.  The peripetia, or moment of reversal of the play, was when Creon finally realized that he was in the wrong.  He hurried to make amends by burying Polyneices and then rushing to release Antigone from her "tomb."  Because he is too late and Antigone has already taken her own life, a domino effect of death takes place with Haemon, his son, and then his wife Eurydice taking their own lives.  Creon advances from ignorance to

According to Aristotle, a tragic hero is a man of high power who is significant in which their outstanding power shines and they have great qualities. In the play, Antigone, the author provides a couple of characters who could fit the title of the tragic hero throughout the play. In order to fit his definition, a character must experience a downfall, be of noble birth, experience a reversal of fortune, and recognition of what has occurred. Antigone experiences most of these traits in the play, however, Creon goes through a traumatic downfall that no character can compare to. Not only does he have a downfall but also experiences the family trait of nobility and a reversal of fortune.

A tragic hero/heroine is a character who meets his or her downfall (usually death) because of a weakness they possess or a judgement in error. In “Antigone” by Sophocles, the king Creon displays the qualities of a tragic hero. Creon has a strong sense of hubris. Hubris is overwhelming pride or arrogance which causes the hero’s transgression against the gods. It is his tragic flaw. In the play, he meets his death because he has way too much pride, he has a fate he does not deserve, and he has an error in judgment.

  The dilemma of identifying the true hero, or heroine, of Sophocles’ Antigone has tortured students for years. It is indeed a difficult decision to make. The basis for this decision is what the reader perceives to be Sophocles’ dramatic issue in this play. The dramatic issue of the play is twofold: Antigone is a fanatic who is driven by her religious fever to bury the body of her criminal brother, Polyneices, against the edict of Creon. In the second part, Sophocles shows how the new King Creon’s refusal to change his decision in the face of adversity is admirable, but at the same time his political morals end up destroying his family. His fall from grace is tragic, whereas Antigone's fall is

Creon’s excessive pride leads to several mistakes on his part, as well as his downfall as a leader. He creates a law of the state that goes against the law of the gods. Creon, the king of Thebes, decrees that Polyneices shall not be buried or mourned because he deems him a traitor to the state. Although the gods deem that all men should be properly buried, Creon avers, “Polyneices, I say, is to have no burial: no man is to touch him or say the least prayer for him; he shall lie on the plain, unburied; and the birds and the scavenging dogs can do with him whatever they like” (169 - 172). Antigone defies this decree because she holds the laws of the gods above that of the state. Antigone declares to Creon, “Your edict, King, was strong,/ but all your strength is weakness itself against/ The immortal unrecorded

the beginning of Sophocles's play “Antigone”, Creon seems like a fair leader who is sensible for the most part for his laws and punishments. Towards the end of the play, Creon has fallen to become an unfair and cruel leader. Creon’s intense pride is ultimately what leads to his downfall and it is his hamartia. In the play “Antigone”, I believe that Creon is the tragic hero.In order to be a tragic hero, the character must posses a few notable traits. They must have a hamartia, a anagnorisis and/or peripeteia. Creon’s tragic flaw is his stubbornness and intense pride in himself. He is so infatuated with himself and so prideful that he believes he could never do any wrong. When Teiresias is telling Creon that he should have buried Polyneices

When Creon first took the throne he spoke to the people addressing his reason to not give Polyneices a proper burial as well as showcase his pride toward the country of Thebes, as he says, “I find intolerable the man who puts his country second to his friends [...] Never could I make my country’s enemy my private friend”(350). The characterization of Polyneices that Creon creates as an enemy is revealed to be the cause of his own conflict against Antigone. Creon’s nationalist characteristics lead to his decision of not burying Polyneices. Creon expresses pride in his country so greatly that he also disses Antigone’s father and dead brother. When Creon confronts Antigone due to the fact that she buried her brother despite his law, she responds, “Since Zeus never promulgated such a law”(358). The characterization of Antigone proves that her rebellion is backed by her own beliefs religiously and righteously . Antigone is driven by her religious faith for Zeus and what she thinks is right for her brother. Antigone’s pride leads her to opposition of her uncle based off both of their opposite ideals. Sophocles uncovers the differences in one’s pride to prove the strength in

In Sophocles’ play Antigone, there are two possible tragic heroes, Creon and Antigone. A tragic hero is a character who is noble, has one or many unfixable flaws, and experiences a downfall. While Creon could be considered, he is nowhere near as noble as Antigone, who lives by the law of the gods and dies for the dignity of her brother. His disposition is far from flawless, but he does not experience a downfall comparable to Antigone’s death. Antigone portrays all the components of a tragic hero; thus, she is the true tragic hero of Antigone.

As humans, we tend to place both familiar and unfamiliar objects alike in groups, representing certain characteristics specific to that object. This psychological feat is known as categorization. We categorize everything from the food we eat to the clothing we wear, and even the literature that we read. The groups of literary works are known as genres. Within this category of genres are plays, and a subcategory is the tragedy. Though not so romanticized by contemporary authors, tragedies were particularly popular during the ancient times. Through out his lifetime, Sophocles wrote tens of plays, but one in particular, Antigone earned him his esteemed title. In Antigone, there is much debate present about who the tragic character is. A tragic character (sometimes called tragic hero) is a character who undergoes a reversal of fate, essentially hubris. Many opine the Creon is the tragic character as he experiences the ultimate reversal of fortune when his son, wife, and niece die as a result of his own decision.

He prohibits Polynices’s body from being buried, and banishes Antigone for going against his rule. Through the examination of Creon’s actions and statements, it is evident that Creon’s character possesses the following characteristics: hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, hubris, and a greater fate than he deserves. These characteristics are all requirements of Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero; therefore, it can be concluded that Creon perfectly identifies as a tragic hero.