Creon, the Tragic Hero Essay

Creon is a man who has just become the king of Thebes and has a flaw of having too much pride. He can’t control the power of being over other people and he lets the power go to his head. “ I now possess the throne and all its powers. No, he must be left unburied, his corpse carrion for the birds and dogs

Creon is a man of principles, who is devoted to the state as well as upholding the law in a dominant and control freak type of manner. Creon uses his first speech as a way to explain his ideas, expectations of the people, and his first law regarding the body of Polynices. Knowing the people of Thebes will disregard his word, he explains to the populace that, “Whoever places a friend above the good of his own country, he is nothing”(67). He brings up the threat of death due to the uncertainty of future rebellion and clearly states, “Our country is our safety”(68). This type of indoctrination starts from the head and trickles its way down to the people regardless of whether they want it or not. Bribery is another one of his major concerns. Knowing that corruption leads to dysfunction, rebellion, and torment, Creon poetically makes another law regarding, “Money! Nothing worse in our lives, so current, rampant, so corrupting… No limit, you make them adept at every kind of outrage, every godless crime-money!...

Creon states “am I to rule this land for others, or myself”? (Sophocles, 441 BC, line 823). This statement shows how Creon has little consideration for others around him. He does not care that

Throughout the play, Creon shows many examples of how he is imperfect. One example would be how he believes that the state is primary to his family and relationships, “If this is your pleasure, Creon, treating our city’s enemy and our friend this way … the power is yours, I suppose, to enforce it with the laws, both for the dead and all of us, the living,” this quotation said by the leader of the chorus describes how the elder people of Thebes respect their family more than the state, but they held back on their opinions, knowing of what Creon, the leader, wanted to hear (235-240). Another example of how Creon shows the audience of how he is imperfect is when, Creon meets with Haemon. Creon argues with Haemon about how people should act towards the country which they reside in, “But whoever steps out of line, violates the laws or presumes to hand out orders to his superiors, he’ll win no praise from me. But that man the city places in authority, his orders must be obeyed, large and small, right and wrong,” Creon believes since he has the highest throne in his country, that he should be obeyed whether the circumstance (745-751). Lastly, Creon demonstrates to the audience that he is imperfect by wanting to protect his country too much. This is visible when Creon sentences Antigone to a slow death, because of burying her brother, who was outcasted as a traitor. Creon put the state over his family which will lead to the complete

In the Greek tragedy Antigone, the characters Antigone and Creon can both be thought of as the tragic hero of the play. Though Antigone does show some of these characteristics of a tragic hero, Creon demonstrates the attributes more clearly and concisely. Creon is the King of Thebes, as well as the uncle of Antigone. Creon took the throne after a tragic quarrel between his two nephews, Eteocles and Polyneices. Despite his harsh governing and his crude ideals, he is not good or bad. Creon is the tragic hero of the play Antigone, because of his superiority in his society, his nobility, and his tragic flaw, self-pride.

Many people try to warn him and beg him to reconsider. First, Haemon tries to appeal to his father’s sense of reason when he says, “The gods have given men the gift of reason, greatest of all things that we call our own…do not feel your word, and yours alone, must be correct” (line 625). Creon, because of his pride, becomes furious with his young son for trying to teach him wisdom, and says, “One thing is certain: You are going to pay for taunting and insulting me” (line 709). Next, Tiresias comes to warn him that he “stands upon the brink of ruin” (line 918). But Creon refuses to heed his warning and accuses Tiresias of profiteering. Finally, after Tiresias’s doomful prophecy, the Chorus tries to change the King’s mind. At first Creon resists the advisement of the chorus by stating “To yield is bitter. But to resist and bring a curse on my pride is no less bitter” (line

Creon becomes so prideful to the point where he will not listen to anyone, and will not acknowledge he is wrong. During a conversation with Haemon, Creon tells him, “No. I am king, and only

Creon has just become the king of Thebes and is letting his great power go to his head. He is deaf to reason and even accuses those who try to change his mind of “selling their soul

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 proclaims that his way of ruling should be upheld; furthermore, his subjects who rule their household like Creon are the strongest and wisest men. Creon states that he should be praised and followed with no doubts; moreover, his large ego is displayed here as he conveys he believes his rule is the only rule that should be followed, as well as being the correct rule.

Creon’s leadership style “involves centralized decision making, with the leader making decisions and using power to command and control others” (Kelly, 8). This is also known as an autocratic leadership style. Autocratic leaders such as Creon, doubt their subordinate’s ability, and closely oversee and dictate people beneath them. They are dead set on their followers’ simple obeying their commands and are less troubled with outside opinions. Creon clearly illustrates this behavior in the conversation with his son, Haemon (lines 630-760).

One of Creon’s greatest attributes is his reasonable nature. This quality that is portrayed through his speech is shown during his encounter with Oedipus where he is accused of conspiracy. He calmly explains to Oedipus that he does not want the “anxieties of being king to untroubled sleep—if he has equal power” (Sophocles 590-591). Here Creon is trying to

When Creon is named the king, he shows respect to the members of the community. He shows his respect for his kingdom by stating,“I am aware, of course, that no Ruler can expect complete loyalty from his subjects until he has been tested in office”(Sophocles 775). He later goes on to say,”No one values friendship more highly than I; but we must remember that friends made at the risk of wrecking our ship are not

His son Creon calls him out on his poor judgment when he yells, “You have not respect at all if you trample on the rights of the gods” (161). Creon believes his laws are the correct way of ruling, which ultimately leads to his downfall. If he had taken a moment to be more open-minded he may have realized that he could not triumph over the gods and that eventually this complication would unravel for the worse.

Creon, as a somewhat authoritarian leader whose decrees must be upheld to the highest degree, detests “stubborn, self-willed” people, believing they are the first to come to “grief” (Sophocles 432). This unintentionally self-injurious projection is the red flag that suggests an ironic twist of fate is to come. This quality which he abominates, he carries within