Antigone Creon Tragic Hero

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The tragic hero in Antigone isn’t the person you’d expect it to be. This person is Creon, the “guy in charge” who orders the death of one of the main character also known as his niece, Antigone. Throughout the play, we see Creon as the antagonist who constantly makes harsh and irrational choices such as punishing Antigone for burying her brother. But from an alternative lens, we see him as a leader who is devoted to his government and will do anything to keep the law of the land strong and applicable to everyone, no matter the family status. Although, this devotion could be the reason for his imminent downfall. Creon’s error to see that maybe morals were more important that the law was the reason everything around him fell apart. For example, if he would’ve respected the more divine laws (which were laws that everyone who believed in the gods [and that was literally everyone] would follow) that Antigone was obeying, then he probably wouldn’t be in the situation that he ended up being in (the situation where his wife and son both commit …show more content…
So when Antigone made the move to bury her brother (Creon’s nephew), he could’ve turned the other way and let it slide. But instead, he had to be the strict leader and kill Antigone. At one point in the play, Haemon (Creon’s soon to be dead son) even tried to convince his dad to not kill her but Creon didn’t listen. He went on to kill his son’s fiancee and not bat an eyelash. Kudos to him for keeping his commitment to defend his state’s laws and everything but he could’ve made an exception, especially for his future daughter-in-law. His downfall was the outcome of all of this and he doesn’t understand the severity of his choices until everyone’s dead. The only time we see a change in Creon is when the news of the deaths enters his ears. He’s immediately regretful of his actions and feels absolute guilt about

Creon Tragic Hero In Antigone

up falling from grace. The dramatic play Antigone by Sophocles written in 441 B.C.E is a story of many different opinions contrasting each other leading to death, sadness and regret. The character Antigone fights for what she believes in against the king and the gods beliefs to bury her dead brother, Polyneices who died in a battle against his own brother Eteocles to win over the throne. After analyzing all the possibilities, the king, Creon is a tragic hero in the story because he survives all events…

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Antigone Creon Tragic Hero

Creon the Tragic Hero In Sophocles’ Antigone, the king of Thebes, Creon has made a decree that will kill his own because he always has to be right. Although this is a bad thing this doesn’t make him bad which makes him a perfect tragic hero according to Aristotle. Aristotle states that a tragic hero is someone who is not completely good or bad, highly renowned and prosperous, and they have a tragic flaw. However, after the tragic hero realizes their tragic flaw it’s too late because everything has…

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Creon The Tragic Hero In Antigone

While Antigone may be perceived as the hero of the play, Creon better fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. Three major indicators of this is that Creon’s fate was much worse than what he deserved, and he discovered that the reversal of his fortune was caused by his own actions and decisions, or anagnorisis, and his excessive pride, or hubris. Creon made an error in his judgment, and while he deserved to be punished, he did not deserve to loose his niece, son and wife over the course of…

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Creon Tragic Hero In Antigone

Sophocles play, Antigone, Creon is a tragic hero because he did not want Antigone brother Polyneices buried. Creon said your not allowed to bury polyneices “ And yet you dared to break those very laws”(507). Antigone wanted to honor her mother’s children by not letting them be unburied. Creon said “A good man does not wish what we give him to be the same an evil man receives”(592). This means the two brothers were supposed to share being king so they both should get the same respect. Creon believes what…

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Antigone And Creon Tragic Hero Essay

philosopher Aristotle defines a tragic hero as, “a literary character of high stature/respect that makes a judgment error based on a fatal flaw, ultimately leading to his or her downfall”. In greek writer Sophocles’ play Antigone, two main characters appear to serve as a ‘tragic hero’: Antigone and Creon. One might argue that Antigone, based on her good intentions and respect for family, would be the tragic hero. However, Creon is the true tragic hero of Antigone, because he (1) is a person of high…

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Creon And The Tragic Hero In Sophocles Antigone

decisions help set the stage for their inevitable fate to occur or a tragic hero with a tragic flaw, is shown as a common theme throughout Sophocles’s plays. In the play Antigone, for example, the tragic hero is depicted the character Creon. The main conflict within Antigone is there is confrontation between the protagonist, Antigone, and the antagonistic tragic hero, Creon over the burial of Antigone’s deceased brother Polynices due to Creon accusing him of treason. This was an example of a clash of moral…

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Is Creon Or Antigone The Play's Tragic Hero?

discussion of Antigone, one question has been, is Creon or Antigone the play’s tragic hero? Some say Antigone is the tragic hero because she disobeys Creon’s laws and buries her brother, Polyneices. Others say Creon is the tragic hero since he is a stubborn king, but at the end of the play he shows his love for his city. However, my own view is that Antigone is the tragic hero of the play. Antigone wants to bury Polyneices, her brother. But during the argument between Ismene and Antigone about burying…

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Examples Of Creon The Tragic Hero In Antigone

there is a tragic hero. The tragic hero is defined as a main character that suffers a downfall resulting from a weakness known as the tragic flaw. Antigone, a play written by Sophocles, is a great example of a tragedy. Although Antigone may seem like the tragic hero, Creon is the real tragic hero. He shows more attributes of a tragic hero. He is unable to get around his pride and due to this abundance of pride, he ends up with a dead family. This flaw started to present itself when Antigone, Creon’s…

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Sophocles Antigone: Creon The Tragic Hero

Creon: the Tragic Hero In Sophocles’ play Antigone, Creon is the one and only tragic hero. This statement can easily be deemed as accurate and evident after analyzing his decisions, actions, and character. Creon contains a characteristic that causes his downfall and we can feel connected with. No other character in this play has such a quality. This important characteristic or “tragic flaw” that makes him unique is being too close-minded and stubborn. He makes many errors in judgment due to his…

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Antigone: Tragic Hero and New King Creon Essay

A tragic hero can be defined as a character, neither completely good nor evil, whose downfall is brought about by some weakness; their hubris and failure to adapt to their surroundings causes problems in their lives. In Antigone, two main tragic heroes are noted- Creon and Antigone. Creon generally noted as evil and Antigone as good, but as you take a closer look, you’re able to pin-point the situation that their judgment wouldn’t budge. Antigone was devastated that the new King Creon ruled that…

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