A tragic character is someone who experiences misfortune in courtesy of poor judgment, fate or a conflicted personality. In the tragedy, Antigone, there is a heavy debate over whether Antigone or Creon is the tragic character. Creon can be classified as the tragic character of the play because he has been affected the most due to his decision of sentencing Antigone to death. For instance, a fight emerges between the king and his son, Haimon, as a result of his harsh punishment. Also, he lets his pride get in the way which triggers the suicide of Haimon and his wife, Eurydice. By the end of the tragedy, Creon is forced to live through the painful death of his family, thus being the tragic character because he suffered the most. Creon is the tragic character of Antigone because his pride blocks the path of him being wise. He sentences his niece, Antigone, to death because she has buried her brother, Polynices, whom Creon considers a traitor. This leads to an argument to his son, Haimon, who is also Antigone’s fiancé. Haimon disagrees with his father and believes that Antigone should not die because she was only following the divine laws by burying her brother. However, Creon still remains stubborn and disagrees with his son since he believes Antigone should be punished for disobeying the ruler’s law. In return, Haimon says “The city would deny it to a man” (2. 3. 102). He explains that the people of Thebes disagrees with his father regarding Antigone’s punishment and considers her honorable. Unfortunately, the citizens fear Creon and they’re helpless in this situation. This leads Creon to get enraged at his son and his mind is still set on executing Antigone. Haimon responds by saying “Not here, no: She will not die here, King... ... middle of paper ... ...herself from suffering. However, this wasn’t the case with Creon because his entire family perished right before his eyes and he has no way to relief his pain. Thus, Creon is the tragic character of the play due to his everlasting grief caused by his flawed personality. In conclusion, Creon is the tragic character of Antigone because of his pride which caused him never ending agony by the end of this tragedy. Although Antigone’s stubbornness concerning the divine law and her brother’s burial lead her to her misfortune, her suffering was cut short by her death. On the other hand, Creon had to live through having his own son and the citizens of Thebes against his decision. Also, Haimon and Eurydices died as a result of his actions, leaving Creon without a family. Hence, Creon is the tragic character of the tragedy due to eternal distress caused by his judgment.
Creon in the play Antigone by Sophocles plays a major role within the play. Antigone also plays an important role, as these two character’s conflicting views led to utter disaster, which highlights Creon as a tragic figure. Within the play Creon attempted to establish decisions for the common good; however, his decisions resulted in tragedy. Creon highlighted as the tragic figure, initially created decisions he thought were for the welfare and well-being of Thebes. However, Antigone, who rebelled against Creon’s decisions, caused Creon’s rage to cloud his rational way of thinking.
Creon’s hubris is the strongest case that can be made about Creon being the most tragic character in Antigone. For example, Creon says,”Am I to rule this land at someone else’s whim or by myself?”(Antigone 835-836). This is truly a profound statement that reflects Creon’s excessive self-pride; moreover, Creon refuses to listen to Haemon, the Chorus at some points, and even Theresias for while. Furthermore, Creon refuses to acknowledge that he has done wrong of any kind, and this eventually leads to the death of his entire family. In conclusion, this is why Creon is the most tragic character in this play.
In the play Antigone, I choose Creon to be the tragic hero because he is the King of Thebes and he looses everything he has. Creon being King makes the audience believe that something like that can happen to the King then what can happen to us. Antigone the niece of Creon, The sister of Polyneices was punished by Creon for burying Polyneces after his death, Creon has forbidden anybody to do so. Once Creon punished Antigone the blind prophet Teiresias told him that the Gods will take revenge for his actions, then Creon tried to change everything but he is too late. Creon's tragic flaws were his stubbornness, the abuse of power and the actions he took to cause the downfall of the Thebes.
Antigone, as a character, is extremely strong-willed and loyal to her faith. Creon is similarly loyal, but rather to his homeland, the city of Thebes, instead of the gods. Both characters are dedicated to a fault, a certain stubbornness that effectively blinds them from the repercussions of their actions. Preceding the story, Antigone has been left to deal with the burden of her parents’ and both her brothers’ deaths. Merely a young child, intense grief is to be expected; however, Antigone’s emotional state is portrayed as frivolous when it leads her to directly disobey Creon’s orders. She buries her brother Polynices because of her obedience to family and to the gods, claiming to follow “the gods’ unfailing, unwritten laws” (Sophocles 456-457). CONTINUE
A subject of debate in Sophocles’ play Antigone is which character complies with the characteristics of a tragic hero. The qualities that constitute a tragic hero are, in no particular order, having a high social position, not being overly good or bad, isolation, being tenacious in their actions, arousing pity in the audience, a revelatory manifestation, and having a single flaw that brings about their own demise and the demise of others around them. Creon possesses some of these qualities but, does not completely fulfill them all. Antigone does, however, conform to the persona of a tragic hero.
One of Creon’s traits that develops the play is that creon is arrogant. For example in the play Antigone, Creon said in line (324-326) “Stop now before what you're about to say enrages me completely and reveals that you're not old but your stupid too”.This shows that Creon is a tragic hero because
The fatal flaw also referred as hubris is when a character leads him to his downfall. Creon shows hubris because he has excessive pride, he thinks he is better than everyone and he is an authority man. Hubris can be noticed in line 836-837 when he says,"So the city now will instruct me how I am to govern?” Another tragic hero characteristic is peripeteia, it's when a sudden of fortune or change in circumstances happen. That's a very clear characteristic in Creon because he lost the grip in his kingdom. Another fact that comprises peripeteia is that he also lost his family. Peripeteia can be comproved in line 1420 “Aaiiii . . . I’ve learned it in my pain. Some god clutching a great weight struck my head, then hurled me onto paths in the wilderness, throwing down and casting underfoot what brought me joy. So sad . . . so sad . . . the wretched agony of human life.” Creon also demonstrates other characteristics called anagnorisis. Anagnorisis is when a character recognizes his mistakes. Creon recognized his mistakes in the end of the play because he noticed that the decisions he made were wrong. In the play, we can identify anagnorisis in his own speech, "Aaiii—mistakes made by a foolish mind, cruel mistakes that bring on death. You see us here, all in one family— the killer and the killed. Oh, the profanity of what I planned. Alas, my son, you died so young— a death before your time.
Creon is the tragic hero because he has the most affected downfall in the Play. Many of his statements reveal his personality including his flaws. When the faith of Thebes is put in his hands, Creon says "I am the kind of man who can't and never could abide the tongue-tied ruler who through fear backs away from sound advice"(349). It shows his strong sense of
Since the play’s inception, there has always existed a contention concerning the true hero of Sophocles’ Antigone. It is a widely held belief that Antigone must be the main character simply because she and the drama share name. This is, of course, a very logical assumption. Certainly Sophocles must have at least meant her to be viewed as the protagonist, else he would not have given her the play’s title. Analytically speaking, however, Creon does seem to more categorically fit the appellation of “Tragic Hero.” There is no doubt as to the nature of the work, that being tragedy. Along with this genre comes certain established prerequisites, and Creon is the only character that satisfactorily fits them all.
...ut. They feel bad for him because his stubbornness caused the death’s of his family members, but they also feel fear because of what happened to him. They think If Creon was a king and something this horrible could happen to his , what is there to say that something this horrible can not happen to an average citizen, They will try to adjust their lives so that something like this will not happen to them. It makes them look at the Moral aspects of their life and make them want to change, so they will not be stubborn and prideful and will not end up like King Creon, and that is exactly what a tragic hero is meant to do. Sophocles wrote the play Antigone tache the audience morals and that what a tragic hero is supposed to so, and King Creon accomplishes this the best, That is why Cron is the beAt illustration of a tragic hero.
Antigone could also be referred to as a tragedy sub-genre. Tragedy "recounts casually related series of events in the life of a person of significance, culminating in an unhappy catastrophe, the whole treated with dignity and seriousness" (554). Antigone is one of Sophocles' many famous tragedies. It is centered around the tragic outcome that may take place in the occurrence of being prideful. Sophocles portrays that pride can result in tragedy and in disaster. In the story, Creon is prideful as his position of King and he ultimately brings his city to ruins. "Tragedy" played a major role in the story.
In the play Antigone, the debate over who is the real tragic hero is and the controversy of Greek ideals in the Antigone continues on to this day. Who is the tragic hero in Antigone? Is it Antigone herself or is it Creon the ruler of Thebes? The belief that Antigone is, is a strong one. Still there are people who think Creon is the tragic hero. Antigone is widely thought as the tragic her. The play is named after her. In addition, she is the antagonist in it. Many people usually associate the antagonist, the good guy as a tragic hero. Look at much television shows, especially cartoons, the good person usually wins. Then there are those who might think Creon was the tragic hero because the gods were against him, and that he truly loved his country. There are five criteria or standards you must meet first in order to be a tragic hero. First, you must be a person of high character or status. The character must not be too overwhelmingly evil or good. Then they must be brought from happiness to misery. Then brought from happiness to misery. Second, the hero enacts a harmartia, "wrong act." This either may be a flaw in judgment or an error. Third, the hero experiences a perpateia, reversal of fortune. This is the tragic downfall or plot twist in the story. Fourth, the hero recognizes his or her responsibility. Fifth, the story ends with a catastrophe. The catastrophe either may be an emotional event, this even may be a death.
Creon is a tragic hero, because his downfall is due to his flaw which is his avaricious and hubris character. Even though Creon possess many positive qualities, his pride and arrogance effects his decisions. His fatal flaw was that his arrogance made him reluctant to value other people’s opinion. As he refuses to let Antigone go free, even though his own son and the chorus tried to persuade him. Because of his love for the state, he loses his wife and his
Due to the definitions of characters and the format of how the tragedy was written, I believe that Creon is the true protagonist of this play. He believed that his law was above the gods’ and in doing so ruined himself. In the last verses of the play, Creon seeks death and states that “Fate has brought all my pride to a thought of dust.” Comparing these two characters, there are many similarities.
When the title of a play is a character's name, it is normally assumed that the character is the protagonist of the play. In Sophocles' Antigone, most people probably believe Antigone to be the tragic heroine, even after they have finished watching the play. It may be argued, however, that Creon, not Antigone, is the tragic character. When we examine the nature and concept of the Greek Tragedy and what it means to be a tragic character, it becomes clear that Creon is indeed the tragic hero of the play Antigone.