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Conflict between creon and antigone in sophocles
Structure in sophocles' antigone
How does sophocles use creon in antigone
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Do they fly around in capes? Are they capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound? Maybe they have super powers obtained after a nuclear accident? Or just maybe they’re normal people who do extraordinary things? There are many types of heros in society, some with happy endings and some have tragic endings. A tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction. In reading Antigone by Sophocles there is one hero that is truly tragic in nature, Creon. Creon’s flaw was that he had been too prideful. In the book Antigone, on page 1060 it states“I have killed my son and wife. I look for comfort; my comfort lies here dead. Whatever my hands have touched has come to nothing. Fate …show more content…
If one person decides to drive home drunk from a party then that person has a chance of getting into a head on collision with others. That choice to drive drunk has just endangered countless lives of innocent people on the road. Certainly, some may believe that it is not Creon but Antigone who was the tragic hero, because she was the one who got locked in a vault for trying to bury her brother,and she later killed herself because she thought that she was never going to escape the vault. But the tragic hero is indeed Creon. An example of this is on page 1059 which states:“My own blind heart has brought me from darkness to final darkness. Here you see the father murdering, the murdered son-And all my civic wisdom! Haemon my son, so young, so young to die, I was the fool not you.” Whether they have super powers, capes, or extraordinary mental and physical abilities, heros are among us. Sometimes they’re truly just great people who do amazing things and have a happy ending. But other times they’re just normal people who are flawed and go on to do some heroic deeds. Often times these tragic hero's go unrecognized. Because Sophocles wrote Antigone, we will forever see that Creon is a true tragic hero that we will recognize and read about
Creon would qualify as the tragic hero if the only condition were not being excessively moral or immoral. Antigone's “immoral” side is shown by her (thought-to-be) incestuous behavior with her brother, Polyneicês. In contrast, Antigone’s positive side is shown by the way the she persistent on respecting her brother’s right to be buried in the religious tradition of the time in Greece, so that his soul can live on in the afterlife. “Listen, Ismenê: Creon buried our brother Eteoclês with military honors, gave him a soldier’s funeral, and it was right that he should; but Polyneicês, they fought as bravely and died as miserably, - they say that Creon has sworn no one shall bury him, no one mourn for him, but this body must lie in the fields, a sweet treasure for carrion birds to find as they search for food. That is what they say, and our good Creon is coming here to announce it publicly; and the penalty- stoning to death I the public squarel. There it is, and now you can prove what you are: a true sister, or a traitor to your family.” (Sophocles; Antigone, 3)
Throughout the story of Antigone, particularly the end, Creon proposes the bad-boy in control personality. He acts as the ruler he is and puts his power to work. He fears nothing unless his family is involved. He has no mercy when it comes to the law. Additionally, he is greatly affected by the environment he creates around himself.
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.
After the arguments above, readers should recognize that Creon is the tragic hero of Antigone. Creon and Antigone are both main person of the play, but Creon more of a tragic hero than Antigone. Creon’s dominance in society, his high rank, and his tragic flaw self-pride helps prove this topic. Because of Creon’s sophisticated characteristics and position in the story, it makes Antigone’s character seem less of a major character. Almost every reader thinks that since Antigone is the protagonist, and the main character she is definitely the tragic hero. Creon is the tragic hero of the Greek Tragedy, Antigone because of his dominance, high rank, and self-pride.
Out of all of Sophocles’ works Antigone has a wide selection of tragedy. From preventing burials to commiting suicide there are many times you are greeted with a surprise. While many believe that Creon is the tragic hero in the play, many believe it is Antigone. She had the confidence to be able to stand up to Creon for what she know is right.This resulted in her going through many tragic events throughout the play but having the persistence to keep going without ever looking back.
Aristotle's view on a tragic hero is someone that would have to be held in high standards (royalty) in order to evoke compassion and anxiety in the audience. Creon and Antigone are royalty and share the most important aspect of a tragic hero, each have a tragic flaw. Both of the two characters have an inability to compromise or even reason with. Antigone's tragic flaw was amplified by her loyalty for her brother; she acted irrational, in not taking preparation or thoroughness into consideration when burying her brother. Further more when confronted by Creon, himself she disrespected and basically told him to silence himself because his words were "distasteful" to her. So then sealing her death by becoming an immediate martyr for the wrong cause... anything against Creon's will.
Some people might say that Antigone is the better tragic hero because of her tragic flaw of being loyal. Creon is talking to Antigone about her wrong doings and Antigone it saying how she has not done anything wrong and says, “I should have praise and honor for what I have done” (I.II.98). Antigone's speech exemplifies that she stays loyal to her family by honoring Polyneices. Her loyalty to her family caused her downfall and led to her death. Even though Antigone's tragic flaw of being loyal is good, Creon is still the better tragic hero because his free choice of punishing Antigone and his tragic flaw of being stubborn lead to his downfall makes him the better tragic
A tragic hero is described as a character who is neither good nor bad, they have tragic flaws, they must be born to royal bloodlines, and they must have a downfall and suffering. In the play Antigone there are two main characters who could be the tragic hero, Antigone and Creon. Antigone because she is the sister of the dead brother and Creon because he is the
One of the greatest Greek plays is Antigone. Antigone is a tragic Sophoclean play, which portrays two great examples of a tragic hero. I believe Creon and Antigone, the main characters of the play, to be tragic heroes. A tragic hero is a character who is known for being dignified and has a flaw that assists in his or her downfall. Both Creon and Antigone are dignified and flawed in their own ways, having a similar tragic flaw.
In the tragedy of Antigone, the argument of who is the tragic hero is that Antigone and Creon exist. A tragic hero is the character of the play, known for his dignity, but the flaw helps him or her to fall. I believe Creon is the tragic hero of the show. Creon became the quintessential fallen hero in Greek drama. He faces many internal and external conflicts and has experienced many painful emotions. One might say that Antigone deserves the title of tragic hero, but Creon learned his lesson in hard times and ended up playing a more significant role in the classic tragic hero who lost everything at the end of the play.
A tragic hero has many definitions but Creons characteristics fit each single one. He displayed a fatal flaw that drove him mad near the end but also understood that his predicament was caused by him alone. Antigone cannot be the tragic hero because although she possesses several flaws, she experiences no true illumination. She does not met the required the traits for the tragic hero. Creon wanted to protect the state above personal cost, a task that was achieved in a way. Creon is the tragic hero in Sophocles Antigone because he can’t accept a diminished view of himself; he endures great suffering and is enlightened in the end.
As stated by Aristotle, “a man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall;” his hamartia must bring about his peripeteia and he must have a fate that is greater than deserved. However, if there were more than one contender for this pitiable position, who would be the real tragic hero? In Antigone by Socrates, though Antigone and Creon both show traits which could depict them as a “tragic hero,” Creon wins the role by far. Despite sharing the same fatal flaw of arrogance and pride, Creon’s tribulations and actions as he goes through a series of unfortunate events more closely fit the definition of a tragic hero than Antigone’s.
One trait that makes Creon the tragic hero of Antigone is how he is a significant character while also being a very relatable character. One can declare Creon as a significant character because he is the character that really sets the plot into motion by condemning Antigone to a tomb when he says, “You know your orders: take her to the vault And leave her alone there. And if she lives or dies, That’s her affair, not ours: our hands are clean” (Sophocles 711-713). Another instance of how Creon drives the plot, exampling his significance, is when he refuses to release Antigone when Haimon, his son, begs him to. Creon says to his son of Antigone’s betrayal to him, “Do you want me to show myself weak before the people? Or to break my sworn word?
Antigone is a Greek tragic piece that stresses the use of power and morality versus the law written by Sophocles. Both Antigone and Creon, the main characters in the play, could represent the tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character who is known for being dignified and has a flaw that assists to his or her downfall. In my opinion, Creon best qualifies for being the tragic hero and fitting the definition read in the previous sentence. The things he said, did, and the comments that were made by those around him show how a man with everything could lose it all due to his own behavior.
Throughout literary history, tragic heroes have been defined as a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. However, philosophers such as Aristotle tried to find connections between tragic heroes in Greek plays. This in-depth analysis of tragic heroes lead Aristotle to create six criteria for a true tragic hero: He or she has to be a Noble figure of royalty and noble in character, has to be imperfect by design, has a flaw or error that is a choice, is punished excessively for this choice flaw, has to undergo a downfall that leads to a realization, and the story of this tragic hero has to make the audience reach a moment of catharsis or purging of emotions. A prime example of a tragic hero that fits all of these criteria is Creon from the play Antigone, written by Sophocles in 441 BC. The story of Antigone is a tragedy that describes a stubborn and proud king named Creon who refuses to allow a burial for the brother of Antigone. Creon’s excessive pride leads to a series of unfortunate events resulting in the death of Antigone, his son Haemon, and his wife Eurydice. Throughout the course of the play, Creon undergoes each standard that is required by Aristotle’s terms to be a tragic hero.