A Tragic Hero Indeed In Ancient Greek plays, tragedy is a common theme that meant to be dramatic and have the reader experience catharsis. “Antigone”, part of The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles, is a paragon of classic Greek tragedy. Human flaws cause the protagonist to fall from greatness and as a result, he loses everything; eventually, he will realize his mistakes. Creon is the tragic hero in the play, “Antigone”. Human flaws are the primary reasons for a tragic hero's demise. Creon's hubris played a major contributing factor to his downfall. His pride causes him to make various mistakes and he disregarded other people's opinions when they tried to reason with him. Creon also said, “Even such a threat of such taint will not win this body burial...human remains to desecrate the majesty divine” (Sophocles 237). He believes that his …show more content…
Creon fell from power due to his former mistakes and even lost his family. He mournfully states, “Where can I look? Where hope for help...And death has leapt upon my life” (Sophocles 252). According to Creon, he has lost everything important to him. Some argued that Antigone is the tragic hero as she lost more of loved ones than Creon. They argue that Antigone lost everyone in her family: her mother, her father, and her brothers. Antigone suffered to the point that she became indifferent about her own life and chose the defy the law. However, Antigone did not lose everyone. She still had her sister, Ismene. She chose to abandon her sister in order to fight for her ideals and in the end, she commits suicide. On the other hand, Creon actually loses everything. His wife and his son commit suicide; he loses his powers as a king and is exile. Although Antigone's fate is certainly tragic, she chose her end. Meanwhile, Creon's end was not determined by himself. He has to suffer for the rest for the rest of his life. Therefore, Creon’s fate is more tragic than that of
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.
Tragedy is usually concerned with a person of great stature, a king or nobleman, who falls because of hubris, or extreme pride and Antigone is no exception. Pride and its effects are a central part of Antigone’s plot and theme. Pride, being part of their character and morality, overran in to their literature and was a complex and multifaceted concept in Greek tragedy, exemplified by Sophocles’ Antigone. In the play both Creon and Antigone were incredibly proud and unwilling to back down once they took their stands. Creon had made a decision and was unwilling to compromise. Antigone was to die for her violation of the law, the sin of burying her brother.
Yet, Creon is to blame for this lose. His inability to settle on his views directly causes the death of his family. He loses his son, Haemon, and his wife, Eurydice, to suicide (1235-1237). Moreover, he could have taken the advice of Haemon to not be stubborn and to free Antigone. This would have led to a much different outcome. Still, Creon risked everything to prove his willfulness. Ironically, the thing that leads to Creon’s ruin is exactly what tears him apart in the end. The battle over Polyneices burial led to the death of Creon’s closest loved ones. Overall, he is left to live in despair, without a family, and with the city of Thebes turned against him. It is impossible to ignore the effect of Creon’s hubris in Antigone.
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.
The classic plays of Ancient Greece are characterized by their use of hamartia to teach the audience not to make the same mistakes as the tragic hero. Hamartia and tragic flaws, such as hubris, are seen throughout Sophocles’ Antigone. However, the tragedy experienced in the play is all caused by one character’s flaw which causes a domino effect that leads to the ruin of the entire kingdom. Creon’s tragic flaw, his hubris and pride, is what essentially causes the demise of the other characters. His struggle to protect the lives of his family and kingdom all backfires as the rest of the characters, instead, chose death and honor than to defy the gods and live. This clash between life and death begins long before the start of
Throughout the Greek play Antigone by Sophocles, there exists a dispute as to who should receive the designation of main character. Antigone, the daughter of the cursed King Oedipus, as well as Creon, stately king of Thebes, both appear as the key figures in this historic play. I believe that Creon, king of Thebes, should be considered the main character in this work of Greek theater. Three points can be used to make this argument: Creon suffers greatly, he learns a lesson, and is a tragic hero.
...on because he is only human. All human beings make mistakes and rash decisions, and in knowing this, one understands the desperate calling to give compassion and understanding towards Creon. However, with Jason and Medea, their mistakes harm not only themselves, but also the feelings of others. Creon best embodies Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero through his reign of power, his tragic flaw, and his tragic downfall.
The characters in the play Antigone all suffer a downfall of some sort. The major characters suffer the most, though. In this short essay, I will document on how the two main characters, Creon and Antigone, both inevitably become tragic heroes.
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.
There are certain qualities that a character must posses in order to qualify as a tragic hero. Ideally, the subject is to be a person of high rank, so that they may have much to lose. (Most frequently a monarch is used.) Granted, Antigone is a member of the royal bloodline. But we must not forget that she is the daughter of incest, hardly a glamorous position to start with. In Oedipus Rex, Antigone was indirectly disgraced, while Creon was socially elevated by inheriting kingship from Oedipus. Also, Creon’s being king comparatively trumps Antigone’s lesser status of orphaned princess. While this in itself objectively proves nothing, it does at a minimum make Creon the more likely choice of protagonist.
“Antigone” is a great Greek tragedy by Sophocles. The story is about a young woman who has brother by breaking king’s decree, and now she is punished for obeying God’s law. In the classic model of dramatic structure, two characters move the action of the play from introduction to climax to resolution with their conflict. One of these characters is the protagonist, and the other is the antagonist. The protagonist is a “good guy” and the antagonist is the “bad guy”. In Sophocles’ play Antigone , the lines between protagonist and antagonist are blurred. In the Greek tradition , the title character is the protagonist, but in this play the supposed antagonist, Creon also displays characteristics of protagonist.
In the awe-inspiring play of Antigone, Sophocles introduces two remarkable characters, Antigone and Creon. A conflict between these two obstinate characters leads to fatal consequences for themselves and their kindred. The firm stances of Creon and Antigone stem from two great imperatives: his loyalty to the state and her dedication to her family, her religion but most of all her conscience. The identity of the tragic hero of this play is still heavily debated. This tragedy could have been prevented if it had not been for Creon's pitiful mistakes.
In the beginning of the play Creon is portrayed as King and a leader unwilling to bend the rules in order to protect the city. The way Creon responds to Antigone, “While I’m alive, no woman is going to lord over me”, shows he is stubborn and also his pride. (593-594) While the play continues Creon’s pride grows, and he thinks he can never be wrong and punishes Antigone by locking her up in a cave. However, things turn a different way when the Prophet tells Creon that he must free Antigone or face the wrath of Gods. After hearing this Creon changes his mind, “I shackled her, I’ll set her free myself. I am afraid it’s best to keep the established laws…” (1236-1238) But, as Creon tries to set Antigone free, he is faced with suicides of Antigone and Haemon, and followed by the suicide of his wife, Eurydice. This moment in the play serves as the downfall of Creon. But unlike Antigone, Creon reaches anagnorisis, which is the moment in the play when the tragic character realizes his hubris has led to his downfall. “And the guilt is all mine- can never be fixed…god help me, I admit all!”(1441-1445) Ultimately, Creon is more of a proper tragic character than Antigone because of he has an epiphany, a moment when he realizes his hubris has caused conflicts and deaths in the
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.
The play “Antigone” by Sophocles displays many qualities that make it a great tragedy. A tragedy is defined as a dramatic or literary work in which the principal character engages in a morally significant struggle ending in ruin or profound disappointment. In creating his tragedy “Antigone”, Sophocles uses many techniques to create the feelings of fear and pity in his readers. This in turn creates an excellent tragedy.