Creon's Tragic Hero In Sophocles Antigon

544 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character analysis in Antigone

Tragic hero in Antigone In Antigone, written by sophocles, Antigone is punished by Creon for trying to bury her brother. A tragic hero is a person of noble birth who has to go through bad events that leads to their downfall, which are caused by their tragic flaw. The tragic hero in this play is Creon, because of his pride and the eventual ruin that befalls him. Creon's tragic flaw is his pride. Throughout the play, he repeatedly chooses to ignore others suggestions to let Antigone bury Polyneices. When Haimon comes to him to ask him not to kill Antigone, Creon asks him if he considers “it right for a man of my years and experience / To go to school to a boy?” (97-98). Creon’s pride is shown here because he thinks that he shouldn’t listen to Haimon because of his youth and his contradicting view point. Creon’s pride is his flaw because it makes him believe that he is the only one who is right, and therefore cannot see the flaws in his thoughts or listen to others who tell him he is wrong. It lead to him to be stubborn and unmovable in his opinion, until the point where it was too late for him to fix what he had caused. …show more content…

When he was speaking to Teiresias he said, “Whatever you say, you will not change my will” (74). Creon had been told that there were signs that indicated that the gods were angered over his decision, and yet he still said that he wouldn’t change his mind. He continually refused to listen to anyone who told him to change his decision, even when Teiresias, a prophet, came to him. If he had set aside his pride for just a moment, he might have see that his decision was wrong, and that the gods would probably punish him for what he had done. This shows that his pride lead him to causing Antigone’s death, and therefore his son’s and wife’s as

Show More
Related

  • Antigone

    1762 Words  | 4 Pages

    Creon's pride is that of a tyrant. He is inflexible and unyielding, unwilling throughout the play to listen to advice or Antigone. Creon’s love for the city-state cause him to abandon all other beliefs. He tries to enforce this upon the people of Thebes.

    Read More

  • Creon in Sophocles' Antigone

    461 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Pride Brought to a Thought of Dust

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Antigone by Sophocles, Creon is portrayed as a character with excessive pride. From the beginning, Creon demonstrates his authority and continues to make use of it throughout the play. At the end of Antigone, it may seem that Creon changed after realizing the consequences of his actions. However, his dialogue indicates that he still possesses a sense of pride. Creon remains a static character through the play. Creon’s arrogance is displayed in his language and behavior; interaction with others; and his reactions to his environment.

    Read More

  • The Tragic Downfalls of Creon and Antigone in Sophocles' Antigone

    712 Words  | 2 Pages

    The hubris resonating throughout the play, ‘Antigone’ is seen in the characters of Creon and Antigone. Their pride causes them to act impulsively, resulting in their individual downfalls. In his opening speech, Creon makes his motives clear, that “no man who is his country’s enemy shall call himself my friend.” This part of his declaration was kept to the letter, as he refused burial for his nephew, Polynices. However, when the situation arises where it is crucial that Creon takes advice, he neglects the part of the speech where he says “a king... unwilling to seek advice is damned.” This results in Creon’s tragic undoing.

    Read More

  • Sophocles' Antigone - Creon's Flaws

    525 Words  | 2 Pages

    Creon showed his stubbornness by not wanting to be proved wrong because of pride. When the Choragos tried to tell Creon that he made a mistake by telling that nobody can burry the body of Polyneices. Creon did not want to listen to the people of Thebes who tried to tell him that Antigone did the right thing, but of fear to Creon the could not really say anything. Creon thought by making an example of Antigone's execution, everybody would get scared and won't try to brake his laws. It actually worked for a while.

    Read More

  • Antigone, the Real Tragic Hero in Sophocles' Antigone

    643 Words  | 2 Pages

    Antigone is a great Greek tragedy by Sophocles. The story is about a young woman who has buried her brother by breaking king’s decree, and now she is punished for obeying God’s law. There are many arguments about who is the tragic hero in Sophocles’ Antigone. Some believe that it is Creon because he also has the characteristics of a tragic hero. Others believe that it is Antigone because the play bears her name. Antigone is the perfect hero, to exemplify the meaning of a tragic hero. In order to determine whether Antigone is the tragic hero, one will have to answer the question, what is a tragic hero? According to Aristotle, “The tragic hero is a character of noble stature and has greatness, he/she is not perfect, the hero's downfall and it is partially his/her own fault, and the hero's misfortunate is not wholly deserved.” (Aristotle) Antigone is a tragic hero because she has a high social standing in Thebes, she neither good nor bad, and her suffering appears to be unjust and unfair to the audience.

    Read More

  • Creon and Antigone as Tragic Heroes in Sophocles' Antigone

    560 Words  | 2 Pages

    Creon and Antigone, main characters in the Greek tragedy Antigone by Sophocles share some of the same characteristics that make up a tragic hero, but to varying degrees. Antigone, daughter of her mother/grandmother, Jocasta, and father, Oedipus is head strong, proud, and stubborn. She had three siblings, Ismene her sister, and two brothers Eteocles and Polyneices who found there deaths at the end of each others sword in battle over which would become king of Thebes. Antigone's pride fullness and loyalty is revealed when Polyneices is denied proper burial by her uncle and king Creon. The two buttheads in the political for Creon and personal for Antigone situation and bring about the downfall of the royal family.

    Read More

  • Creon's Pride

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the play, Creon appears too stubborn and so sure of himself, but do we really know that? Do we really know that he is confident? We don’t know what he is thinking so who are we to say and judge him. There must be reasons why he was stubborn and so hesitate to let his own niece off the hook. When you do not go into deep thinking about why Creon doesn’t let Antigone off the hook, you might think that Creon is just thinking he is just too prideful like mention in the beginning, but it could be because he does not want to be taken advantage off. It can also be that just because he is king, he can’t give his family special treatment cause that would be wrong of him to do but at the same time putting him in a bad situation.

    Read More

  • Antigone by Sophocles

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning of the play Creon presents a strong confident image, although it becomes apparent self-doubt is present due to his inability to accept a diminished view of himself. Whilst giving the orders to murder anyone who tries to bury Antigone’s brother, Creon refuses the advice of his trusted council because they suggest he may be in the wrong. Creon so harshly yells Stop right there, before I am gorged with rage! (Page 12). The personality trait of being unyieldingly stubborn is one a majority can of people relate to. Therefore the audience might have felt sympathy towards him during that moment. Often the audience relates well to the tragic and can ...

    Read More

  • Creon As Tragic Hero of Sophocles’ Antigone

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Sophocles Antigone And Creon Essay

    1050 Words  | 3 Pages

    Creon believes that his laws are absolute and must be followed above all else, even Divine Law. Therefore when Antigone, in accordance with divine law, goes against Creons edict by burying her brother she is forcefully imprisoned and sentenced to death by Creon. In Creons opening speech he says, “Of course you cannot know a man completely, his character, his principles, sense of judgment … Experience, there’s the test” (Sophocles, p. 67). How Creon handles Antigones unlawful actions serves as his first test as the new king of Thebes and ends up showing the Thebans a glimpse of his true nature, that of a tyrannical ruler. This can be seen again when Haemon comes to Creon with the hope of dissuading him from his current course of action. He does this by trying to make Creon understand that the citizens of Thebes don’t agree with his use of power and planned execution of Antigone. Again Creons authoritarian nature comes to light in his response to Haemon, “And is Thebes about to tell me how to rule… Am I to rule this land for others – or myself?” (Sophocles, p. 97). To which Haemon counters by saying that “its no city at all, owned by one man alone” (Sophocles, p. 97). Creon, being the tyrant he is, fails to heed the wisdom of his sons’ words, which ultimately leads to his downfall. Creon, like Machiavelli, believed that it was

    Read More

  • Creon's Tragic Insecurity in Sophocles' Antigone

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    In ancient Greek tragedies at least one character has the misfortune of having a tragic flaw. The flaw usually effects the protagonist and leads to his down fall. Normally, the characters close to the protagonist are all affected by his flaw. In Antigone, by Sophocles, Creon's tragic flaw is that he is insecure. Creon's insecurity leads to the death of many people and to his own downfall. At many times, Creon feels that people are directing everything toward him, when of course they are not. Consequently, he takes action to make sure people take him seriously. He hopes his actions will teach people not to walk all over him and his empire. However these actions are not always the right ones.

    Read More

  • Sophocles' Antigone - Creon's Mistakes

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    Creon's character possesses an infinite number of glitches in his personality, but his excessive pride was the root of his problems.  His pride leads him to make accusations, before he considers the wise advice of others.  Creon's pride also fills him not just as a king superior to the Gods, but also a man superior to women.  The issue of Antigone being condemned to die becomes more than just a person who disobeys Creon; instead, the punishment is given even more eagerly, because it is a woman who disobeys a man. Creon's intelligent son warns Creon the people of Thebes sympathize with Antigone, but Creon accuses Haemon of being a "woman's slave" (line 756).  Even though he is suppose to be loyal to the state and her citizens, he defensively questions if "the town [is] to tell [him] how [he] ought to rule?"(Line 734)The Theban king is too prideful to obey even the wisest of prophets, blind Teresias, insisting that "the whole crew of seers are money-mad" (line 1055). Creon finally puts his pride aside and listens to the Chorus' wise advice. It is difficult even then, and he obeys only because he fears the punishment that he might receive. "To yield [for Creon] is terrible" (line 1095) meaning to swallow his pride and admit that he is wrong is a very difficult thing for him to do. When Creon loses his wife and son, Creon's pride disappears, and he admits that he made a terrible mistake by not listening to anyone's advice.

    Read More

  • Hubris In Antigone Vs Creon

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Creon' Exemplification of Aristotle's Tragic Hero in Antigone by Sophocles

    1509 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Creon's Tragic Hero In Sophocles Antigon

Open Document