Kreon The Tragic Hero In Sophocles Antigone

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In Sophocles play, Antigone, he expresses the idea of a main character appearing as a tragic hero. According to Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, it is someone who is neither completely virtuous nor villainous, not preeminently good and just, whose misfortune is brought about by error of judgement or frailty, and who is highly renowned and prosperous so his fall from good fortune is great enough to arouse the audience’s emotions. According to the Aristotelian definition Kreon, the King of Thebes, is described as a tragic hero throughout this play. Throughout Antigone, we see a change in Kreon’s actions. In the beginning of the play the audience sees how Kreon has an enormous ego and all that he cares about is his power and keeping …show more content…

The tragic hero makes the audience feel for them with their downfall and what they have gone through. Kreon had the potential to be a great influential leader to Thebes, but he becomes so self absorbed that he ultimately destroys his potential himself. Due to his enlarged ego Kreon never realized that he was lucky he had a wife and son and so much power. If he would have just stopped and realized how lucky and blessed he was he could have made his life and the people of Thebes lives better. At the end of the play everything Kreon had means nothing to him anymore. He no longer has a family to be there for him anymore because of his actions he lost everyone. Sophocles play, Antigone, expresses the theme of Kreon as a tragic hero. The Aristotelian definition of a tragic hero is someone who is neither completely virtuous nor villainous, not preeminently good and just, whose misfortune is brought about by error of judgement or frailty, and who is highly renowned and prosperous so his fall from good fortune is great enough to arouse the audience’s emotions. Kreon makes the audience feel for him when he has his downfall. Kreon is a tragic hero in accordance with Aristotle’s definition of a tragic

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