Kailey Knowles
Period 2
December 10, 2013
Oedipus Cycle Analysis
Creon as a Tragic Hero
As once said by Aristotle, "A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall". A tragic hero is often seen as someone with great stature who is noble yet imperfect, and experiences suffering due a moral flaw. In Sophocles’ Ancient Greek play The Oedipus Cycle, Creon represents the true tragic hero when his flawed actions and excessive pride create the path towards his demise.
Creon’s declination begins in Oedipus at Colonus when his infatuation with power and control begins to arise, in turn bringing forth a rigid side to his character. The battle over the kingship of Thebes is a pivotal point in Creon’s development. He goes to drastic measures when threatening the lives of Oedipus’ daughters in order to bring him back to Thebes, and in conversation with Oedipus, Creon says, “Your daughters: one of them I have just now / Had seized and carried off; now I’ll take this one” (129). His forceful and domineering actions towards his brother-in-law begin to peel back the layers of his intentions. In Oedipus Rex, Creon did not want the throne, nor did he enjoy attention, but he now finds pleasure in being the head figure of leadership. The first signs of Creon’s craving for personal pleasures are unravelled as he begins to act under the influence of his Id, “a demand to take care of needs immediately” (Boeree). The animalistic tendencies, destructive nature, and amoral actions are all induced by the Id, and Creon unconsciously begins to tap into that part of his mind as he strives to gain power. All other emotions and opinions of others are disregarded and Creon makes it his goal to become king, seemingly stopping at nothing t...
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...ng presence of his superego that was lacking throughout the earlier areas of his life. Superego is the “internalization of punishments and warnings” (Boeree) which plays a part in Creon’s growth of emotions that he struggled with early on. His previous impulses of pleasure and aggressions have been masked by his superego. Creon’s ability to have an anagnorisis in Antigone helps contribute to his role as a tragic hero.
The once King of Thebes had everything in life to be content with, but the relentless attitude of his own superiority ushered him to his downfall. While he lost his grip on his relations with others and experienced an overwhelming influence of his Id, and it was too late by the time he realized, Creon nonetheless had an epiphany about his actions and understood his faults. Through his perils and travails, Creon earns the title of a true tragic hero.
Many great rulers have been tempted by the authority of absolute power. In Antigone, by Sophocles, Creon, the Theban king, will do anything in order to earn this absolute power. Creon’s prideful attitude, disregard of the authority of the gods, and failure to listen cause him to fail as a statesman, demonstrating the nature of kingship in Sophocles’s Antigone.
Oedipus and Creon are two new rulers that seek to establish their legitimacy to the authority of the Thebes’ throne. Oedipus sought to find approval and identification with the people of Thebes by ending a plague. Creon emphasized national unity and obedience to laws that benefit the state. Similar to the runners of separate types of races Oedipus and Creon approach the problem of establishing authority in different ways. Oedipus has the mindset of a sprinter and approached each arising problem with the same tactics. Creon is likened to a distance runner that is trying to have his team win a track meet. Viewing the characters as different types of runners allows for insight as to justification why each character fails to gain the legitimate authority they desire.
Since Creon has a tragic flaw of hubris and comes to an increased awareness about his wrongdoings, it is clear that he perfectly fits the characteristics of a tragic hero. Many readers may not be able to visualize how difficult it is for someone who loses something very important to them, unless they have experienced it firsthand. Creon's choices in the story are an example that signifies the use of the brain instead of emotions that could interfere with the decision. When given the choice of different paths, one should make compromises to satisfy not only themselves, but others around them when needed. Without doing this, it can lead to several disputes and severe devastation in life.
In Antigone, we see that Creon fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. As king of Thebes, he has the character traits that make him an extraordinary person and a tragic flaw that leads to his ultimate downfall. Although many dislike him, Creon’s journey as a tragic hero makes the audience pity him. Unlike comic book superheros, Creon is human. His mistakes are ones we can connect with. In life, we aren’t handed happy endings, and tragic heros like Creon show us this.
Macbeth, Brutus from Julius Ceasar, John Proctor from The Crucible, Hercules, Sirius Black from Harry Potter, and Spiderman all have a common fate, they are all tragic heroes. A tragic hero is a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. Every hero has a downfall and a purpose; typically it is for the greater good for everyone else. In The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles, there are two characters that could be defined as tragic heroes, they are Antigone and Creon. Bounteous people do not envisage Antigone as a tragic hero, these people believe she was crazy, had no purpose, and did not help the kingdom. Although, countless people do not comprehend that she actually did save the citizens of Thebas, and tried to help Creon.
The nature of the tragic hero of ancient Greek tragedy was first discussed by Aristotle in Poetics in the fourth century BC. Using Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus the King as a model, Aristotle identified four characteristics necessary for a tragic hero: position (power, royalty, good intentions), tragic flaw (a character’s fault that leads to the hero’s downfall), reversal (the downfall itself), and recognition (the hero’s realization that he has caused his own downfall). In Antigone, another of Sophocles’ tragedies, King Creon becomes king of Thebes after the deaths of Oedipus’ sons Eteocles and Polyneices. As, the proud, stubborn Creon abandons the gods’ law and refuses to consider the advice of others, tragic consequences ensue. During his reign, Creon demonstrates all four characteristics of the tragic hero.
Aristotle defines tragedy by saying, “tragedy depicts the downfall of a noble hero or heroine, usually through some combination of hubris, fate, and the will of the gods.” (Aristotle and the Elements of Tragedy). He also defines a tragic hero by saying, “the tragic hero should have a flaw and/or make some mistake. The hero need not die at the end, but he/she must undergo a change in fortune. In addition, the tragic hero may achieve some revelation or recognition about human fate, destiny, and the will of the gods.” (Aristotle and the Elements of Tragedy). In the tragic play, Antigone, Creon’s hubristic behavior followed by his realization of his action and a conversion, sets him as the tragic hero.
Throughout Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex” and “Antigone,” the hubris of man, particularly kings, is thoroughly explored. However, a definitive contrast becomes immediately clear through each king’s dialogue with their chorus, their beliefs on gods and divinity, and their conflicting views on obedience. Through these key elements, it is revealed that not only do Oedipus and Creon hold opposing views, but that Creon acts with significantly more pride, arrogance, and hubris.
Creon however does not become king. The power of kingship falls into the hands of Oedipus’s two sons, Eteocles and Polynices. In a fight over power Eteocles and Polynices die at each other’...
Throughout the Greek play, “Antigone”, we see one of the main character’s, Creon, who recently was named King of Thebes due to his Nephews battling to the death for the throne. Creon by the end of the play would eventually develop a theme known as a “Tragic Hero.” His character's emotion and motivations conflict with another main character, his Niece who the play is named after, Antigone. The characteristics of Creon have conflicting motives such as his hierarchy, greed, and vengefulness are highlighted by Antigone’s opposing ethics. Ultimately these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by making him regret his Decree and rash decisions once he has learned of his fate.
Changes do define the course of human life, as well as the clash of their ironic decisions. Yet Sophocles’s twist on this principle of human life was by no doubt more cynical. Irony does not present itself as an opportunity for man to grasp. The truth is that men are forced into the tragedy the irony brings forth in the most unexpected circumstances. As for Creon, these circumstances lead to his ultimate downfall. In the light of it all, the tragic irony of Oedipus’s curse is cast away in the end. It is perhaps fortunate that the curse is mended. With no doubt the city of Thebes will be thrown into another reconstruction period after such a shocking revelation. But Creon’s downfall and his sacrifice will also contribute to the peace the people of Thebes will deserve at last.
Here, the reader is told the story of Antigone’s father, Oedipus, his rise to power and what led to his tragic downfall; whereas, this is not relevant to the topic of our essay either. “Oedipus Rex” is imperative to this essay because it allows the reader to see Creon in a different light than in “Antigone” and “La pasión según Antígona Pérez”, allowing them to better analyze and, perhaps, understand his tyrannical actions. In this play, Creon seems to be a completely different person than in both of the previous plays, seeming to be a very good-natured man, who’s both kind and patient, and tries to do what is best for the kingdom and the people in it. Henceforth, this makes the reader ask the question: what event transpired between these plays that turned Creon from the seemingly perfect character from “Oedipus Rex”, to the evil tyrant from “Antigone” and “La pasión según Antígona Pérez”? Admittedly, his actions in both of the later plays were malevolent and antagonistic, however, perhaps Creon was not an evil character after all. In “Oedipus Rex”, Creon states that he would not like to be the king of Thebes, due to the fact that he already had the same power as a king, yet, without the pressures of the title, as can be seen in this
Creon does not learn a lesson from Oedipus' accusatory behavior. Instead he adapts this bad personality trait. Throughout Antigone, he accuses everyone who tries to give him advice of betraying him. Whereas, in Oedipus, he is falsely accused by Oedipus of trying to take over the throne. This paper will compare and contrast his behavior and evaluate if he learned anything from one play to the next.
Antigone is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles that has two tragic heroes, Antigone herself and Creon. A tragic hero is the main character in a tragedy that makes an error in his or her actions that leads to his or her downfall. Creon is the tragic hero in Antigone because he reveals all the characteristics of a tragic hero. Creon’s tragic flaw is his pride. Creon’s stubbornness, his abuse of power, and his actions that resulted in his downfall in the play are three of the ways in which Creon can be the tragic hero.
In this paper I will be making 3 major points about Creon. First I will explain the role Creon plays in this drama. Next I will explain some of the values Creon represents in this story. And for the last I will be examining how essential Creon is to the way this situation plays itself out.