Sophocles’ Antigone is a tragic play about the struggle between Creon, the king of Thebes, and his niece Antigone. Creon has ordered that anyone who attempts to bury Polynices, Antigone’s brother who was killed in battle, shall be put to death. Antigone defies this order and is arrested. She argues with Creon that it is her right as a daughter of Oedipus to bury her brother. Creon is unmoved by her arguments and condemns her to death.
Creon represents the traditional view of heroism: he is a powerful man who believes in order and strength. He is not willing to listen to opposing viewpoints, which leads to his downfall. Antigone, on the other hand, represents a new kind of heroism: she is willing to die for what she believes in. In the end, both Creon and Antigone are tragic heroes who suffer because of their own flaws. Sophocles’ play shows that neither traditional nor new heroic values are perfect.
Creon is the tragic hero in Sophocles’ “Antigone.” Creon is a tragic hero because of his poor decision-making, methodical manner of ruling Thebes, transition, and all the tragedy caused by his actions. Although Creon only changed when a messenger informed him that there would be a tragic ending as a result of all his actions, he did try to make things right. Polyneices’ body was left exposed for the vultures and dogs to devour since he rebelled against Esteocles’ leadership in Thebes.
Antigone, Polyneices’ sister, did not want him to be treated in such a way and decided to bury him. Creon found out and sentenced her to death. Creon was not aware of how his actions affected others until it was too late. He realized that he had made a mistake in sentencing Antigone to death, but it was already too late.
Antigone killed herself, and Haemon, Creon’s son, killed himself because he could not live without Antigone. By punishing Antigone unjustly, Creon brought much destruction on himself and his family. Creon is the tragic hero Sophocles wrote about because of the many unforeseen consequences brought about by his actions.
Sophocles wrote “Antigone” around 441 BC, which is a play that contains the Sophoclean tragedy. In Sophocles’ Antigone, the question of who the tragic hero really is, has been a subject of debate for a great number of years. Sophocles’ conveys his idea of a tragic hero through the character flaw of Creon. Although Sophocles does not give a definitive answer to this question, there are many factors that suggest that Creon is the tragic hero of Antigone.
Creon is introduced in the first scene as “a man not easily led astray” by anyone or anything (Sophocles 1). He has just been announced as the new king of Thebes after the death of Oedipus, and he is eager to prove himself to his people. Sophocles presents Creon as a good leader who wants what is best for his city, but he is also shown to be quite stubborn and unyielding. This combination of qualities makes him a tragic hero because it leads to his downfall.
One of the first things that Creon does as king is issue a decree that Polyneices, one of the sons of Oedipus, is not to be given a proper burial. Polyneices had attacked Thebes in an attempt to take the throne away from his brother Eteocles. Since Eteocles was defending Thebes, he was considered a hero and Polyneices was viewed as a traitor. Creon’s decree is based on his belief that anyone who fights against Thebes must be hated by the gods and deserves to be punished.
When Antigone learns of Creon’s decree, she knows that it is her duty to bury her brother. She argues with Creon, but he will not listen to her. He is convinced that he is right and that Antigone is wrong. This stubbornness leads to Creon’s downfall, as Antigone ends up burying her brother anyway.
Creon’s tragic flaw ultimately causes him to lose everything that he loves: his son, his wife, and his city. He is forced to watch as his family and his kingdom are destroyed, and he can do nothing to stop it. This makes him the tragic hero of Antigone.
In Sophocles’ Antigone, Creon is the character who undergoes the most change. At the beginning of the play, he is a stubborn man who will not listen to anyone. By the end of the play, he has learned from his mistakes and has realized that he was wrong about Polyneices. He acknowledges his own flaws and takes responsibility for his actions. This makes him a more tragic figure than if he had never changed at all.
After this, Antigone decided it was her duty to bury Polyneices, so she violated Creon’s order and covered his body with earth and wine. Unfortunately, Antigone was caught burying Polyneices before she could finish the task, and as a result of his mistake in judgment, Creon sentenced her (his own sons financed) to be put into a stone vault where she would die of hunger.
Then a messenger arrived bearing bad news for Creon: he had made a terrible error in judgement. Although relieved that he was no longer required to watch over them, he nevertheless went about performing tasks such as gathering wood for firewood or hunting animals on his own initiative; something which later caused friction between him and Eteoc
Antigone had already hanged herself. When Haemon, Creon’s son, came to see his finance (Antigone) in the vault and found her dead, he drew his sword on his father. In Sophocles’ play Antigone, he writes about a tragic hero, King Creon. Sophocles defines a tragic hero as someone who is not an evil man, but a good man who makes a tragic mistake.
A tragic hero must also have a tragic flaw and this is what causes his downfall. Sophocles shows that Creon has a tragic flaw when he is too stubborn to listen to anyone else’s opinion but his own. This ultimately leads to his downfall because if he would have listened to his son, Haemon, or his wife, Eurydice, then Antigone would not have died. Sophocles also says that a tragic hero must realize his mistake before it is too late and this is also true for Creon.
He realizes his mistake when the messenger tells him what happened to Haemon and Eurydice. If Creon had realized his mistake earlier then Antigone and Haemon would still be alive. In conclusion, Sophocles’ play Antigone is about a tragic hero, King Creon, who suffers from a tragic flaw, which is stubbornness. This tragic flaw leads to his downfall and causes the death of many people including his own son wife. Sophocles shows that a tragic hero must realize his mistake before it is too late and this is also true for Creon.
He realizes his mistake when the messenger tells him what happened to Haemon and Eurydice. If Creon had realized his mistake earlier then Antigone and Haemon would still be alive. Tragic heroes are important in Greek tragedies because they teach people about the dangers of hubris. Sophocles was one of the first playwrights to write about tragedies and he did so to warn people about the dangers of hubris. Hubris is excessive pride and this is what caused Creon’s downfall.
