Creon 'Tragic Hero In Sophocles' Antigone

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Tragic Hero
Antigone, an Ancient Greek play by Sophocles, is mainly about how excessive pride can lead to serious events. Creon, the king of Thebes, who is full of hubris, declares that Polyneices will lay unburied to become animal’s carrion. Polyneices’ sister, Antigone, wants to bury his body in defiance of Creon's rules. Creon is the tragic hero of Antigone because his actions make his power descend throughout the play. At the beginning of the play, everyone sees Creon as a significant leader. He has good reasons for his laws and punishments. However, by the end of the play Creon’s hubris has taken over him, which leads to his demise.

Hubris, one of Creon’s tragic flaws, causes his downfall. He will not listen to anyone. Creon is stubborn …show more content…

He believed that he could break the laws of the gods, and had very harsh punishments for the citizens who followed their laws. Creon made a public announcement and said that nobody was allowed to burry Polyneices. A clear example of his abuse of power is when he tells Haemon, “My voice is the one voice giving orders in this city”. (Scene 3 Line 105) This caused a great amount of fear and discomfort among Thebes’s citizens. He stated that the state of Thebes revolted around him, and that the only laws to follow were his own. His excessive abuse of power started his …show more content…

On the other hand, Antigone does have some aspects that qualify her as a tragic hero, but she does not completely fit to be the tragic hero of Antigone. First of all, Antigone has only good intentions of burring Polyneices. When Ismene neglects Antigone’s position towards Polyneices body, Antigone says, “That must be your excuse, I suppose. But as for me, I will bury the brother I love.” (Prologue, Line 65-66). This quote demonstrates that Antigone preferred to die than to leave his brother unburied. Throughout the play, she tries to bury him without changing her opinion, which is another reason that supports that she is not the tragic hero. Since Antigone does not have many of the tragic flaws that a tragic hero needs, she is the actual

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