Tragic Heroism of Creon

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Aristotle once said that a Greek Tragedy must include an important person that has a flaw. By this flaw, the audience should feel pity and fear. Creon, a character in the Greek tragedy “Antigone”, resembles a perfect example of a tragic hero. This play was written by Sophocles, a historic playwright during the 5th century. It begins with the illegal burial of Polyneices, Antigone’s beloved brother. Creon, the King of Thebes, is coerced to condemn his niece Antigone to death. Being loyal to his city, Creon follows through with his punishment of Antigone. By doing so, his character is changed forever. Creon has the qualities of a tragic hero: he is a good person with superior status, he has a tragic flaw, and he comes to realize the role he plays in his own downfall.

The first characteristic of a tragic hero is goodness and superiority. Creon did cause the death of many characters, but he is still a good person with high superiority. When Creon became the King of Thebes, he announced to the people that he would try to change the city for the better so that everyone is amicable. He says, “ By such measures I’ll make this city great” (Sophocles 7). This gives hope to the city of Thebes and it ensures that Creon will be loyal to his city. Creon also shows that he is a good person by being a fair ruler to his people. His niece, Antigone has disobeyed the laws of the city by burying her brother. She is a part of the family, but Creon doesn’t want the city to think that he favors others, and so he says, “ I must execute her. / I don’t give a damn for all her talk / About family ties” (Sophocles 17). By saying this, Creon lets the people know that he believes that everyone should be punished equally, no matter how close they are to him. ...

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...nclusion, Creon is indeed the tragic hero of the story “Antigone.” Creon has the qualification of having superior status, a tragic flaw, and also a tragic realization. He shows his superior status by doing what he thinks is best for the city and promising that he will help rebuild it. Besides that, Creon demonstrates his tragic flaw of being stubborn by not accepting the fact that he has been proven wrong by Teiresias. Finally, he has a tragic realization of knowing that he was wrong about Antigone and the prophecy came true. The playwrights of Ancient Greece define Creon as a famous tragic hero because of the qualities he has. After hearing about Creon, the King of Thebes, Aristotle’s definition of a Greek Tragedy is most certainly correct.

Works Cited
Sophocles. Antigone. Trans. Michael Townsend. New York: Addison –Wesley

Educational Publishers, Inc., 1962.

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