Antigone And Creon Tragic Hero Essay

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Tragic Hero: Antigone and Creon
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.
King Creon’s decree of not allowing Polyneices to have a proper burial goes against the gods displaying his hubris behavior. Hubris, in Greek tragedy, means thinking of one’s self so highly that they are equal to the gods and do not have to follow their laws. Creon says, “My voice is the one voice giving orders in this city!" (Page 26). Creon says this because he thinks that he does not need help or guidance from the gods. Creon feels that his way is the proper way and no one should question him. He believes he can do it all alone and do it perfectly. …show more content…

Teiresias tells Creon, “all men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.” (Page 33). Creon now sees that what he has done was wrong and wants to fix it, “Oh it is hard to give in! But it is worse to risk everything for stubborn pride." (Page 36). In the end, it was too late to save Antigone, Heamon, and Queen Eurydice from death, but Creon’s conversion categorizes him as a tragic

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