Creon Archetype

Who would you call someone who has experienced their own sister’s suicide, claimed the throne of Thebes, and then witnessed the suicide of his whole family? According to Aristotle, these events would fall into line with the theme of a tragic hero. Creon, from “Antigone” written by Sophocles, fits into the archetype of a tragic hero. He has experienced the rise and fall, that every tragic hero has dealt with, including having a tragic flaw. Creon experienced his rise through the dethroning of the previous king of Thebes, Oedipus. In his place Creon became the king, and through that, the tragic ruler of Thebes. Creon had cleansed Thebes from the plague given to Thebes from the rule of Oedipus. Oedipus had became king of Thebes through solving the riddle of the sphinx and cleansing the plague himself. However, unbenounced to him, he had fulfilled a cursed prophecy in the process. He killed his father and married his mother. This event caused another plague to rise in which Oedipus was ultimately the cause of. Eventually, Oedipus was dethroned, cast away, and replaced by Creon, his brother-in-law. Therefore, Creon experienced his rise, through the tragic fall of Oedipus.

Oedipus had a flaw of having too much pride to admit and realize that he was the cause of the plague. Much as Oedipus ignored his problems, Creon had done the same. Creon had chosen pride over moralities when he sentenced Antigone to her certain doom (Sophocles 27). He chose to let her die in a tomb to revel with her actions, which in hindsight were noble(Sophocles 28). Through these actions, Creon was warned by the great seer Tiresias to let Antigone free, or he too would experience a great loss at the expense of his son (Sophocles 57). Creon ignored him and let Antigone die over his own foolish pride. The refusal he had to do the right thing was the source of his downfall, and led him to his own