Kreon: The True Tragic Figure in Sophokles' Antigone

Before Aristotle’s tragic hero model, tragic figures were open to interpretation. The play Antigone by Sophokles, written in 441 BC, existed during this period of ambiguity of what a tragic figure exactly meant. Antigone involves two principal characters that could potentially be the tragic figure, Kreon and Antigone. Kreon is the arrogant king who declares it illegal to give Polyneices, a soldier who had betrayed Thebes during war, a proper burial. Antigone is the sister of Polyneices who is determined to give him the proper burial that she, as his family, is obliged to carry out. Although misfortune falls upon both Antigone and Kreon, Kreon is the true tragic figure of Sophokles’ Antigone because he experiences a profound enlightenment and

She is a pious, autonomous individual who likes to take matters into her own hands. When it comes to her plan to give her brother a proper burial, “Creon is not enough to stand in [her] way,” and she is “not afraid of the danger; if it means death, it will not be the worst of deaths – death without honor,” (Antigone 15, 80-81). To Antigone, family and honor are of highest priority, and she will not let anything or anyone prevent her from carrying out her duties. From the beginning of the play until her death, she holds onto these principles. Even the way in which she dies is reflective of this self-ruling ideal; she killed herself before anyone else could, not allowing anyone other than herself to have control over her fate. And because of these principles, her misfortunes were self-inflicted. She knew what misfortunes awaited her if she were to go through with her plan; she knew “the penalty [for burying Polyneices] – stoning to death in the public square,” (Antigone 23-24). She was fully aware that she would get killed for carrying out this act, but she did not allow those consequences to stop her from doing what she believed was honorable. Because Antigone’s misfortunes occurred with her full conscious knowledge and acceptance of her consequences, she is not considered a tragic

Kreon, with his enlightening realization and uncontrollable mishaps, possesses qualities that better represent a tragic figure. He also corresponds to more aspects of Aristotle’s tragic hero model than Antigone does: Kreon is of noble beginnings, is fated by the gods to suffering, faces misfortune from an error judgment or personality flaw, is pitied by the audience, is enlightened or changed, and becomes a vessel for the audience’s catharsis. In the end, tragedies are essentially plays in honor of Dionysus. Through Kreon’s experiences in the play, the audience is reminded of their place in relation to the gods. Just as with every other aspect of Greek culture, religion plays a fundamental role in dictating the Greeks’ interpretation and