Creon Character Analysis

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Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero is someone who makes an improper judgment where their fate leads them to their own destruction. One of the most important and eye-catching tragic heroes in the play is Antigone, a strong woman who is determined to give her brother Polyneices the burial he needs. In the play Antigone, by Sophocles, the reader learns about how Antigone’s loyalty to the gods, her disloyalty to King Creon, and her stubbornness leads to her ruin through her heroic traits and tragic flaws.
Loyalty to the gods, one of Antigone’s heroic traits, causes her to listen and honor their every decision. She feels that although her brother Polyneices is seen as a traitor, it is up to her to give Polyneices the burial her family and the gods want. The …show more content…

She does not seem to care whether her brother is seen as a traitor. Antigone knows that her brother is family, and irrespective of who the person is, everyone should get a burial. Her views on King Creon are depicted when she says, “Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way,”(191). King Creon could never get over the fact that Polyneices is a traitor, and he has betrayed Thebes by fighting on the opposing side. Antigone does not seem to understand how difficult life would be for her and her sister if Antigone goes through with burying her brother Polyneices and going against the King’s wishes. Antigone talks about Polyneices to her sister Ismene saying that, “He is my brother. And he is your brother, too,”(191). Antigone does not want to stay out of trouble. She wants to stay loyal to the gods and stay away from the underworld. She does not want to disobey the King, but she feels the need to do what the gods say. King Creon does not seem to care whether the gods wanted Polyneices to have a burial or not. He believes that dying as an enemy, does not give you the right to a proper burial, or a burial at

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