Tragic Flaws Of Creon

A tragic hero is defined by Aristotle as a person of noble stature, with a tragic flaw, who is doomed from their downfall. In the play Antigone by Sophocles, the character Creon possesses these traits. Although many people may see Creon as the antagonist of the story, by the definition Creon is a tragic hero. Creon’s flaw of excessive pride leads him to a catastrophic downfall, similar to how Aristotle describes.

Creon is doomed from the start. He develops the noble status of a tragic hero when his nephews, Polynices and Eteocles, kill each other. When talking about his kingship, he says “In right of kinship nearest to the dead, possess the throne and take the supreme power” (Sophocles 10). Creon takes advantage of his power as king disregards the gods and their right to make decisions for the dead. Creon’s family is already cursed, but this act against the gods seals his fate.

Creon is most identifiable as a tragic hero by his excessive pride or hubris.

Tragic heroes are supposed to have a weakness known as the Martha that leads to their downfall. Creon demonstrates pride, arrogance, and stubbornness throughout the play with his refusal to let Polynices be buried or to let Antigone free. The root of Creon’s hubris is demonstrated when he defends his throne. Creon believes he must be stubborn and disciplined to keep himself in power. This shows when he says “There is no greater fiend than Anarchy” (37) in response to the proposal of letting Antigone go. When he says that when Antigone went against his authority to bury Polynices it was “upsetting to his throne” (30). Creon’s excessive pride shines the most when he blatantly ignores, the prophet, Tiresias’ warnings. Tiresias predicted that doom would come to Creon and his family if he did not reverse his mistakes by freeing Antigone and burying Polynices. Instead of taking the prophet’s advice, Creon ignored him and accused him of corruption, saying “I care not to retort upon thee, seer”

(56).
Finally, Creon’s downfall reinforces him as a tragic hero. He had an unwillingness or inability to listen to the prophet, please the gods, and recognize his mistakes. Consequently, his son, Haemon, and wife, Eurydice, commit suicide. Aristotle stated that the punishment of the tragic hero will be worse than what the hero deserved. The death of every loved one is worse than anyone deserves. These suicides cause Creon to finally realize the true error of his decisions. Then he says “This guilt, but to me! I, I was the slayer” (71).
Although whether or not Creon is a good person is up for debate, but he demonstrates all the characteristics of a tragic hero. People may hesitate to call Creon any type of hero after his actions in this play, but because of his noble stature, cursed family, excessive pride, and appalling downfall, it becomes clear that Creon is the tragic hero of the play Antigone. Tragedies such as Antigone show that a character does not have to be void of flaw to be a hero. At the end of the play, Creon realizes how his pride and stubbornness have ruined his life. It is at that point that readers can empathize with him, which is the final trait of a tragic hero.