What Makes Creon A Tragic Hero

One trait that makes Creon the tragic hero of Antigone is how he is a significant character while also being a very relatable character. One can declare Creon as a significant character because he is the character that really sets the plot into motion by condemning Antigone to a tomb when he says, “You know your orders: take her to the vault And leave her alone there. And if she lives or dies, That’s her affair, not ours: our hands are clean” (Sophocles 711-713). Another instance of how Creon drives the plot, exampling his significance, is when he refuses to release Antigone when Haimon, his son, begs him to. Creon says to his son of Antigone’s betrayal to him, “Do you want me to show myself weak before the people? Or to break my sworn word?

No, and I will not” (Sophocles 518 519). This refusal drives the play’s plot once again as it leads Haimon to become angry with his father and walking away from him, creating more conflict within the story while also showing the readers a view of Creon’s pridefulness. The significance of Creon is also matched by his relatability. One will view Creon as relatable because everyone is prideful and will most likely defend that pride and their actions. This can be exampled when Creon defends his actions to his son, Haimon, saying, “If I permit my own family to rebel, How shall I earn the world’s obedience” (Sophocles 522-523)? Ultimately, Creon is saying that he needs to keep his law and declaration of Antigone’s condemnation to the vault in place otherwise people will view him as a weak leader. Creon, once again speaking with his son, defends his pride by not listening to his son's advice of listening to others, specifically the Creon’s people. Creon later states to his son, “Fool, adolescent fool! Taken in by a woman” (Sophocles 605)! Creon, instead of listening to his son, he accuses him of being foolish, only taking Antigone's side because he is infatuated with her. While Creon’s pride is relatable, it is also his fatal flaw.
Creon is also the tragic hero because he has a very obvious fatal flaw. Every tragic hero is endowed with a fatal flaw which then leads to their mistakes and their downfall. Creon’s personal fatal flaw is hubris, or excessive pride. One example of Creon’s excessive pride is when Haimon goes to his father and begs him to forgive Antigone and that he has made mistakes. Creon then refuses his son’s request and tells him that Haimon shall never marry her while she lives. Haimon then replies, “Then she must die. ––But her death will cause another” (Sophocles 610). Then, before he leaves, Haimon tells his father, “And you will never see my face again” (Sophocles 624). Creon, blinded by his own pride, ignores his son’s threat and thinks he is being irrational. Creon also does not acknowledge others feelings, like his own son’s, due to his selfish pride. One example of Creon’s hubris is his reaction to Teiresias’ prophecy. He believes that the only thing Teiresias wants is money. “Do what you will, Go into business, make money, speculate In India gold or that synthetic gold from Sardis, Get rich otherwise than by my consent to bury him. Teiresias, it is a sorry thing when a wise man Sells his wisdom, lets out his words for hire” (Sophocles 819-824)! Creon refuses to believe Teiresias, one of the most famed prophets and one of the wisest men in Ancient Greece. Creon also refuses to believe that what he has done is wrong and accuses Teiresias of taking a bribe. After the prophet leaves, Creon and Choragos speak to one another. Creon then realizes how blinding his pride has been leading him to a hopeless epiphany.
A final factor that makes Creon a tragic hero is the way he has a hopeless realization that he had made tremendous mistakes and setting off to fix them before actually finding out the consequences of his actions.

The first epiphany Creon has that make him realize his mistake after speaking to Choragos after Teiresias leaves. “It troubles me. Oh it is hard to give in! but it is worse To risk everything for my stubborn pride” (Sophocles 336). Creon becomes fully aware that he needs to accept responsibility for his actions and that his pride has been leading him wrong. Creon’s realization of his flaw helps him realize the error of his ways and he sets out to fix the mistakes he had made. After speaking to Choragos once again, Creon goes out to set Antigone free from her vault. “I will go. ––Bring axes, servants: Come with me to the tomb. I buried her, I will set her free” (Sophocles 874-877). Once he has reached Antigone’s tomb, he finds that she has hanged herself. Creon’s son Haimon kills himself and upon hearing the news, Creon’s wife kills herself. Due to Creon’s mistakes, his loved ones are gone. A messenger then comes and tells him of Eurydice, Creon’s wife, “Her curse is upon you for the deaths of both" (Sophocles 340). To this, Creon replies, “It is right that it should be. I alone am guilty. I know it, and I say it” (Sophocles 340). This shows Creon’s maturity to accept his actions, as he alsoaccepts his fate. He knows he has done wrong and his pride turns to shame. Unlike most tragic heroes, Creon does not die in Antigone. His fate is much worse than death. He gets to wait for death and he longs for it, knowing that it was only he who was responsible for his family member’s deaths. He tells Choragos, “Lead me away. I have been rash and foolish. I have killed my son and my wife. I look for comfort: my comfort lies here dead” (Sophocles 340). Knowing the terrible pain he’s caused not only to himself, but to those surronding him, he knows he is the one to

truly blame.