Who Is Creon A Tragic Hero

As stated by Aristotle, “a man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall;” his hamartia must bring about his peripeteia and he must have a fate that is greater than deserved. However, if there were more than one contender for this pitiable position, who would be the real tragic hero? In Antigone by Socrates, though Antigone and Creon both show traits which could depict them as a “tragic hero,” Creon wins the role by far. Despite sharing the same fatal flaw of arrogance and pride, Creon’s tribulations and actions as he goes through a series of unfortunate events more closely fit the definition of a tragic hero than Antigone’s. This is especially evident when concerning their peripeteias, since whereas Creon suffers

Although Antigone may regret her fate, nowhere in her last moments does she ever state remorse for being prideful, nor does she state remorse for burying Polyneices. In fact, Antigone objects, pointing out indignantly that her ‘reward’ for performing the noble act of burial “is death before [her] time” and that she has “done no wrong ...Or if [she has, she] shall know the truth in death” (IV, 67-70). By declaring that she has done nothing wrong and seeing her death as an unjustified one, Antigone reveals that she feels no guilt for any of her actions. Furthermore, Antigone cooly decides that she will “know the truth in death,” showing that she will stand by her decisions and beliefs until the end, departing from the world fully unchanged. Creon, in comparison, admits to his arrogance, telling the Choragos to “lead [him] away. [He had] been rash and foolish…[and] fate has brought all [his] pride to a thought of dust” (Exodus, 142, 146). In the face of his demise, Creon openly confesses to his hubris and hence realizes what has perpetrated his downfall. Consequently, he understands that he has been foolish, allowing the Choragos to “lead him away” as the first step to learning