Creon And The Tragic Hero In Sophocles Antigone

The quote, ‘Sometimes in tragedy, you find your life’s purpose’ has a strong impact on the play, Antigone by Sophocles. Within Antigone, there is a tragedy and the tragedy consists of a tragic hero. According to the Aristotelian model, the tragic hero consists of having and or starting from a high place of royalty, a fatal flaw called hamartia, a catastrophe caused from the hamartia; increase self awareness and realization called anagnorisis that happens right after the catastrophe and finally a reversal: a punishment that is even worse than the crime for the tragic hero. The tragic hero in Antigone is Creon. Creon fits the first model for a tragic hero because he is a king and starts out from a place of high power. In stories like Antigone

A catastrophe is a disaster that is caused by the hamartia. In Creon’s catastrophe, his wife, son, and daughter in law all commit suicide because of his prideful actions. First Antigone, his daughter in law goes against Creon’s rules making him extremely angry; he punishes her by locking her up in a cell and threatens to execute her. Creon's son, Haemon is engaged to Antigone so naturally he doesn't agree with Creon’s actions and makes an attempt to stop Creon. In the process of trying Haemon trying to stop Creon, Antigone commits suicide. Haemon goes on his way to visit Antigone while Creon has a conversation with the choragos. After talking to the choragus, Creon realizes he is wrong and that his hubris has led to his divide in his family; and goes to free Antigone. However Haemon thinks that Creon is coming to execute Antigone and challenges Creon one last time. During the brawl between Creon and Haemon, Haemon commits suicid. Then Creon’s wife, Eurydice finds out about her son's untimely death and kills herself, saddened with grief. The aftermath of the catastrophe causes Creon to become more anagnorisis. He realizes that his catastrophe wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t had been so hubris and the audience feels catharsis for him. Catharsis is the purging of emotions of pity and fear and why the audience especially feels catharism for Creon because he realized his fatal flaw