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Creon As A Tragic Hero

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“Antigone” is a Greek play written by Sophocles, a Classical Athens tragedian. In the play, Creon, son of Menoeceus, becomes the king of Thebes, posthumous to Oedipus. Oedipus suffered an exile after committing an unacceptable crime of killing the previous king, who was his own father. Creon was crowned king since his nephews, Eteocles and Polynices, were next in line but tragically died in a battle with each other. Creon’s first act as the new ruler ordered that no one shall give Polynices a proper burial, since he fought against Thebes. Once Antigone, Creon’s niece and Oedipus’s daughter, was caught sprinkling dust and wine over his body, she was detained immediately. Creon then sentenced her to imprisonment in a tomb as punishment for her actions. His decisions led to catastrophe as the choragus explains throughout the play. His fate and disastrous downfall were caused by disobeying the gods, mainly through his tragic flaw of pride and cruelty. He is considered as the tragic hero of “Antigone” because of his ill intentions and fated decline as king of Thebes. Creon is the tragic hero of the Greek Tragedy, Antigone, by Sophocles, because he is important to society, has a tragic flaw, and is faces major consequences as a result of his flaw. As aforementioned, Creon is deemed a tragic hero because in the beginning of Antigone, he is important to society. Since Oedipus’s exile, and Eteocles and Polynices’ deaths, Creon, as the brother of Oedipus, was considered next in line

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