Creon Is An Example Of A Tragic Hero In Antigone

Antigone is an admirable character, for her steady and unwavering determination is something to applaud her on. But this same exact character trait is responsible for her inevitable death. Antigone is a prime example of a tragic hero. A tragic hero is typically a man or woman with an outstanding quality or characteristic, which eventually leads them to their downfall. Antigone’s stubbornness and unrelenting attitude lead her to disobey King Creon, which in turn, leads to her solemn and unfortunate fate.

In the story Antigone, Antigone’s brother, Polynices, is killed in battle. Polyneices had led an army to attack Thebes, and this act was deemed unforgivable by King Creon. Creon regards Polynices’ body to be unworthy of a proper burial and

This only adds more fuel to the fire, and angers Creon even further. As discussed above, Antigone is later imprisoned for her actions of defiance and commits suicide.

We are left with a question: “How could Antigone’s fate have been different if she had listened to Creon’s orders and left Polynices’ body unburied?” Well, Antigone would definitely not have been the same Antigone if her stubborn nature was removed, wouldn’t she? She would appear to be more like her sister, Ismene, who was docile and compliant. Antigone and most of the characters in Antigone would still be alive at the end of the story. Antigone would live out the rest of her life knowing that she should never disobey King Creon’s rules, but deep down she’d know that it would have been the right thing to