After reading the tragedy of Antigone by Sophocles, one is left to wonder who the protagonist of this play is. Is it Creon or is it Antigone? To answer this question, one must define what a protagonist is. By definition, a protagonist is a leading actor or a character. Creon fits this description because not only do his actions lead into the whole tragedy, but his character shows a great development and the values he teaches to the readers. When all these characteristics of Creon are put together one could undoubtedly say that Creon is the protagonist in this play. One characteristic of a protagonist that is found in Creon is his ability to start a cause and effect process. For example, when the play begins Creon is the King of Thebes and gives a speech to the people, “He who in his country’s cause fought gloriously and laid down his life shall be entombed and graced with every rite… The rest, I have proclaimed to be Thebes that non shall give him funeral honor” (Sophocles 9.194-205). Many say that this play occurred because of Antigone’s decision to bury Polyneices. However, if Creon did not make the decision of not giving Polyneices a proper burial, then the whole tragedy would not have occurred. There would be no consequences for the reason that the gods would be happy. In other words, one could say that Creon’s actions lead into this tragedy. Not only does Creon lead the way for this play, but he is able to make very important choices, giving him the title of a leading
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Show MoreAs both Creon and Antigone are royalty, Creon is the king of Thebes which is of higher stature than Antigone, this is a trait of a tragic hero. Creon shows his ignorance by dishonoring the gods and refusing to bury Polyneices. He forgets or ignores that Eteocles and Polyneices shared the throne, and to “attack” Thebes was the only way for Polyneices to obtain his kingship back from his brother. Creon is also ignorant to the fact that Polyneices is his nephew and should be buried alongside his brother and the rest of his family. As Antigone defies Creon's word and buries Polyneices, he is oblivious to the fact that she is to be wed to his
Antigone dearly beloved brothers Eteocles and Polyneices has joined their ancestors in the afterlife. Eteocles has been buried with honor There seems to be a problem with Polyneices who has not been buried. Antigone uncle Creon, don 't want to bury his own nephew.
Many of the characters in the story have a unique way of developing the theme of the story. Antigone, the daughter of King Oedipus and Jocasta, words and actions contributes to Creon’s development as a tragic hero. Antigone will do anything to properly put her brother to rest even if that means she has to die, Creon feels that it is right to punish her with death even if that means she will not get the chance to marry his son (Haemon). “You’ll never marry her while she’s alive,” (858).
In the story of Antigone by Sophocles , the character Creon is the tragic hero. Creon is a Tragic Hero because he was born into nobility, doomed to make a serious error in judgment, and realizes he made an irreversible mistake.
In the play Antigone, by Sophocles, the characters face tragedy, and in every tragic play there is a tragic hero. A tragic hero must accommodate the following five elements; noble stature, tragic flaw, free choice, excessive punishment, and finally, increased awareness. There are two strong characters in the play, Creon the King and Antigone the princesses, that consist of those elements, all but one, the final element, increased awareness. The character that embraces all five elements of a tragic hero is Creon.
“Not so self-centered that you never listen to other people” (Hugh Hefner). In the story of Antigone, Creon shows the characteristics of a tragic hero, as he is the king he shows his self-confident and he does not recognize his flaws until the end of the story. All of this leads into his downfall in the tragedy and causes him to realized what he had done. Creon is a tragic hero because of his self-righteousness, his excessive pride, and he does not listen to the opinion of others.
Creon’s decisions have lead him to lose his son and his wife, which is where his downfall begins. Creon becomes the tragic hero because he has endured pain from the deaths of his family. By not listening to Teiresias or anyone, but only to himself because he believes what he is doing is right, the death of his loved ones were
In the short story titled “Antigone,” the author portrays Creon as a tragic hero by displaying flaws in Creon's character shown throughout the story. Creon’s character contains many flaws which lead to many problems. His decisions end up deciding the fates of his son, his wife, and Antigone. Creon finally realizes that what he has done is sinful to the gods. He has put his own pride over the appreciation of the gods.
He doesn’t like people who disobeys the rules of the government. They both are tragic characters because Antigone kills herself and Creon asks for his death to the gods. It can be argued that the tragic hero is Creon because of his excessive pride and his intense suffering at the end of the play. First of all, Creon fits Aristotle’s definition of tragic hero, which is excessive pride, also known as hubris. Creon is overconfident about himself and he doesn’t listen to others.
In Sophocles’ play Antigone, Creon, the king of Thebes, best represents a tragic hero. Creon demonstrates goodness in his intentions for Thebes as well as his fragile state due to the fact that he recently lost several family members. Creon, newly named king, finds himself as highest ranking official around, showing superiority. Creon often acts stubborn and prideful, his tragic flaw. And lastly, he must come to terms with the fact that he caused the death of his wife, son, and niece.
In the classic play by Sophocles, Antigone is a tragic story of the bold Antigone who defied her uncle, King Creonʻs, edict by burying her brother, Polyneices, who died attacking the city of Thebes, trying to take the power away from their brother, Eteocles, who refused to share the throne with Polyneices. Even though Antigone knew that going against Creon and burying her brother would not end well for her, she still choose to risk her life to do what is right. After being caught breaking the law, Antigone is appointed to be locked away, isolated in a cave until she dies, but she hangs herself at the end. At the same time, things for Creon are not looking good, as everyone around him seems to be against him in his decision for punishing Antigone. Everyone Creon cares about kills themselves from a curse that is put on Creon for not following the Godsʻ laws.
All people can have power in our world, but only a few can have power and fewer can wield it with control in “Antigone”. Creon in the play “Antigone”, is the tragic hero because of the choices he makes and the way he acts. Creon is the tragic hero because he was born into nobility, responsible for his own fate, and doomed to make a serious error in judgement. Creon shows that he is the tragic hero in “Antigone” because he is born into nobility.
Creon cannot be the protagonist because his intentions were for the order and safety of Thebes. Thebes just lost both of its kings and needed a new ruler that could stabilize the city, keeping it safe from neighboring attacks. Although Creon might not have been the rightful heir to the throne, he is the best fit character to rule Thebes. Creon steps in because there no longer is a rightful heir to the throne in the blood line.
When asked, “Who is the tragic hero in Antigone?,” you might automatically think of the character Antigone. The character’s name is the title of the play like in “Hamlet”. The only difference is that Hamlet was the tragic hero in “Hamlet” moreover Creon is the tragic hero in “Antigone”. It all comes down to the definition of Aristotle’s tragic hero. Aristotle states that a tragic hero is, “a person who must evoke a sense of pity and fear in the audience.
Eric Estrella Professor: Corinne Croce ENG 210 September 28, 2016 Antigone The character from the play that I have chosen is Creon. Creon in the play is the king of Thebes and is Antigone’s uncle. Creon is a powerfully built person who cherishes order and loyalty above anything. Creon is also the man who suffers the burdens of the rule he had enforced over his pride to make the Gods satisfy and to make people see he wasn't someone to be disobey too.