Creon: The Real Tragic Hero

Creon cares extremely about his country of Thebes and creates his own laws. He mentions that, “There's been a group of grumblers in this town: men who can hardly abide by my rule, who nod and whisper, chafing beneath my law, who are not in love with it at all,” (Sophocles, 203). He speaks these words with anger towards whoever disobeys him. His extreme love for his country shows his noble stature which causes him to punish those who do not love Thebes as passionately as he does. Creon has the appearance of good, but when he chooses to not bury Polyneices, which goes against the beliefs of the Gods by not honoring him, he shows his tragic flaw. He says, “But Polyneices, killed as piteously, an interdict forbids that anyone should bury him or even mourn.” (192). Through disobeying the Gods, Creon implies that his laws are more important than the Gods. Creon’s disregard towards the Gods, explains why he dismisses Tiresias’s power. Creon’s overall power grants him his free will. He says, “I know. You point the horns of my dilemma. It's hard to eat my words, but harder still to court catastrophe through overriding pride.” (240). Creon tells the Leader that even though Tiresias has shown the truth of his actions, he cannot admit them or change them because he has no power left, no free will. The amount of chaos that Creon has caused forces such a harsh punishment upon him. Tiresias warns him to

Creon shows an extraordinary amount of stubbornness throughout the story. An example is seen when Antigone wishes to give her brother, Polyneices a proper burial so he can have a pleasant afterlife with the Gods. Creon, as king wishes to have him rot in the fields because he turned his back on the state in which the events occurred.

Creon believes that whatever he says or decide is true, he has so much of self-righteousness. The word that Creon said “Am I to rule by other mind than mine?” (Antigone, page 26). He thinks that he should rule everything because he is a king, he believes that people should obey him and the law he sets because he thinks that it is the right thing to do. Creon does not want other people to tell him what to do. In the story Haemon, Tiresias, the Chorus tried to tell him that even though it is against the law that he made; still it

He was blind to his own hubris and let all of these terrible things happen. He started out the play being strong about what he believed in and didn’t let anyone, even Teiresias, tell him that he was making the wrong decisions. In the end, Creon’s fate turned on him and he became the epitome of humiliation and regret. I feared Creon because he was a ruthless leader who let his own self kill three people. He might not have physically killed them, but his actions did. He sentenced a woman to death for trying to put her dead brother to rest. It didn’t matter that Eteocles betrayed his city. It was the god’s unwritten law for him, or anyone, to be buried. Antigone says, “Your edict, King, was strong,- But all your strength is weakness itself against- The immortal unrecorded laws of God.- They are not merely now: they were, and shall be,- Operative for ever, beyond man utterly.” (359-363) Creon denied this law because he thought that he was higher than the

Creon’s regards towards his own laws cause him to withdraw from all other beliefs or opinions that others have to offer him. He believes that the people of Thebes should obey his rules if they want his support. Overall, Sophocles shows Creon as a hubristic character as he demonstrates to be giving his words, his laws more importance than the laws and morals of the gods.

Following one’s heart does not always mean following the law. Civil disobedience is justifiable when dealing with family. Devotion to family is significant, especially in Greek culture. The play Antigone by Sophocles, stresses the importance of family and how the disturbance of traditions may lead to conflict. Creon, the antagonist of the play, implements a decree to minimize betrayal from the people of Thebes. The order states that his nephew, Polyneices, may not have a proper burial due to his acts of treason; anyone who defies this rule will be punished. The eponymous character of the play, Creon’s niece, holds a different opinion and gives Polyneices the burial she believes he deserves. Sure enough, Creon catches Antigone and executes her by attempting to starve her to death. Overall, Creon’s demeanor does not work in his favor because the gods give him a fate worse than death. Throughout the play, Sophocles illustrates that family is the most prominent aspect of life.

Creon is a tragic hero because he is born into nobility. He was never elected leader but he was just put there as a leader because of who his family is. The first instance that shows how Creon is born into nobility is when he is talking about how he is blood of the previous kings and how people must now obey him. Creon says, “As the next in blood, have succeeded to the full power of the throne. This quotes supports why Creon is born into nobility because it is stating that Creon is the next in the bloodline of kings and queens and therefore he will be the next king. The next spot where Creon shows that he is born into nobility is when he the people are talking about him. The people are saying, “But now at least our new king is coming, Creon of Thebes, Menoikeus son.”

Antigone is one of the greatest tragedies ever written by Sophocles. There is a controversial question about this play: Who is the tragic hero? Could it be Antigone or Creon? Even though the play’s name is Antigone, but as I read the story. A sensible and responsible king, Creon, is a tragic hero because of his power madness, self-righteousness, and ruthlessness. He is the center of the play, which causes events to happen.

Creon has many admirable qualities but within them a tragic flaw that causes great misfortune. Creon as a newly instated king of Thebes, makes a decree that Eteocles will

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. Creon had many reason too next in line to rule Thebes. His motivation was just and honorable; therefore, making him the protagonist. Creon’s law is justified by reason. Since Thebes had two rulers, the people must have been divided on who was the best fit ruler just as the people of the United States compare the Presidential candidates. However, when the brothers go to war with each other the people also go to war, creating tension even after

Creon, recently succeeded to take the throne of Eteocles, making him king. Therefore, giving him the title of royalty and showing superiority. His power and control over Thebes makes him important, and this power and importance leads to a lack of mercy for criminals..

The play, Antigone, is a tragedy written by the Greek poet Sophocles. A common theme among tragedies is that they have a tragic hero, and Antigone is no different. The tragic hero of this poem is Creon, the King of Thebes. Creon is faced with the difficult task of punishing his niece, Antigone. She has broken one of his laws stating that no one is to give proper burial rites to Polyneices, Antigone’s brother, because he tried to overthrow Creon. Against the warning of others, Creon goes on with his plan to essentially sentence Antigone to her death. Creon continually ignores what others counsel him to do because he believes that just because he is king, everything he does is right. It is this thinking that ultimately leads to the death of not only Antigone, but also Creon’s son and wife as well. All tragic heroes suffer from a tragic flaw that leads to their downfall. Creon suffers from two tragic flaws, pride and stubbornness. Both of these flaws lead Creon down a path of destruction that he is unable to return from.

Aristotle believes a tragic hero “must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity”; however, Creon lacks the morality during his reign as king of Thebes. When Polynices is killed, Creon decides “he must be left unburied, his corpse/ carrion for the birds and dogs to tear,/ an obscenity for the citizens to behold”(229-231). As the leader of Thebes, Creon struggles to understand the ethics of the gods or citizens because he focuses on ruling his country for himself. Also, Creon fails to prosper in leading the state of Thebes because he rules as a dictator. Creon is angered by the questions on his rule, so he remarks “Am I to rule this land for others–or myself” (823). Creon lacks the decency as a ruler to reign with fairness to his

His power as a king allows him to make his own laws, and even give sentence to those who can defy him. Because of his law, Creon has so much arrogance that when Teiresias informs Creon of his doom-laden prophecy,

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” said historian Lord Acton. In Sophocles’ Antigone, Oedipus the King of Thebes newly departs after disgracing his people, and his successors to the throne, Polynices and Eteocles die in battle, thus leaving his brother Creon to inherit his throne. From the beginning, Creon uses his newfound power to impose excessive punishments against not only the people of Thebes, but also his family. As a result, the Thebans recognize his abuse of power, and express their fears through not only the chorus, but also his son. To finalize his play, Sophocles exposes how Creon uses his power to manipulate the hierarchy in Greek society; consequently offending the gods. Therefore, through King Creon’s