Creon: The Real Tragic Hero

In the distinguished play Antigone, there is argument over who the tragic hero is, Antigone, or King Creon. A tragic hero must meet certain specifications, which include having a great influence, being essentially good with good intentions, having a weakness in them that leads to their fall, they must commit great sin which leads to conflict, that their story begins in relative happiness and ends in utter disaster, and that the hero commits their actions of their own free will. In this play, I believe that Creon is the real tragic hero and that Antigone sparks the reaction to his downfall. Creon’s position as king gives him great influence over the people of Thebes, allowing him to create laws to restrain, abstain, and assist the citizens.

When the sons of Oedipus died, Creon rose to the throne because they were his family. When Polyneices broke his exile to try and take the throne, he died while killing his brother as well. Now a traitor, Creon attempted to make a positive statement to the public stating, “ Polyneices, I say, is to have no burial: no man is to touch him or say the least prayer for him; he shall lie on the plain, unburied; and the birds and the scavenging dogs can do with him whatever they like.” His decision was the correct thing to do for the public, but as his family, he is required by the gods to respect his family thus breaking the higher law.

The next step for a tragic hero is a weakness in them that leads to their doom. Creon, as the new king of Thebes, recently gained a higher confidence, and along with it, an even bigger ego. With his newfound pride, he no longer listens to his son, as well as fighting against words of wisdom from the oracle, Tiresias. Creon’s pride blinded him from seeing the higher law as a threat to him. In the end, this lead to the loss of his son, Haemon, his wife Eurydice, and his son's betrothed,