¨All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong.¨ This is one of the many concepts that tragic hero's fail to understand in greek tragedies. A greek tragedy is a play in which the protagonist, usually a man of importance, falls to disaster through the combination of a personal failing and circumstances that he cannot control. In greek theatre this protagonist is called a Tragic Hero. A tragic hero is someone who is born into nobility, and through his own doings, losses everything in the end.. 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. …show more content…
Creon shows nobility when he was announced as king. In the text Creon says, ¨As the next in blood, I have succeeded to the full power of the throne.¨ When Creon says ¨As the next in blood¨ what he means is that he is the next person to receive the title as king in his family and being a king is definitely a noble position. Also he says that he will receive ¨full power of the throne.¨ The only person who has the full power of the throne is the king, so Creon must be a very noble man. Another example of Creon being born into nobility is when the citizens of thebes acknowledge Creon as king, ¨Have I told you of the new decree of our king Creon.¨ Not only does the townsperson say that Creon is king, but he also acknowledges a new decree Creon has made. Kings are the only one who have the power to make new laws, so Creon must be king. Creon is a tragic hero because he was born into nobility as king and makes new laws for the citizens of
With that being said Creon is the tragic hero. Firstly, Creon believes men are above women. Creon would never let a woman be in control. As he said, “No woman, while I live, shall order me.”
Creon is a tragic hero because he has the characteristics of one like, being born into nobility, a tragic flaw, and a fall from great heights. The initial characteristic that identifies Creon as a tragic hero is being born into
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.
Though it may seem that Creon is the antagonist of the play, he would be considered the tragic hero because he displays many of the characteristics of one. In the play, Creon is a character full of pride who shows disrespect toward the natural order of things, has a moment where he realizes his mistake, and has a downfall at the end of the story. Sophocles’ play “Antigone” not only presents an interesting story about the children of Oedipus but also presents a series of events that lead to a dramatic change in Creon’s
Creon’s weakness is shown when he is fearful of being undermined by Antigone because she is a women. The error in judgement that comes upon Creon is that Creon thinks thathis actions will not have consequences. The fact that Creon did not bury Polynices is a fault in him as the repercussion of not burying him resulted in the death and rebuttal of Antigone, Haemon, and Creon’s own wife. In Conclusion, Creon is the tragic hero of the story because through some weakness of character or error in judgment, brings doom upon himself he discovers the truth of his wrong choice and accept responsibility for his actions, he is a more admirable man in defeat than he was before and he gains stature through the way he meets catastrophe.
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.
Lord Creon was the tragic hero in the play Antigone. His substantial weakness was his excessive pride (Hubris). He felt that he was superior to all and he couldn’t imagine being disobeyed by anybody. That soon would be
He is the center of the play, which causes events to happen. The first tragic fall that leads Creon to his downfall is his power madness. His power madness fall can be supported by Antigone’s dialogue, “Further: he has the matter so it that anyone who dares attempt the act will die by stoning in the town.” (Antigone 2).
A tragic figure is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his or her own destruction. In Antigone, Creon would be the tragic figure because he possess the following characteristics: noble status rank above society, tragic flaw in this case Creon’s pride, fall from grace, enlightenment an awakening and tragic end. (line 1184) “You know you’re speaking of the man who rules you”. You can be sure you won’t change my mind to make yourself more richer”.
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.
After the exile of Oedipus, Creon became the king of Thebes, which placed a lot of power in his hands. With this sudden shift in authority, Creon's tragic flaw becomes more noticeable. When in an argument with Haemon, Creon's son, he states his position on the opposite sex, “If we must fall from power, let that come at some man’s hand—at least, we won’t be called inferior to any women” (353). This reveals his excessive pride, hubris, because he worries that his image would be tarnished if ever doing something imposed by a women. With this condescending perspective, he is led to believe that he is above all others, which leads to his free choice.
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.
The play “Antigone” by Sophocles is a Greek tragedy where Creon, the king of Thebes, has made an order that no one is to disobey. This starts his downfall into becoming a tragic hero. Another way Creon is a tragic hero is he tries to do what is best for his kingdom, which ends up not working out in the end.
The things he says, does, and the comments made by those around him show him as the tragic hero. The drama Antigone is more Creon’s story than it is Antigone’s. Creon has a much bigger affect the play than Antigone does. Without Creon, there would be no dilemma or conflict in the play.
A Tragic Hero Controversy is seen in the play “Antigone” a tragedy story written by Sophocles, where people may be ambivalent to who the real tragic hero is. A tragic hero possess several characteristics that can be seen such as; having a high status position, having imperfections and having a downfall.(Anaphora) Creon fits into all of these characteristics qualifying him as the tragic hero. Having a high social status is one of the three characteristics that enable Creon to be the tragic hero.