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The Character Creon In Sophocles Antigone

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There are varieties of factors that make up the plot in the Greek playwright Sophocles’ tragedy, Antigone. Many characters contribute to these factors, making the play exciting, dramatic, and inspiring, such as, the daring actions of Antigone, the sacrifice of Haemon for his love, and the affection of Ismene toward her family. However, out of all the characters, Creon displays attributes and actions that reflect the unfavorable king as the real protagonist of the play. Creon demonstrates righteous, leader-like actions and learns from his mistakes, which supports his character as the hero. Although Creon executes harsh rules to his people, he uses his absolute power as a responsibility to clean up and fix the rough events that occurred prior …show more content…

Usually, heroes in a Greek play or poem are not always perfect; they have flaws and fix their mistakes to relate to real life. At first, Creon makes rash decisions and sticks to them no matter what anyone says. When he disputes with Haemon about the punishment of Antigone, Creon exclaims, “Bring her out, /that hateful — she'll die now, here, /in front of his eyes, beside her groom!” (852-4). He does not change his opinions, regardless of Haemon and his citizens’ opinions. He gets carried away with his powers and believes that following his laws is the only way to maintain a unity and peace. Also, the kingdom is in a condition where a strong leader is necessary to lead them out of misfortunes. If Creon changes his mind immediately and does not stick to his original rules, the citizens will see him as a weak and vulnerable ruler, which does not match with his expected reputation. However, after realizing that he was being selfish and finding out that his actions can hurt his family, Creon considers opinions of others and tries to free Antigone. “And the guilt is all mine—/can never be fixed on another man, /no escape for me. I killed you, /I, god help me, I admit it all!” (1441-4), he cries as he regrets the mistakes he made. It is after the death of his family when he truly learns his

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