Creon vs. Antigone The tragic hero from “Antigone,” written by Sophocles is Creon. A tragic hero is a character that has a downfall caused by his/her tragic flaw. The tragic flaw is usually having an excessive amount of pride, or being arrogant.
Boom! It shocked her, her own brother has died why “why would this happen to me, she repeated to herself. Antigone begins with the two sons of Oedipus, Eteocles and Polyneices, who are fighting for the kingship of Thebes. Both men die in the battle. Their successor, Creon, decides that King Eteocles will be buried, but Polyneices, because he was leading a foreign army, will be left on the field of battle.
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.
line 52 scene two antigone is confronted about burying her brother polyneices and says. “I do,i deny nothing.” in the story both Antigone and creon have the same tragic flaw which is their stubbornness which would lead to Antigone's death and creon's downfall. What makes Antigone the tragic hero is that Antigone only tried to follow the laws of the gods and bury polyneices. As the story continues antigone will kill herself as a result of her stubbornness.
Creon v.s. Antigone In Sophocles’ play, Antigone the character Antigone contrasts Creon’s character. She makes him a tragic hero because she disagrees with him and he starts to be stubborn. He basically causes his own downfall because he chooses to be the way he is. They disagree about whether or not Polyneices should be buried.
In a certain way, the conflict was generated by the confrontation of two people who believed to be powerful. Creon saw himself as the new ruler of Thebes and he created a new image and became an arrogant and very self-centered person. For example, when Creon was arguing with Haem, he said to his son “will my subjects tell me how to rule” (834) , he also said "And I am guilty, then, Claiming due reverence for my sovereignty?” (852-3). These statements clearly show that Creon believed that being a new ruler gave him a new position over everyone; he thought that nobody could be against him or his rules.
A Two Faced man In the tragedy of Antigone by Sophocles, translated by Ian Johnston, there are many characters that are seemed to be the tragic hero. Between Antigone and Creon, they both have some of the elements to be the tragic hero. As the play goes on we figure out that the tragic hero is Creon. He has the five elements that make him the tragic hero, noble structure, tragic flaw, free choice, excessive punishment, and increased awareness.
One way of how Creon represents the problematic nature of man-made laws is through his character. One characteristic of Creon that leads to his problematic man-made laws is that he is ruthless. Although Polyneices is said to have brought war on the State, he is still considered family. Even then he still shows no pity toward Polyneices. Creon leaves the boys body out for shame and to be eaten by wild animals.
n Antigone, Sophocles alludes to many Greek myths in order to accentuate how Antigone views the situation of her being punished by Creon for giving her brother the proper burial he deserved by the law of the gods and the importance of her words. Creon has decided to sentence Antigone to death for going against his words and following the laws of the gods by burying her beloved brother Polyneices. Creon’s tragic flaw is recognized when Antigone says, “How often I have heard the story of Niobe, / Tantalus’ wretched daughter, how the stone / Clung fast about her, ivy-close; and they say / The rain falls endlessly / And sifting soft snow; her tears are never done” (Sophocles 994). Niobe, queen of Thebes, was turned to stone for her belief
The play Antigone is in no way bound by a specific time frame. The powerful messages that it conveys can be applied to almost any time period. For example, two of the most prominent themes were the follies of pride and nationalism. Combined, these two elements drive Creon's stubbornness and, by extension, the entire plot of the story. Throughout history, nationalism and pride have driven leaders, as well as regular people, to commit attrocities, such as the Holocaust and Khmer Rouge.
These books or plays about people standing up to their government are not just entertainment, their inspiration. Antigone goes against the laws of the government, sacrifices her life in service of the greater justice and the laws of God. She could be compared to our modern heroes such as Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr., who both fought for civil rights. As a result, both murdered during their fights against oppression.
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.
In Sophocles’ Greek tragedy Antigone, a woman’s individual conscience trumps state law when Antigone displays time and again that she values her divine motives higher than those of the state throughout the tragedy. Her continued defiance of the state’s authority marks the importance of her individuality through various scenes in Antigone. Knowing full well her role as a woman in a patriarchal society, Antigone goes beyond the powers of the common man to carry on morals of herself and family exceeding beyond immortality and death. Engulfed in the menacing misogyny King Creon set forth in the state, Antigone is determined to thrive and keep the sacred deeds of herself and family in tact despite the fate it bears. The character of Antigone exhibits
The tragic hero is a character in a book that comes from a noble background that has a tragic flaw which brings the character the greatest suffering which results in their downfall. In “Antigone”, there are two characters who can be considered the tragic hero of the story: Creon and Antigone. Antigone is a brave and fearless women who dies for a noble cause, while Creon is a controlling and powerful king of Thebes. Both Creon and Antigone have qualities to make them the tragic hero, but Creon is the true “tragic hero” because his hamartia causes his downfall. Creon is the tragic hero of “Antigone” because his hubris muddles his judgment and makes him cause his own undoing.
In the story, the relationship between Antigone and Creon is very important and contrasts greatly. If they had found a way to resolve their differences, the story may have ended differently. The tension between these two characters is based on Creon’s actions and thoughts in regard to Antigone’s brothers and the brother she buried. Creon left Polyneices, her brother, to rot outside of the city. He commanded that if anyone buried Polyneices, they would be put to death.
