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Antigone Vs Creon Character Analysis

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W.H. Auden once said, “The truly tragic kind of suffering is the kind produced and defiantly insisted upon by the hero himself so that, instead of making him better, it makes him worse.” This suffering is what makes a tragic hero, along with other criteria. As is common in all tragedies, Antigone by Sophocles contains a very obvious tragic hero. Of the many characters, two stand out with similar flaws, Antigone and Creon. They are both flawed in their excessive pride, or hubris. This flaw is pointed out by many in the play, but only one character fits all the traits of a true tragic hero. Creon has a tragic flaw which leads to his downfall, and he realizes his faults in the end. Although Antigone has a very tragic ending, she does not fit all the traits of a tragic hero. Antigone's tragic flaw made her refuse to stop what she planned to do, even if death was the consequence. The Choragos states that Antigone is, “...headstrong, deaf to reason,” and that, “She has never learned to yield.” When she buried her brother, even when it was outlawed, her pride ultimately caused her to be buried alive in a dark stone cave. This great downfall was caused by her flaw, so she fits these requirements of a tragic hero. A tragic hero must relize their flaw, and in the end there is no significant evidence that shows Antigone realized her flaw. Due to this lack of evidence, she can not be a …show more content…

He fits all the criteria for a tragic hero; he has a flaw, hubris, that eventually leads to his downfall. This downfall is when he causes his son and wife’s deaths by sentencing Antigone to death and eventually killing her. Also, Creon realizes his flaw in the end, which is the final criteria for a tragic hero. Creon's suffering was defiantly insisted upon through his pride, and it most definitely made him much, much worse. Therefore, with a life both tragic and saddening, Creon is the tragic hero in

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