...to the tragic hero. Typically when we hear the word hero our minds think of one who has superpowers and protects their citizens, such a Superman and Spiderman. But when it comes to the Aristotle, a tragic hero in the Greek world often refers to the character that belongs to a higher class, but yet is one who has their very own human flaws. After reading the play, many readers believe that the tragic character is in fact Antigone because she is the main character, but that is not the case. The real tragic hero that is being portrayed throughout the story is Creon. Creon posses all of the qualities that a tragic hero must have, such as his authority, high status, actions and many flaws that later on leads him into a vicious cycle. Since the death of Antigone’s parents, Creon has turned into the powerful, wealthy king. Creon holds such an authoritative role throughout the story that it allowed him to fall into the character of a tragic hero. The people were so loyal to Creon and this showed throughout the burial...
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...Who’ s the Tragic Hero? A tragic hero is defined by Aristotle as someone with hamartia,which is a flaw or error of judgement, peripeteia, a reversal of fortune due to the error of judgement, anagnorisis, the realization that the peripeteia was caused by their own actions, and hubris, excessive pride. In Antigone by Sophocles there is a debate of who is the tragic hero of the story Antigone or Creon. According to the definition the tragic hero of Antigone has to be Creon. Antigone starts medias res, Creon declares that his nephew Polynieces is not to get the proper burial, “ No burial of any kind. No wailing, no public tears. / Give him to the vultures, unwept, unburied, / To be a sweet treasure for their sharp eyes and beaks” (l.28-30). Creon was feared by all of his subjects so they obeyed his command no matter how immoral. The only person that openly defied him was Antigone, his niece, with burying Polynieces. When the Watchman told Creon what had occurred Creon said that Antigone had to die. Creon said that...
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...Tragic heroes are often characters whose flaws cause them to have poor judgement and arrogant responses. Therefore, in “Antigone”, Creon is a prominent example of what a tragic is. He is full of pride, has a stubborn sense of character, and a large amount of power. One reason Crean is seen as a tragic hero is because of all his pride. For example. Creon said,” No woman shall be master while I live.”. However, his proud is what caused him to criminalize Polyneices, even though Creon’s lust for power is the same reason that caused Polyneices and Eteocles to fight. Creon is too prideful to allow a woman to persuade him, or even realize the hypocrisy of certain situations he’s involved in. Throughout the entire story, Creon showed an...
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...Who is the tragic hero of Antigone? Aristotle defines a tragic hero as one with a fatal flaw that leads to a reversal of fortune, or peripeteia. This fatal flaw is often Hubris, which is excessive pride. Creon fits all these roles, therefore he should be labelled as the tragic hero of Antigone. Creon also faces anagnorisis, in which the tragic hero realizes the situation they're in and is often followed by regret. Not only that, but Creon's fatal flaw, excessive pride, impacts the story more than Antigone did. As previously stated, Creon's flaw is his excessive pride and arrogance. In the story of Antigone, Creon gives Antigone's brother, Eteocles, a proper burial, but refuses to bury Polynices for betraying their city and leaves him out to rot. Antigone was appalled by this and for the sake of family and love went against Creon's wishes and buried Polynices. Antigone is eventually caught doing so and is sent to Creon. Creon, being arrogant as always, insists on Antigone being killed for her actions....
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...Antigone Tragic Hero Chase Cummins In the plays of Sophocles Creon was a powerful king and Antigone was noble and was firm in her beliefs. Antigone and Creon both played major roles throughout the play of Antigone. The play taught us new concepts, such as the concept of the tragic hero. The tragic hero is someone who has many positive attributes, but also has one grave flaw, which causes their life to end in a sad, yet heroic tragedy. Antigone fits the role of the tragic hero because Creon lacks the qualities of a heroic. Antigone is a tragic hero due to her courageous acts and flaws. In the play of Antigone, Antigone was very courageous. Antigone was the daughter of Oedipus and the fiancé of Haemon, who was the son of Creon. She takes up a noble cause when she goes against Creon’s orders...
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...After many mistakes and the death of who he loved, Creon could have avoided it all. Creon has sent Antigone to her death and unknowingly sent his son and wife too. Creon is a tragic hero because he has fallen from great heights, met a tragic death and made many irreversible mistakes. To illustrate ,because of his actions Creon has fallen from great heights. He made himself into a tragic because he was a king who started during a peaceful time in Thebes and slowly turned into chaos. Creon even stated “Gentlemen: I have the honor to inform you that our ship of state, which recent storms have threatened to destroy, has safely come to harbor”. Creon is even saying himself that the war, the storms, is over and Thebes is safe now, safe in harbor. Another example of Creon had fallen from great heights by being stubborn and not changing his mindset. Haimon, his son, told Creon “While stubborn trees are torn up roots and all, you can see how some trees bend, and because they bend even the twigs are safe”. Haimon specifically told Creon that being stubborn will make him fall, but if he was lenient he would be fine and everything would be safe. Creon’s fall from great heights because of his...
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...make,” said George R.R. Martin. Being a tragic hero doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice yourself for your entire town, or die for the greater good. Just like George R.R said, being a tragic hero comes down to the choices you make, why you make them, and how they pan out. In the play Antigone there is a woman named Antigone who breaks the law to bury her brother, and a king named Creon who punishes her. When reading this play, Antigone stands out to most people as a tragic hero because she is burying her brother and the known consequence of that action is death, but she does it anyway. Creon is the king that makes the law and punishes her because he believes that...
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...Lily Bryden Kessler English II 23 May 2024 The Tragic King of Antigone Aristotle has a theory about a Tragic Hero, describing them as a character who is inherently good, but because of a serious mistake in judgment loses those they love, and usually their own life too. They have three major qualities: hamartia, peripeteia, and anagnosis. Pride, reversal of circumstances, and the recognition of the character’s flaw, usually too late to fix. In the play Antigone, King Creon displays all of these qualities, making him a tragic hero. In the play Antigone, pride is a major theme, being the reason that Polyneices isn’t buried, and the reason the conflict begins. One of the major characters in the play, King Creon, is an example of this extreme hamartia, or pride....
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...or before 441 BC. I will focus in on tragic hero’s. A tragic flaw is an error or defect in the tragic hero that leads to his downfall, such as greed, pride, or ambition. This flaw may be a result of bad character, bad judgment, an inherited weakness, or any other defect of character. Examples of a tragic hero are Antigone four main characters Antigone, Ismene, Creon, and Haemon. Using the text as proof each and everyone one of those four characters are written with a tragic flaw that is their undoing. The major literary elements I will be concentrating on are characterization, tone, and theme. These elements are most important in determining and explaining what makes a character a tragic hero. Without characterization I can’t describe what traits make our hero before a tragic one. Tone will also help with reading in between the lines because as we know sometimes our characters say one thing, but mean something else entirely. The overall theme of Antigone is tragedy so without the characters having the tragic flaws the theme would change. Literally elements are crucial in accurately explaining my topic....
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...Thebes, Creon, embodies the three traits of a tragic hero which ultimately lead to his own demise. As a ruler of the city, Creon is a benevolent and good character. Even as king he does not possess any special power or gift and is similar to any other man found on the streets of Thebes. As the plot progresses Creon remains consistent and headstrong about his views and beliefs. Despite being viewed as an antagonist by some, Creon is essentially a good and virtuous character. As a new leader, Creon is a righteous man trying to do good by others. With a new power and duty in his hands he wants to do what is best for the city of Thebes. When accepting his new role, Creon expresses that he...
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...In the play, Antigone by Sophocles, Creon is defined as the tragic hero. All of the ups and major downs has caused him to be the one with all the flaws. Throughout the play, Creon did make bad decisions towards others as they were poorly treated. Also, he had some calm moments which may have lead differently. Being the tragic hero does not mean character traits are always good, many suffer throughout the whole play. Although Creon was the King, he played a major role in being high born and known for tragic flaws. In the opening scene it mentioned that he was the King of Thebes. This puts him in power over his throne being royalty. With Creon as King lead others to facing many consequences. Teiresias says, “… The only crime is pride.” (Antigone,...
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...Creon the king of Thebes lives a life of great power. One mistake and all things crumble down under him. He is the definition of a tragic hero. “One who, unsupported by the gods and in the face of human opposition, makes a decision which springs from the deepest layer of his individual nature, his physis, and then blindly, ferociously, heroically maintains that decision even to the point of self-destruction (Burt).” He kept his stance and followed every law that he put forth. Being a role model for all citizens and show no weakness. Antigone was determined to bury her brother Polyneices even though she knew that it was against the community and law. This made Creon infuriated because Polyneices was supposed to be eaten alive. He wasn’t going to let Antigone get away with what she has done; she must be punished. She was sent away to a small dark prison with a scares amount of food. Haemon, his son, loved Antigone and was supposed to marry her. He tried to stop...
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...There are many values and characteristics in a tragic hero. For example, most display haughtiness and are destined to fall. In the example of “Antigone”, Creon, the powerful and ignorant leader of Thebes, exhibits many of the tragic hero’s attributes. Throughout the story, Creon shows his overwhelming pride in many different situations, often referred to as hubris. He is one that believes only he is right and is very close-minded. To illustrate, he says “He shall not save these girls from death,” as a response to his son, Haemon, that his decision is final and nothing Haemon says will change that. Creon takes pride in his decisions that he will be giving death to Antigone and sees no reason to listen to anyone else’s views, which will always be the case. Also, Creon feels superior to...
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...Antigone, a distinction is made between Creon and Antigone that defines an understanding of who the tragic hero is. While it is seemingly established that Antigone is, for her suffering fate and her will to do what is right in the face of grave consequences. However, upon considering the details of the story, and the definition of a “tragic hero” as defined by Aristotle, it seems that, while Antigone may be considered the hero or martyr of the story, Creon is the true Tragic Hero. Creon represents the characteristics of a morally sound man who is nonetheless subject to error. His fate is evidently greater than the error committed, and in spite of his pride, he comes to the realization that the curse of his fate was brought by his actions. These defining traits establish Creon’s significance as the tragic hero of “Antigone”. One of the most compelling factors to prove that Creon is a tragic hero as opposed to Antigone is his depiction as a noble, or “good” person, in the context of his fate. As described in Poetics, “Concerning "character" there are four points to aim at. The first and most important is that the character should be good. The play will show character if… the...
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...In Sophocles’ play Antigone, Creon is the tragic hero because he lets his pride and power get the best of him. Creon strongly values civic duty and being loyal to one’s country. Creon also values respect, so when Antigone goes against Creon's laws and disrespects him, his worst characteristics come out. Creon’s hamartia is his pride, his pride blinds him, and he is unwilling to see his own faults. When Creon is talking to Haemon he says, “I won’t perjure myself before the state./No-I’ll kill her”(740). and Haemon later points out, “By yourself you’d make an excellent king/ but in a desert”(840). Creon's dismay came because he was unwilling to listen to the opinion of his people and of the gods. Teiresias tried to warn him by saying, “Our state...
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