Creon, a character from the Greek tragedy Antigone, is described as the tragic hero of the story due to the character's flaws and the consequences that followed. Creon's intentions are purely of nationalism for the land he rules, Thebbes. He forbids anyone to show respect to a violent betrayer, but in the process makes tragic flaws. Creon's tragic mistakes can all be embodied by the one question he had asked his son Haemon, “And the city proposes to teach me how to rule?” ( 3.103). Creon is insistent on ruling one his own. Even When the prophet, Teiresias, tried to help the king, Creon was also deaf to his suggestions, even though they were for his well being. When Creon…
People can often be prideful, but they must choose whether to portray it as a good attribute, or a bad one. In the play, Antigone by Sophocles Creon’s son, Haemon, serves as a foil for his father. He develops Creon as a tragic hero because he highlights Creon's pridefulness and prompts Creon into realizing his actions. In the beginning of the play, Creon believed the people should always obey the king, and only those who obey him show respect and reliance. On the other hand, Haemon believed that while the people should show obedience towards the king, he should also listen to the wisdom of others and know when to compromise.…
Although Creon created the edict with good intentions for the people of Thebes, his failure to recognize the familial bond that ties Antigone to her brother Polyneices coupled with his newfound power as ruler of Thebes contributes to his tyrannical and delusional behavior which ultimately leads to his downfall. Looking back at “Oedipus The King”, Creon established himself as a rational individual, especially during his confrontation with Oedipus when clearing his name as culprit in a placid manner. However, Creon’s attitude shifts dramatically in “Antigone” after assuming the throne. Analysing Creon’s argument with oracle Tiresias reveals Creon’s transformation into a delusional tyrant. Tiresias offers his wisdom to Creon claiming he is responsible…
Generally speaking Creon is a prideful king. For example he made laws that defied the Gods. Creon is so prideful and arrogant he would not listen to others to spare the sister from being arrested. “I swear by God and by the throne of God, the man who has done this thing shall pay for it!.”,(pg 674) said Creon. He believed his law of not burying a traitor was…
Throughout the play Antigone, Creon is portrayed as the king of discipline and pride. Creon’s pride is what makes him the tragic figure of Antigone. Though Antigone takes her life as the result of her sentence from Creon, it is not her pride that defines her fate but her unwillingness to accept her fate.…
Sophocles is one of the three most revered Ancient Greek playwrights. His works are complex, captivating, and are still studied to this day, over 2400 years after his death. In Antigone, Sophocles manages to make Creon a complex character that evokes emotional responses in the readers and forms an emotional attachment with them. It is unusual to go through different feelings about characters as most characters are not developed enough to exhibit human-like characteristics. This allows the readers to easily connect with Creon as they imagine him as being a living person. Creon is a dynamic character that is not only complete but one that arouses distinct and changing emotions from the audience…
In the story of Antigone, there are two main characters Creon, and Antigone. Many people think that Antigone is the tragic hero, but i think that Creon is the tragic hero. In the story of Antigone, king Creon was a tragic hero because, he was very stubborn, he is of noble greatness, and he made a bad mistake by not burying Polyneices.…
In some respects Creon is seen as a positive character, in others as an antagonist. However, if one sees it from a different perspective, it's obvious that Creon is the victim of fate and his own flaws, making him a tragic hero. His first misfortune was to fall from the grace of his people when saying that Antigone should die for her actions. "Your people are beginning to question your judgment and are beginning to side with Antigone." (256-257) This scene is very ironic! Creon is actually trying to maintain his authority by being a ruler of his word, but he is actually losing respect. Creon's present situation foreshadows unrest and growing calamity within his own family. The idea of him losing…
As you might have noticed by now, no one is perfect in this world and everyone has their own flaws. Antigone and King Creon's flaws, for example, cannot be hidden because their flaws are what make them up as a person. They both share more than one fault; one of many faults is hubris. Antigone had another flaw that could be considered either good or bad, depending on the situation; that flaw was bravery. King Creon is very close-minded, and that's one of the many flaws the king has. Hubris, bravery and close-mindedness — the tragic flaws that Antigone, King Creon, and possibly other people, possess.…
In Antigone by sophocles, Creon uses his power poorly. He uses his power for him and only him, not caring about the results or how his family feels. For example he says antigone must die for doing the noble thing, which was giving her brother a proper burial. Antigone is basically a daughter to him, she is marrying Haimon, creon's son. Haimon is not okay with this so he talks to his father, but he won't budge.…
From early peoples trying to earn the highest rank of their tribe to the conquests of territories to even the pursuit of the top job in a company today, human beings need to be the cream of the crop. No matter where in the world, there’s always a Julius Caesar or Donald Trump kind of person. In a lot of instances, these types of people end up with a wealth of success, but it always comes with a cost: they expose who they really are, for better or worse. In Antigone, a tragic play by Sophocles that takes place in Greece in around 441 B.C., a man named Creon takes over as king of Thebes after the exile of his brother in-law and former king, Oedipus. He starts to really show his colors when Antigone, Oedipus’ daughter, attempts to bury her dishonored brother, Polynices. Sophocles’ message of power in this instance and throughout the book is simple: sovereignty exposes the whole person. Throughout Antigone, the power of the throne rips off Creon’s false personality and shows that he always has his well-being before…
When it comes to being human, it’s no surprise that mistakes happen when we try to live our everyday lives, but how can one learn about other people’s mistakes, and what those mistakes caused? The simple answer to this question is the history of human beings, and the empires that we’ve built and destroyed. Humans that would be especially important to study in this case would be the leaders of these aforementioned empires, and exactly how their mistakes caused their downfalls. In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, a king by the name of Creon acts on his emotions to decide the fate of one of his own flesh and blood, and in the end, he’s severely punished for his impotence, which brings about his downfall. Creon is a king that goes against the gods, and…
“I did not think anything which you proclaimed strong enough to let a mortal override the gods and their unwritten and unchanging laws,” (lines 510-513) proclaims Antigone, once again asserting her opinion on whose laws she is justified to follow. Antigone’s persona contrasts with Creon’s character ultimately due to their conflicting motivations about which laws should be followed: the word of the gods, or the laws of man.These conflicting motivations the characteristics of unreasonableness, anger, and disrespect to be highlighted within Creon’s character. In the end, these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by ensuing his stubbornness, and damaging his pride.…
In Antigone, a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles, Creon is a tyrant and arrogant character who sees the world through the veil of his beliefs. When he decrees the punishment of death upon Antigone, he completely disregards every opinion that is against his own. By ignoring the views of others, he jeopardizes his strength as a ruler. Sophocles uses the extended metaphor of the ship of state to show how Creon’s self-righteous way of thinking leads to unwanted outcomes. From Creon’s mistakes we learn that if you let your pride stand in the way of seeing other people’s opinions you can impair yourself more than you had planned.…
The reader first notices Creon’s excessive pride when he speaks of his rule as superior to the gods. Creon exclaims, “Am I to rule this land by other judgment than mine own?” signifying his complete disregard for the gods’ superior rule over his own (Sophocles). By highlighting his own pride in his rule and disregarding that of the gods, Creon presents himself with a certain god-like superiority. The reader further sees Creon’s self-infatuation when he corrects the prophet, Teiresias, claiming, “Well, the prophet-tribe was ever fond of money,” suggesting that Tiresias prophesizes falsely only in pursuit of money out of arrogance and pride that he was wiser than the prophet himself (Sophocles). Creon’s excessive pride is finally confronted by the gods’ powerful control over Creon’s life. In taking his own wife and son, the gods put Creon in his place exhibiting their superiority over him and exposing Creon’s own human weakness despite his intense pride. “Woe, woe!” Creon cries. “I thrill with dread. Is there none to strike me to the heart with two-edged sword? O miserable that I am, and steeped in miserable anguish! (Sophocles)”. In Creon’s anguish, human weakness is exposed as well as the faulty security in excessive human…