Creon Tragic Hero In Antigone
Since the inception of Sophocles’ Antigone, there has been an argument regarding the true tragic hero of the play. It is a commonly held certainty that Antigone must be the tragic character merely because she and the drama share the same name. This is, of course, a very reasonable supposition. Surely Sophocles must have intended her to be viewed as the protagonist; otherwise, he would not have given her the name as the play’s title. However, analytically speaking, Creon seems to fit the category of a tragic hero more accurately. There is no doubt that the nature of the work is tragedy. Along with this genre come ascertained requirements and Creon is the character that fits them all.
A character must possess certain qualities in order to be …show more content…
Antigone certainly did not have such epiphany merely because she did not do wrong. Antigone does not need redemption because she has done no great misdeed. However, Creon now sees his crucial mistakes after he has collapsed from grace. After his disastrous downfall, Creon repents, and has even brought him to the border of suicide. Similar to all tragic heroes, he can only grasp his immorality once everything has been taken away from him. As a powerful, wealthy king, and a controlling human, Creon still remains a human with flaws nevertheless. His only people follow him devotedly; this devotion is demonstrated when they followed his order on Polyneices' burial. The Choragos, who embodies the people, speaks for them and says, "If that is your will, Creon son of Menoikus, you have the right to enforce it: we are yours"(Literature for Composition. Scene 1. Page 444. Line 37). The powerful and wealthy royal is a factor of his character that makes him a natural fit for the definition of a tragic hero.
So who was intended to be the central character of Antigone? Antigone. So who is main tragic character of Antigone? Creon. Someplace along the line, Sophocles created a more difficult story of the insecure king than of the insolent noblewoman. Using Aristotle’s philosophy of Greek tragedy, which ironically was mainly based on Sophocles, Creon would be the only character who meets the criteria. Creon started from the top position, underwent the highest net losses, and possesses only the inarguable flaw. The mythical content speaks for
A character must possess certain qualities in order to be …show more content…
Antigone certainly did not have such epiphany merely because she did not do wrong. Antigone does not need redemption because she has done no great misdeed. However, Creon now sees his crucial mistakes after he has collapsed from grace. After his disastrous downfall, Creon repents, and has even brought him to the border of suicide. Similar to all tragic heroes, he can only grasp his immorality once everything has been taken away from him. As a powerful, wealthy king, and a controlling human, Creon still remains a human with flaws nevertheless. His only people follow him devotedly; this devotion is demonstrated when they followed his order on Polyneices' burial. The Choragos, who embodies the people, speaks for them and says, "If that is your will, Creon son of Menoikus, you have the right to enforce it: we are yours"(Literature for Composition. Scene 1. Page 444. Line 37). The powerful and wealthy royal is a factor of his character that makes him a natural fit for the definition of a tragic hero.
So who was intended to be the central character of Antigone? Antigone. So who is main tragic character of Antigone? Creon. Someplace along the line, Sophocles created a more difficult story of the insecure king than of the insolent noblewoman. Using Aristotle’s philosophy of Greek tragedy, which ironically was mainly based on Sophocles, Creon would be the only character who meets the criteria. Creon started from the top position, underwent the highest net losses, and possesses only the inarguable flaw. The mythical content speaks for