Preview

Oedipus Rex Characteristics Of Creon

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
546 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Oedipus Rex Characteristics Of Creon
The great mind Sophocles gave us the concept of the modern tragic hero. Sophocles lived around 350 BC and studied writing among other subjects. He wrote many different influential plays, but Oedipus Rex and Antigone held the trophy for most significant. Within these plays are tragic heroes, which Sophocles defines with five characteristics: renowned and prosperous, usually good and proper, constant in beliefs and actions, true to life, and flawed with an error or fragility that eventually causes the downfall. Three characters fit perfectly with these characteristics; Antigone, Creon, and King Laius. Antigone creates a powerful personification of the tragic hero. She is well known and extremely prosperous – being the king's niece. Second, she is consistent in her beliefs and actions, revealing this when she refuses to stop attempting to bury her brother. Thirdly, is true to life by a character with morals and a conscience. Lastly, Antigone hamartia severely flaws her, a charismatic that likely ensures death. Antigone’s fatal flaw is her ability to be incredibly headstrong, she often rushes into an action without first seeking the possible consequences. For instance, when Antigone demands her own death, then quickly regrets it. Antigone is usually good and proper, as long as she is not arguing. Thus she fulfills …show more content…
First, Creon is the king's brother and later king, making very renowned and prosperous. Second, he is usually good and proper, as he often speaks in a formal manner, and wears very nice robes. Although he mirrors Antigone in his beliefs, he is consistent in those, often referring to the law of man. He is true to life in the way he finds dedication to his city. However, Creon’s blindness towards morals flaws him, always putting his city first. These elements are the five charities of the tragic hero, all applying to Creon, making him a tragic

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Antigone’s tragic flaw is her uncompromising, unyielding passion for burying Polynieces. Her Hubris gets the best of her, as does Creon’s, and is due to be bured alive. Antigone’s arrogance and excessive pride eventually led to her downfall, but her arrogance towards Creon eventually led to her death.…

    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    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…

    • 260 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Creon’s pride and Antigone’s stubbornness create Antigone’s central conflict and create devastating consequences. Antigone loses her life, prompting Creon’s son and wife to commit suicide. Creon is forced to live with the guilt of the deaths of those dearest to him knowing that they were a result of his selfish actions. These events could not have turned out any differently due to how deeply engrained Creon and Antigone’s flaws are. Antigone is so determined to bury her brother that a potential death sentence and words from her sister do not deter her. The motivation of doing what the gods want, honoring Polyneices, and her stubbornness cause her to be unafraid of punishment. This is illustrated when Antigone says, “This death of mine/Is of…

    • 283 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Throughout history there have been many people known as heroes. Most of these people have done wonderful things to help society. However, in literature there is another type of hero, the tragic hero. While tragic heroes do wonderful things too, they also have a character flaw that causes their downfall along with others. This essay is to prove that in the play "Antigone", written by Sophocles, Creon is a tragic hero.…

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antigone’s passionate monologue portrays her character as a compassionate sister possessing considerable honor and admirable morality. As she awaits her inevitable execution at the hands of king Creon, Antigone muses over her willful decision to properly bury her brother, Polyneices. King Creon had made…

    • 366 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Creon is also very stubborn and believes that he is always on the right. Although some tend to believe that Antigone being dealt a punishment that exceeded the crime by being punished with death makes her the tragic hero, Creon is the true tragic hero because of his noble stature as king, his tragic flaw of pride, and a punishment of the death of his entire family. Creon of Thebes is the last heir due to the fact that Polyneices and Eteocles killed each other in battle. Creon is a very proud, firm, and ruthless king. “As long as I am king, no traitor is going to be honored with the loyal man” (Sophocles 1.44).…

    • 890 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    His actions demonstrate him as a tragic hero. Creon’s belief in nationalism and leadership is demonstrated when he said: “I call to God to witness that if I saw my country headed for ruin, I should not be afraid to speak out plainly,” (Antigone, scene 1,24-26) When talking to his lawbreaking, niece Antigone, who buries her traitor brother, he says: “The inflexible heart breaks first, the toughest iron cracks first, and the wildest horses bend with their necks at the pull of the smallest curb” (scene 2, 76-79) Unlike Antigone, Creon detects his fixable flaws before its too late and wants to change: “It is hard to deny the heart! But I will do it; I will not fight with destiny.” (scene 5, 100) To fix his flaws he must release Antigone from her prison by instructing her to hurriedly marry Haemen. She refuses and hangs herself which makes Creon’s flaws, pride and stubbornness, unforgivable. Because of the grief caused by her death Haemen commits suicide. Since her son died because of her husband’s actions Haemen’s mother, the queen kills herself. Actions speak louder than words.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Sophocle's Antigone, readers are deceived by the title. Most readers assume that the title character is the tragic heroine of the drama. In actuality, Creon fills the description of a tragic hero better than Antigone in many ways. A tragic hero is defined as one who is of royal lineage, a flaw in character, and not exceedingly just. Creon is clearly the unremitting yet capricious tragic hero that Sophocle's creates to model the classic tragic hero.…

    • 400 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antigones’ family history didn’t only affect her its most of the reason why her brothers ended up the way they did. Antigones’ value of family outweighed her value of the law and respecting her soon- to – be father in laws wishes. For many now, the law may outweigh the other values. Another huge factor in Antigone killing herself was that both her parents did also. Which even today may not be too far off.…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The flaw that makes Creon a tragic hero is his paranoia. Creon often believes his citizens and even close friends and relatives are out to get him. He is convinced that there are “anarchists putting their heads together’ in opposition to his rule all over the city (245). When told that someone has gone against his orders and buried Polyneices, Creon says, “They have bribed my own guard to do this thing,” because he believes that his guards are more loyal to their purses than to him (242). This quality is a flaw…

    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Creon: A Tragic Hero

    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.” In a Greek drama, a tragic flaw causes the downfall of a tragic hero, a person of nobility or higher standing. In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, Creon is the tragic hero because he is a strong man who is loyal to his city, but his stubborn pride gets in the way of him ruling his country, protecting his family, and staying true to the Greek values. Creon is the king of Thebes. He became the king because his sister, Iocaste, married the king and after many deaths in the royal family; the kingdom ended up in Creon’s hands. All these deaths were not necessarily unlikely because in this particular royal family there was a curse which caused the cycle of tragedy followed them. When Creon becomes the king, he has big plans for Thebes, but his flaws disable him from reaching those goals. Creon better fits the definition of a tragic hero, as opposed to his niece Antigone, because he has a tragic flaw, hubris, which affects himself, his entire family, kingdom, and future. Despite having many unattractive qualities, Creon is a noble, loyal king, who cares deeply about his city of Thebes. In Creon’s eyes, protecting his city is his number one priority, which causes him to be afraid of anarchy and scared of the people of Thebes disrespecting him or the city. The first time Creon shows just how important his city is to him while he is giving his first speech to his city and he says, “I call God to/ witness that if I saw my city headed for ruin, I/ should not be afraid to speak out plainly; and I need/ hardly remind you that I would never have any dealings/ with enemies of the people” (Sophocles. Scene 1. 27-31). At this moment it becomes evident that Creon has the best interest of his city at hand. The reader can tell that he does not want anything to jeopardize his kingship or kingdom. These thoughts of betrayal often cause Creon to make irrational decisions and make his laws too strict. He does not…

    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Creon of Antigone

    • 404 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Another quality of Creon that makes him a tragic hero is that he had bad judgment. Creon refused to have Polyneices buried because he felt that Polyneices was going to sell his people into slavery. Creon also punished Antigone for her “holy crime,” which was when she went against Creon’s edict for a virtuous reason. Because of Antigone’s crime, another one of Creon’s transgressions was accusing her sister, Ismene, equally for the crime and deciding to punish her too, by putting both Antigone and Ismene to death. Because he stood by his rule, Creon had some wrongdoings.…

    • 404 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In one of the scene she was captured and sentenced to be put to death because she broke the law. The reason why she was caught is because she was burying her brother. I honestly give Antigone props for standing up for herself when she faced the king and convinced him not to kill her. She laters commit suicide by hanging herself in jail. She committed suicide so that Creon wouldn't have to kill her himself.…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    By the choice of their actions, many of the characters in Antigone controlled their destiny, and affected it in both beneficial and detrimental ways. Antigone and Creon were two individuals that changed their future and destroyed their chances at happiness in life. After the death of Polyneices, Antigone performed a burial that was seen as honorable. Although after the body was uncovered, the second burial she performed on her brother was seen as dishonorable. This was changed because the second burial was done in order to spite Creon and get glory for exposing his wrongdoings. By performing the second burial Antigone’s honor was ruined and she was looked down upon for her actions (Sophocles, 71). Antigone, if she had only performed the first burial, would have been honored and not further punished by Creon for disobeying his laws. Later on Antigone also disrespects her family by showing disrespect to Ismene (Sophocles, 87). Further more, her destiny was changed when Antigone is hubristic to Creon. By personally attacking him instead of talking about the issue, she exacerbates the situation that leads to her demise. Antigone talks about how she believes Creon will go to hell for what he has done (Sophocles, 82). Although Antigone controls most of her destiny, she is predestined to a bad end. As seen in a prior story told by Sophocles, in…

    • 1351 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays