Tragic Heros: Antigone, by Sophocles Essay
Antigone Essay
In Sophocles' and other Greek tragedies, there is always a tragic hero. Most tragic heroes portrayed in these plays posses certain characteristics. Characteristics such as being a member of a noble family, and having a flaw within themselves which brings about certain down fall. To complete the essence of a tragic hero, they must die at the end of the play. Of the few characters in the tragic play Antigone, both Creon and Antigone harbor traits of a tragic hero.
Although the play is title Antigone; Creon, Antigone's uncle and current king is the true tragic hero of the story. He possesses all the characteristic of a tragic hero. His tragic flaw is that he is very stubborn, thinks he is all-powerful, and refuses to compromise his beliefs. The difference between Creon and Antigone is that Creon's flaw had a larger impact on his life and his downfall. Although Antigone hung herself, she knew that she was going to die for her actions. Creon was a great leader, and he has the mentality of an honorable leader, but his tragic flaws rendered him at the mercy of the gods, and eventually lead to his downfall.
As the king of Thebes, Creon is depicted as a man of nobility and greatness. Many people in the land look to Creon to solve all the problems of the country, and up to this point he is successful at that job. These tremendous responsibility feeds Creon's egos, making him think that he is as great as the gods are. This impenetrable pride is the key flaw that leads to his downfall. Although he considers himself a king who knows all, he calls for a prophet to tell him what he should do about the numerous deaths in his kingdom. When the prophet of the treachery informs him what he is a part of, he denounces the prophet and doesn't adhere to the prophets advice. Through his pride, he considers no body else's feeling while handling the situation with Antigone. He decides to kill Antigone even though the townspeople and his own son believe that she did a good deed and should not be punished. Only later does Creon realize that because of his harsh punishment for Antigone, he causes three lives to be taken away, his son's life, wife's...