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Antigone Tragic Hero Report Essay

751 Words4 Pages

Olivia Constantino
Mr.Doede
Honors Composition & Literature
05 December 2016
Antigone: Tragic Hero Report
In his Poetics, Aristotle defines a tragic hero as possessing 4 key elements: arete, hamartia, peripety, and anagnorisis. Arete is human excellence or nobility. Hamartia is a fatal flaw leading to the downfall. Peripety is a sudden reversal of fortune or change in the tragic hero's life. Anagnorisis is when the character realizes their true nature and/or fatal flaw. Creon from Sophocles’ Antigone clearly illustrates the four elements of Aristotles’ tragic hero.
At the beginning of the play, Creon cleverly and distinctively displays arete. Creon is king of Thebes, which makes him noble by default. Creon, however, is also noble in character. Postliminary to Eteocles and Polynices killing one another during war, Creon was crowned king of Thebes. “The two of us were robbed of our brothers” (Line 17). Another way that Creon displays Arete is how the people are afraid to speak against him and disobey him. Ismene says something that proves she lives in fear of the king; “What? You’d bury him-when a law forbids the city?” (Line 52) “I’d do them no dishonor…but defy the city? I have no strength for that.” (Line 94). Both quotes prove that Creon has an excellence/nobility that is displayed throughout the play. …show more content…

Creon states; ‘No man can foretell his fate. Take the case of Creon: Creon was happy once, as I count happiness: Victorious in battle, sole governor of the land, Fortunate father of Children nobly born. And now it is all gone from him!” (Exodus line 5). Take this as example for Creon’s peripety. A sudden reversal of fortune has occurred and Creon has lost so very much even when he thought he had it all. The tragic events from the play have ruined Creon’s pride and turned him into a complete and utter humiliation of

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