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Creon As A Tragic Figure In Sophocles Antigone

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Sophocles created the tragic drama Antigone in 441 BCE. Only seven full tragedies by Sophocles remain from his more than one hundred tragedies. Oedipus blinds himself in the tragedy of Antigone after learning that he killed his father and wed his mother. He curses his sons for them to fight and eventually murder one another. Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, chooses to bury her brother Polynices in front of everyone, violating Creon's orders in the process. Although Antigone might be considered the tragic figure in this scenario, Creon best exemplifies a tragic figure because he endures great suffering, is the central focus of all conflict, and falls because of a mistake in judgment. In the drama, King Creon is harmed by his ego and self-denial. …show more content…

This was obviously against Creon's orders, but she followed her heart and did what she felt was right, which ultimately led to her hanging herself. “His love lost underground, crying out that his father has stolen her away from him” the play claims. Antigone was killed because of Creon. This simply led to additional tension between his family, with him, of course, at the center of it all. Creon is to blame for Haimon's death, the death of Creon's wife, and Antigone's suicide because she was forbidden by Creon to even bury her brother. When a loved one passes away, all you want is for them to be comfortable, at least protected from the hatred, and while it was a matter of public embarrassment and humiliation that one brother was granted the right to peace, in the end, they both did something that no one could have ever imagined. The two brothers' lives were difficult from the start. Every negative event can be traced back to …show more content…

Creon suffers the loss of his son and wife, the two things he values most in life. “Here you see the father murdering, the murdered son––And all my civic wisdom!” the play declares. Creon made a serious error of judgment by refusing to permit Polynices' burial. Creon was cut off from those who were trying to assist him by his pride; he could never be incorrect. Both Antigone and the two people who meant the most to him later died as a result of this. Creon was unaware of his mistake at first, but following the passing of his loved ones, he comes to understand the reality and the difference between right and

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He was told by his son that he would kill himself if he didn’t release Antigone. Despite hearing this, he did not listen to him. After hearing the prophecy that since he refused to bury Polyneices and punishing Antigone, the gods will curse him. Later, he founds out that his son killed himself after seeing that Antigone hanged herself and her wife upon seeing her son’s dead body. Creon’s unwillingness to listen to his son and prophet ultimately led to the deaths of Antigone, his son, and his wife.

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Decisions always have consequences In the play Antigone by Sophocles, Creon decisions brought a long devastation to him and his family. Antigone’s decision to bury her brother against Creon’s will, made Creon to verdict the death sentence for Antigone. Although, she knew that her actions will have a devastating end instead she preferred to honor her brother Thebes. One thing is for sure, Creon decisions weren’t the best.

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Anna McAdams Mr. Harrison Honors English 10B 12 February 2024 The unbendable heart breaks first: Creon's Tragic downfall Many times pride and stubbornness can be a main contributor to one's tragic end. One's power can cause an unwillingness to allow others to break the rules and not realize their mistakes until it's too late. Sophocles, when writing the play, Antigone, creates Creon to be overly prideful and stubborn. Creon has so much power, which makes him feel untouchable and feel like he can do anything without needing to face the consequences. Creon's decisions to not allow Antigone to break the rules, and to kill Antigone both ultimately lead to him becoming the most tragic character.

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In the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, the story tells a tale of a tragic hero. Who lost everything due to his own. This thriller describes a story between blood,Creon and Antigone, an uncle and niece. Creon becomes new ruler of Thebes and as king he forbids anyone to bury his nephew Polyneices meaning anyone who does will be executed. Knowingly Antigone attempts to bury her brother.

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Almost always, in Greek tragedies a “tragic hero” has a hamartia, or tragic flaw, which will cause their concluding demise. In the Greek playwright, Antigone written by Sophocles, the interesting character, Creon, is a prime example of this. According the Aristotle’s theory, to be a tragic hero you have to have three traits: a flaw, a fall, and acceptance of your current situation. Creon’s flaw is his ego, which blinds him and lures him to do rather profane activities. Due to Creon’s ego, him losing everything caused by that very hamartia, and acceptance of the series of unfortunate events that occurred; Creon is the tragic hero in Antigone

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All of these three reasons are connected to each other, when Creon has too much of self-righteousness and too much of a pride because he is a king, he does not listen to others and so the problems occur. So, all the things that he did comes back to him and strike him hard. He lost all his love ones, his son killed himself, his wife cursed him of as being the killer of her son before she died. Also, Antigone has to die because of him, his characteristic of a tragic hero in this tragedy in not to follow. We can learn from Creon that do not make ourselves higher than other and be self-centered.

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Showing that the characters are defying the gods, and choosing their own fates. Creon goes against the god's rules by not allowing Polyneices to be buried. According to the god’s if one is not buried their soul is left to wander the earth. Creon goes against the rule of the god’s and makes his own choices in doing so. Thus deciding his own destiny.

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The definition of a tragic hero is a flawed character who makes poor judgement that inevitably leads to their downfall. The first sign of Creon as a tragic hero appears in the beginning of the play, when he decrees that one of the fallen brothers, Polyneices, will not be getting a buried honorably. Antigone, angered by his decree, buries the body herself in order to secure a respectable burial for her brother. Because of Antigone, Creon’s flaws of being too arrogant, harsh, and stubborn were highlighted as he sought out to find who buried the body.

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Subsequently, King Creon finally becomes aware of the disclosure that state law has displaced him from his own son, to which he springs to action. His efforts are inspired, yet meaningless when he finds that “Haimon is dead, and the hand that killed him is his own” (Sophocles 49). Creon’s dejected reaction to the death of his son reveals that even though the fatality was due punishment for the treason Haimon committed against the state, Creon’s individual conscience diminished the hubris he formerly had. The death and relationship of Haimon and Antigone, Antigone’s pursuit of God’s authority over that of Creon’s, and her burying Polynices display the theme of individual conscience vs. state law.

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However, Creon finds himself in a difficult situation. His son, Haemon, will soon marry Antigone, Creon’s niece who just lost both of her brothers. Antigone decided to give her brother, Polyneices, a proper burial however against Creon’s ruling. And now, Creon must do as he promised - execute the one responsible. CREON.

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When asked, “Who is the tragic hero in Antigone?,” you might automatically think of the character Antigone. The character’s name is the title of the play like in “Hamlet”. The only difference is that Hamlet was the tragic hero in “Hamlet” moreover Creon is the tragic hero in “Antigone”. It all comes down to the definition of Aristotle’s tragic hero. Aristotle states that a tragic hero is, “a person who must evoke a sense of pity and fear in the audience.

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In contrast to this, in Antigone, Creon is a tyrant-like leader who lacked empathy and care for others. This can be seen as he forbid the burial of Polynices, which defied Greek custom. This act results in the death of Antigone, his son Haemon and his wife Eurydice (“Play Summary Antigone”). Contrary to Oedipus, Creon’s Hubris lead to a series of conscious actions that negatively affect the characters in the story. In the end, Creon can be seen to have learnt his lesson as the chorus states: “Of happiness the crown

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Countless times, Creon was implored to change his mind to preserve the safety of others. However, due to his uncompromising and egocentric nature, he repeatedly denied this aid, and therefore caused the tragedies of the deaths of his niece and his son. The events that occurred in the play Antigone accurately represent the characteristics of a tragic flaw and subsequent suffering that define a

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Aristotle believes a tragic hero “must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity”; however, Creon lacks the morality during his reign as king of Thebes. When Polynices is killed, Creon decides “he must be left unburied, his corpse/ carrion for the birds and dogs to tear,/ an obscenity for the citizens to behold”(229-231). As the leader of Thebes, Creon struggles to understand the ethics of the gods or citizens because he focuses on ruling his country for himself. Also, Creon fails to prosper in leading the state of Thebes because he rules as a dictator. Creon is angered by the questions on his rule, so he remarks “Am I to rule this land for others–or myself” (823).

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Antigone’s love is so great for her brother that she went against the king and buried him with religious rights. Then Haemon kills himself because Antigone had died and he wanted to be with her. In the end Creon’s wife killed herself because her son had died. Creon is perceived as the tragic hero of the play when he is talking

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