In the play Antigone, by Sophocles, the main character Creon goes through major character development as the story progresses. As King of Thebes, Creon establishes a series of decisions thought to be ethically correct for the city. However, many of his family members and townspeople disagree and revolt against his decrees and, as a result, leads to his downfall, making him a symbol of a tragic hero. One of those people is Antigone, the headstrong female protagonist who defies Creon’s orders in order to bring justice to her brother. Her conflicting motivations and rationale advances the plot and contributes to Creon’s development as a tragic hero.
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. Creon’s harsh and arrogant attitude appears when he scorns the Guard, saying, “...before what you’re about to say enrages me completely and reveals that
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Creon’s harsh decree was made out of good intentions to stabilize Thebes after recovering from near destruction, yet it led him to his downfall when Antigone decided to defy his orders. It worsened when he refused to compensate with Antigone and the god’s law, sticking with the rational man’s law. Using Antigone to develop and explore a complex character not only establishes Creon as a tragic hero, but also raises many questions about the extent of loyalty within family, government, and set of