In Sophocles’s play Antigone, the throne of the city of Thebes has fallen into the hands of Creon, Antigone’s uncle, after the sudden and tragic death of Eteocles and Polynices. Under his rule, a new law forbidding anyone from burying Polyneices causes Antigone to decide between staying loyal to her country or to her family. In the play Antigone, the most real tragic hero that prevails is Creon because he embodies all the characteristics that a tragic hero must have while Antigone lacks some important characteristics. To begin, Creon conveys goodness because he chooses to punish Antigone for her crimes to keep Thebes as safe and orderly as possible. After Antigone confesses to her crimes in front of Creon and the Choragus, the confusion with …show more content…
The audible fear that the Sentry fails to hid in his voice while speaking to Creon distinguishes the king of Thebes as a very respected and deeply feared person. His demanding nature and impassive tone display Creon as a character that is superior to the rest of the cast. Likewise, Creon’s tragic flaw lies in his greed for power as well as his inability to follow the advice of others. The greed in Creon is put on display when he discovers that Antigone is the criminal and immediately accuses Antigone and Ismene, Antigone’s sister, of trying to dethrone him:
CREON. You too, Ismene, Snake in my ordered house, sucking my blood Stealthily…(2.124-126)
Creon’s misguided assumption that the sister duo aims for his throne was driven by his greed for power and need to keep that power absolute. When Creon’s power is threatened by Antigone defiance of the law, his first reaction is to question her motives and assume that she wants to take hold of his power. Without any power Creon cannot properly function because he needs to fuel the greed that consumes him. Additionally, Creon’s headstrong nature makes him unable to listen to others warnings. Tiresias attempts to warn Creon about the punishment he saw, but Creon