Winston Churchill once said: “All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes.” The Greek tragedy Antigone by Sophocles depicts this message through the use of a tragic hero. Tragic heroes are excellent examples of people who have become wiser through their struggling, and they can be used to teach others how to do the same, even in modern society. Sophocles develops the tragic hero Creon to be a very human character with wise intentions, but one who has too much pride, which ultimately leads to his downfall. However, this tragedy alerts Creon of his personality flaw, so that he can change for the better, and assure that others will not fall down his path. Man’s role as a tragic hero is to produce a mimesis that educates …show more content…
Creon intends to bring peace to Thebes after the destructive war between Eteocles and Polyneices, stating that “Polyneices, who broke his exile… to spill the blood of his blood and sell his own people into slavery” (Sophocles 1.39-43) will not receive a proper Greek burial. Creon hopes that this strong demand will strengthen his power as a monarch trying to bring tranquility to the city; however, his means for carrying out the order became unnecessarily arrogant and brutal in terms, as burial is sacred to the ancient Greeks. Sophocles’ commentary about the delicate balance between intentions and actions was affirmed in the 1532 novel The Prince, where it is stated that “the ends justify the means” (Machiavelli). People can learn from the mistakes of Ancient Greek tragic heroes such as Creon, as they prove how being “true to type, true to life, and consistent” (Aristotle) can become negative if it supersedes how important the end necessarily is. These heroes teach society that actions are ultimately the most important factor in making decisions, as they are what consequently affect the