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Recommended: Antigone as a tragedy
In Antigone: Scene II, a fragment of a play written by a Greek general Sophocles, a story unfolds between a princess by the name of Antigone, a king named Creon, and several other characters. The scene starts off with a few words between Choragos and Sentry, both appear to be in service of Creon. Choragos caught Antigone and is asking to be seen by the King. Antigone was burying her brother against the wishes of the King. She did not deny knowing that she went against the word of the King, that she is guilty and that she is ready to face the punishment of death.
Creon shows an extraordinary amount of stubbornness throughout the story. An example is seen when Antigone wishes to give her brother, Polyneices a proper burial so he can have a pleasant afterlife with the Gods. Creon, as king wishes to have him rot in the fields because he turned his back on the state in which the events occurred.
Antigone is one of the greatest tragedies ever written by Sophocles. There is a controversial question about this play: Who is the tragic hero? Could it be Antigone or Creon? Even though the play’s name is Antigone, but as I read the story. A sensible and responsible king, Creon, is a tragic hero because of his power madness, self-righteousness, and ruthlessness.
Is he really cruel and wrong? Creon is the new king of Thebes and edicts that no one can bury the corpse of Polyneices and if someone buried the corpse, he will be punished to death. Antigone informs Ismene about the edict.
Antigone is an admirable character, for her steady and unwavering determination is something to applaud her on. But this same exact character trait is responsible for her inevitable death. Antigone is a prime example of a tragic hero. A tragic hero is typically a man or woman with an outstanding quality or characteristic, which eventually leads them to their downfall. Antigone’s stubbornness and unrelenting attitude lead her to disobey King Creon, which in turn, leads to her solemn and unfortunate fate.
In the story, Antigone by Sophocles, there is a tragic hero and that is Creon. Being self-centered can affect the surroundings of those who are acting like that, people act like this without knowing because they are too focused on themselves as in not taking other people advice or thinking that they are always correct. Creon became king of Theses and saw himself on top of everyone else. His selfishness affected everyone and himself.
The quote, ‘Sometimes in tragedy, you find your life’s purpose’ has a strong impact on the play, Antigone by Sophocles. Within Antigone, there is a tragedy and the tragedy consists of a tragic hero. According to the Aristotelian model, the tragic hero consists of having and or starting from a high place of royalty, a fatal flaw called hamartia, a catastrophe caused from the hamartia; increase self awareness and realization called anagnorisis that happens right after the catastrophe and finally a reversal: a punishment that is even worse than the crime for the tragic hero. The tragic hero in Antigone is Creon. Creon fits the first model for a tragic hero because he is a king and starts out from a place of high power.
His free choice is represented by a quote from the guard surveying Polyneices body, “We saw this girl giving that dead man's corpse full burial rites—an act you’d made illegal” (337). Although Creon's own niece turns out to be the one that went against his word, he still chooses to follow through with the punishment even though the deed Antigone did was morally right. The punishment that he lays upon Antigone is excessive and unjust considering the crime. While in an argument with her, he calls to his guards proclaiming, “Take her and shut her up, as I have ordered, in her tomb’s embrace [...]
Antigone was continuously persistent and believed she was whole heartedly correct while Creon might have disagreed with her for most of the novel he eventually overlooked his arrogance. During the end Creon accepts himself acknowledging that a , “doom that is heavy to bear is come down on my head”(Sophocles Antigone 72). Life and this story would be entirely different if Creon did not contain this, “tragic flaw”. Without his decisions Creon had made this would undoubtedly not be a tragic story at all. As aforementioned a tragic hero was defined as a character who falls from their lofty position due to their folly or tragic flaw.
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
“Not so self-centered that you never listen to other people” (Hugh Hefner). In the story of Antigone, Creon shows the characteristics of a tragic hero, as he is the king he shows his self-confident and he does not recognize his flaws until the end of the story. All of this leads into his downfall in the tragedy and causes him to realized what he had done. Creon is a tragic hero because of his self-righteousness, his excessive pride, and he does not listen to the opinion of others.
In Sophocles’ play Antigone, Creon, the king of Thebes, best represents a tragic hero. Creon demonstrates goodness in his intentions for Thebes as well as his fragile state due to the fact that he recently lost several family members. Creon, newly named king, finds himself as highest ranking official around, showing superiority. Creon often acts stubborn and prideful, his tragic flaw. And lastly, he must come to terms with the fact that he caused the death of his wife, son, and niece.
Creon is the protagonist in Antigone, because his motivation throughout Antigone is the stability and wellbeing of Thebes. Moreover, Antigone is the antagonist in Antigone, because her motivation is selfish and deceiving. In Antigone the setting is Thebes post the death of both airs to the throne. Eteocles dies defending his country from his brother Polynieces which died attempting to reclaim his right to the throne. The conflict throughout Antigone is Antigone’s responsibility to bury her brother Polynices and the law created by Creon, the new king of Thebes, which states that “No one shall bury him, no one mourn for him.”
From world wars to present day national elections, pride can always be connected to many appalling, life-changing issues. Pride has always either been negative or positive, and it has been around forever. In the epic play Antigone, Sophocles demonstrates how Creon’s hubris allows for the downfall of himself and the killing of his family. Creon’s fatal flaw is his hubris. Creon not only loses his family, he also loses the trust of his people.
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