In Sophocles’ Antigone, Antigone and Creon both have qualities of a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s definition. Aristotle believes a tragic hero is a decent human, but falls due to a weakness in one’s character. In the plot, Antigone decides to bury her brother, which defies the laws of Creon, the dictator of Thebes. Antigone believes she must hold her family values and the gods’ beliefs with utmost respect. Antigone refuses to deny her crime, so she is sentenced to be death by Creon. Antigone is the tragic hero because she inspires pity and fear when her devotion to the gods and her morals lead to her downfall. Antigone obeys the morals set by her family and the gods, so she stimulates fear and pity. Antigone causes fear in others …show more content…
Creon threatens Antigone with death because she defied his laws. Antigone believes she was destined for death when she remarks, “Oh god, the voice of death. It’s come. It’s here” (1025). Antigone ignites pity from others by acting as if she is bound to death. Antigone believes in her prophecy of death, so she wants to die for her family. Many citizens of Thebes feel bad for Antigone because she and her family are plagued by death. Since Antigone is the tragic hero, she suffers a downfall due to her tragic flaw, living while being bound by …show more content…
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). Creon lacks the decency as a ruler to reign with fairness to his