In the Greek play Antigone, both Creon and Antigone can be considered tragic heroes. Creon, who became king after Oedipus Rex abandoned the throne, is Oedipus’s brother-in-law and was given the kingship because Oedipus’s sons, Eteocles and Polyneices, died while fighting for the throne. Antigone, on the other hand, is Oedipus’s daughter and Creon’s niece. However, when determining who truly deserves the title of tragic hero, it is clear that Creon is the one who qualifies. According to the definition, a tragic hero is an ordinary individual who is neither entirely good nor bad, holds a higher social position, suffers a downfall, and possesses a tragic flaw.
This person undergoes a sequence of reversals until they make a judgmental mistake, which quickly leads them to the final stage of reversal. The final reversal results in the person’s downfall, death, or psychological decline. When reading Antigone, it is immediately assumed that Antigone is the protagonist since the play is named after her. This assumption makes it easier to understand why people perceive her as the tragic hero. While she may be a hero to her family and the gods, she is not the tragic hero. “Dear god, shout it from the rooftops.”
Antigone believes she will be praised for her actions, as she states, “I’ll hate you/all the more for silence – tell the world!” (Sophocles 100-01). However, being a main character does not automatically make her the tragic hero. In terms of her social standing, Antigone is an ordinary person. Although she is a princess, her father exiled himself, and she is not as highly regarded as King Creon. Antigone’s tragic flaw is her excessive ambition, as she declares, “I’ll bury him myself. And even if I die in the act, that death will be a glory.” (Sophocles 85-6). By defying King Creon, she demonstrates her ambition. While many people possess ambition, pride is a unique trait that happens to be Creon’s tragic flaw. Antigone experiences misfortune and a series of reversals that lead to her death. As she states, “Courage! Live your life. I gave myself to death,/ long ago, so I might serve the dead.” (Sophocles 6331-32), it becomes clear that she has made a deliberate choice about her fate.
Antigone has already made the decision not to continue living. She goes through a series of conflicts with both Creon and her sister Ismene. At the beginning of the tragedy, Ismene and Antigone argue about who will confront King Creon and overthrow the other. One of the key elements in a tragedy is when the protagonist realizes that their tragic flaw led to their downfall and they strive to learn from it. However, Antigone does not learn from her errors and proceeds to take her own life.
Creon, the antagonist in Antigone, is actually the true tragic hero. Despite his negative actions, he still stands out as superior to everyone. In Sophocles’ play, he famously declares, “No, he must be left unburied, his corpse/carrion for the birds and dogs to tear,/an obscenity for the citizens to behold!” (Sophocles329-31) However, it is important to understand that Creon’s main motivations lie in maintaining political and social order. This revelation allows us to see Creon as more than just an evil character but as a complex individual driven by his desires for social and political power.
The main reason for killing Antigone was to demonstrate his power and gain social acceptance and fear from others. If people were afraid of Creon, it would result in smoother governance because no one would dare to disobey the king, knowing that his word is final. Creon takes pride in his social status and is full of pride for his city and his choices. In a proud tone, Creon declares, “Still talking? / You talk too much! A born nuisance-” (Sophocles 363), thus asserting his superiority.
Creon’s ordinariness stemmed from being solely the brother of the former king and nothing more. In conversation with his servants, he declared, “… Now then,/ since the two sons are dead – two blows of fate/ in the same day, cut down by each others hands,/ both killers, both brothers stained with blood -/ as I am next to kin to the dead,/ I now possess the throne and all its powers.” (Sophocles 188-93) This revelation showcased Creon’s pride as he acquired the new throne. The instant acquisition of this new throne transformed Creon into a remarkably acquisitive and inhospitable individual, which aligns with one aspect of the archetype of a tragic hero.
Creon’s error in judgment is the result of a series of reversals. Firstly, he allows pride to rule him instead of himself. Secondly, he disregards the sentry’s warning and passes by without listening. Thirdly, Antigone confronts him and urges him to kill her, as her death would please the gods. Fourthly, he completely ignores Tiresias, the blind prophet. Finally, he realizes that his pride has caused the downfall of his kingdom.
Creon desired to establish himself as a formidable ruler so that others would take him seriously, leading to his expression of Hubris. According to Aristotle’s theory of tragedy, hubris is characterized by excessive power or pride. Creon disregarded the sentry’s warning when the sentry stated, “Oh it’s terrible when the one who does the judging judges things all wrong” (Sophocles 367). This remark from the sentry demonstrates their mockery of Creon because he believed that people were being bribed to deceive him and refused to acknowledge the truth about his own arrogance.
Additionally, when Creon completely disregarded the blind prophet’s warning, stating, “…your own flesh and blood,/ a corpse for a corpse given in return,…” (Sophocles 1185-86), it is evident that the prophet was cautioning Creon about not only one person’s demise but also the concept of an eye for an eye. This demonstrates how Antigone perished on her own, consequently leading to Haemon’s demise. Haemon’s death became the catalyst for his mother’s decision to end her own life, thus exemplifying a cycle of death in return. Among the numerous traits that can be ascribed to Creon, his arrogance stands out as one of the most prominent characteristics.
Throughout this play, the tragic flaw of Creon is evident – his excessive pride. Creon’s pride led him into dire situations and, simultaneously, made him suffer the consequences of having too much pride. However, a tragic hero possesses the ability to learn from their own actions. Did Antigone learn from hers? This quote from Creon supports the argument: “And the guilt is all mine -/ can never be fixed on another man, no escape for me. I killed you,/ I, god help me, I admit it all! (Sophocles 1442-45)” Creon faced various consequences, such as: firstly, Antigone, his son’s bride, took her own life; secondly, Creon had to witness his son’s death; thirdly, Creon realizes that his wife died due to the deaths of their son and his bride. Lastly, Creon must come to terms with the fact that he is at fault and it was his hands that killed two people he loved dearly. “I murdered you, my son, against my will-/you too, my wife…/ wailing wreck of a man,/ whom to look to? Where to lean for support? ” (Sophocles . 1461-64) This can be argued as the final reversal or the realization of what he has done.
Creon is depicted as a tragic hero who has recently experienced the loss of two loved ones and now finds himself with no one to turn to. As this essay has previously explained, Creon embodies the characteristics of a tragic hero more effectively than Antigone. In terms of popularity among the people of Thebes, did they hold King Creon or Antigone in higher esteem? It is important to note that Creon is not only the King of Thebes but also holds a position of superiority in the city. This is evident in his statement, “Never at my hands will the traitor be honored above the patriot. But whoever proves his loyalty to the state: I’ll prize that man in death as well as life” (Sophocles 232-35), which highlights Creon’s sense of authority.
Antigone’s previous superiority was diminished when her father, Oedipus, was exiled. The character of Creon demonstrates once again that he is the tragic hero due to his higher social position. The comparison between the nobility of the brother and current king versus the daughter of the former king arises. As mentioned earlier, Creon’s self-pride is a more distinguishing trait than mere ambition. Sophocles chose to make Creon the tragic hero in his Greek Tragedy, Antigone, to convey that heroes do not necessarily have to be liked or favored in order to be considered heroes.
