Antigone Tragic Hero
| Subject: | 📚 Literature |
| Type: | Analytical Essay |
| Pages: | 3 |
| Word count: | 731 |
| Topics: | Antigone, Ancient Greece, Greek Mythology, 📗 Book |
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Table of Contents
Introduction
The protagonist Creon because of his arrogance murders his own wife and son, which proves him to be a genuine tragic hero. Creon represents a figure who is extremely concerned with what others might think. Creon is a solitary individual who keeps his opinions and deeds to himself. He is a highly deceptive character who attempts to force others to commit crime. Creon is confronted with the unfairness of others and discovers the unknown nature of the people he believed he could confide in. Creon as the leading character with his obstinate temper is a pure tragic hero.
Why Creon is considered the true tragic hero of Antigone
Aristotle turned Creon into a tragic hero in the book Antigone. His description: “A tragic hero is the protagonist of a story”. A tragic hero is a figure in a narrative who acts. The tragic hero is the underlying element of discrepancy in something that is essential. A tragic hero is essentially someone who is full of imperfections. A tragic hero is an individual who wants to be involved in the action. A tragic hero is a protagonist who commits numerous misdeeds. A tragic hero is a killer who ends someone’s life. A tragic hero is a person who is self-reliant and enjoys considering his next step. Aristotle in his book makes use of Creon to represent how he identifies a tragic hero.
Sophocles, the creator of The Oedipus Trilogy, composed several books to portray the contrast between Creon and Antigone. The character Creon is manipulative and states that anyone who tries to bury Polynices will be buried. Creon is a highly violent personality, and he exploits his position of power to exterminate others. All the heroes of The Oedipus Trilogy act behind Creon’s back to avoid obeying his commands. Antigone leaves alone to bury Ismene’s brother Polynices without warning Creon. Sophocles employs Creon in the story to reveal his destructive use of power and refers to him as a tragic hero.
Sophocles depicts Creon as a cruel ruler of Thebes. On the account of Polynices’ body, Creon issued his order, forbidding the Thebans to touch his body. Creon in anger questions Antigone about the committed crime. Antigone rejects the crime, and Ismene, pitying her sister, mistakenly confesses to the crime. Antigone denies and admits to the crime. Creon, possessing the power, strives to have Antigone executed for the deed. Haemon requests Creon to let Antigone free, which is what he ultimately achieves. Creon reconsiders and has Polynices executed. Sophocles states that Creon remains a tragic hero, thereby using this figure to engage in illegal acts, such as the murder of Polynices and forcing others to take their own lives.
Sophocles communicates that Creon is a character of guilt. Haemon ragefully runs out, swearing to never see Creon again. The blind soothsayer Tiresias forewarns Creon that the god is on Antigone’s side, and that Creon will lose his child for what he has done — for letting Polynices remain unburied and for treating Antigone so cruelly. Creon is vengeful towards his son Haemon and Antigone. He rethinks about executing Antigone. Creon listens to his son and decides to bury his brother Polynices. At long last, the ruler accuses himself of everything that went wrong and shakily goes away, shattered. The law and justice he so cherishes have been defended, but he has gone against the gods and has suffered the loss of his child and wife because of it. Sophocles completes the story with a shell-shocked Creon to convey that the tragic hero is not a flawless character and undertakes deplorable actions.
Conclusion
Sophocles concludes that Creon is a tragic hero by the way he transforms dynamically in the book, revealing his genuine character. He states to his people that he will become a more noble king of Thebes. Creon’s shift in personality happens too late to relieve anybody, but right on time to experience a conflict with his son. Creon’s weakness is his heart; he is a nice human being who just made an incorrect decision. Creon experiences not only a loss of self-respect but also a loss of his particular identity, which he laments: “I don’t even exist — I’m no one”. Sophocles brings to his viewers, by displaying the traits of the tragic hero of the tragedy “Antigone” Creon, that he can conquer his insecurities and grow into a self-assured king.
Offered for reference purposes only.