Creon As The Hero In Sophocles Antigone

As I read the play of Antigone by Sophocles, I wondered many things, but I wondered why Antigone is the "hero" of this tragedy? What is so heroic about her act, insight and principle throughout this story? While thinking about these things of Antigone I began to wonder why Sophocles made Antigone the role of being the hero, why not someone else, such as Creon? We learn and hear of Creon throughout this story, and though the reader sees him as the opposite of Antigone, I felt that there was much more to the man and I really want to see where the conclusion takes us as we think of how both Antigone and Creon as the “hero” of this story. Let 's see if we can see Creon as the hero, and why did Sophocles call the story “Antigone” instead of “Creon”? …show more content…
The war between the two brothers was something unexpected in the town of Thebes, therefore, both Antigone and Creon had different opinions about Polyneices and the war between the brothers. Antigone certainly does not pick sides, and we can see it as we read this passage on page twenty-two, Antigone explains this to her sister Ismene. “Creon will give the one of our two brothers honor in the tomb; the other none. Eteocles, with just observance, treated, as law provides he has hidden under earth to have full honor with the dead below. But Polyneices’ corpse who died in pain, they say he has proclaimed to the whole town that none may bury him and none bewail, but leave him, unwept, untombed, a rich sweet sight for the hungry birds’ beholding and devouring.” As Antigone explains this to her sister, we see where she is having trouble with only one of her brothers getting buried, and the other one getting nothing. Although Antigone did not agree with Polyneices actions, she did not only blame the tragedy on Polyneices, both of the brothers were at fault, they killed each other, Polyneices did not just kill Eteocles, Eteocles killed Polyneices. They both died that day, and she does not think it is right for only one of them to get the blame for the massacre. She also states how Polyneices died in pain as well, as Eteocles did, and he did not deserve to be laying upon the earth being picked apart by birds and wild animals, it was inhuman and nobody should be put to rest in the way Creon thought Polyneices deserved. Therefore, that is where the story splits into two ways, Creon saw the tragedy as only Polyneices fault, he killed the king, he terrorized the town and he betrayed his own blood, but can we really blame Creon for feeling hatred