The Tragedy Of A Hero What exactly is considered to be a “tragic hero?” A tragic hero according to Greek philosopher, Aristotle, is a “literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction.” In the Greek tragedy, Antigone, written by Sophocles, all the makings of a tragic hero point to the character, King Creon. Creon took the throne of Thebes after Oedipus’ two sons killed each other over who would rule Thebes after the passing of Oedipus. When the play first introduces Creon, he is but a simple leader who orders for the burial of Eteocles, but leaves Polynices body out in the open. As the play furthers, Creon’s selflessness appears and then completely takes over the character by the end of the
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He lets his ego come before himself and costs him dearly in the plays final moments. Creon is also as stubborn as they come, as he listens to nobody, stating in line 109 of the play, “My voice is the one voice giving orders in this City!” He takes the role as a dictator instead of king and his pride is too high to see the wrong in his doing. Creon, when speaking to the blind seer, Teiresias, questions the prophet about his fate. Teiresias tells Creon that he his fate or foreseeable future were not good. Teiresias also tells Creon how some of the Gods were unpleased and how he can make up for it but once again, Creon’s pride and hubris gets the best of him. Creon feels as though Teiresias is paid to tell him this news and questions the fabric about the Gods and their will. The blind seer tells the stubborn king in Scene V, lines 34-35, “… Think: all men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.” He is still unwilling to accept his fate and tells Teiresias, “Whatever you say, you will not change my will.” A good leader should be willing to listen and also be reluctant to change, for better or for worse. In this Greek tragedy, Creon’s self-pride and stubbornness is also the cause of his own doomed …show more content…
Throughout the play, Creon can be seen as the ignorant, self-loving King of the Thebes that only listens to himself. His arrogance got the best of him and his actions. Creon while having a conversation with Choragos about his fate, and drastically has a change of view. He comes to terms with himself and decides to do what Teiresias tells him to do which is free Antigone and give Polyneices are proper burial. Creon even states in lines 109-110 of Scene V, “It is hard to deny the heart! But I will do it: I will not fight with destiny.” He finally came to terms with his prophecy and wasn’t blinded by his own pride. After the death of his son, Haimon, Creon then starts to really see the error of his ways, stating, “My own blind heart has brought me from darkness to final darkness.” Referring to all the actions he took without first thinking about the outcomes. Though Creon did have a movement of awareness and change, it came just a bit too late for this tragic hero. One can learn from King Creon’s mistakes and take in that you should always think before you act, while also not getting to full of
He lets his ego come before himself and costs him dearly in the plays final moments. Creon is also as stubborn as they come, as he listens to nobody, stating in line 109 of the play, “My voice is the one voice giving orders in this City!” He takes the role as a dictator instead of king and his pride is too high to see the wrong in his doing. Creon, when speaking to the blind seer, Teiresias, questions the prophet about his fate. Teiresias tells Creon that he his fate or foreseeable future were not good. Teiresias also tells Creon how some of the Gods were unpleased and how he can make up for it but once again, Creon’s pride and hubris gets the best of him. Creon feels as though Teiresias is paid to tell him this news and questions the fabric about the Gods and their will. The blind seer tells the stubborn king in Scene V, lines 34-35, “… Think: all men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.” He is still unwilling to accept his fate and tells Teiresias, “Whatever you say, you will not change my will.” A good leader should be willing to listen and also be reluctant to change, for better or for worse. In this Greek tragedy, Creon’s self-pride and stubbornness is also the cause of his own doomed …show more content…
Throughout the play, Creon can be seen as the ignorant, self-loving King of the Thebes that only listens to himself. His arrogance got the best of him and his actions. Creon while having a conversation with Choragos about his fate, and drastically has a change of view. He comes to terms with himself and decides to do what Teiresias tells him to do which is free Antigone and give Polyneices are proper burial. Creon even states in lines 109-110 of Scene V, “It is hard to deny the heart! But I will do it: I will not fight with destiny.” He finally came to terms with his prophecy and wasn’t blinded by his own pride. After the death of his son, Haimon, Creon then starts to really see the error of his ways, stating, “My own blind heart has brought me from darkness to final darkness.” Referring to all the actions he took without first thinking about the outcomes. Though Creon did have a movement of awareness and change, it came just a bit too late for this tragic hero. One can learn from King Creon’s mistakes and take in that you should always think before you act, while also not getting to full of