Creon The Tragic Hero Essay, Research Paper

Antigone tells the story of Creon, King of Thebes. The situation arises when our tragic hero, Creon, makes a declaration regarding the death of a traitor. Polyneices was killed in battle and was to remain unburied to demonstrate the punishment for treason. Antigone, Polyneices’ sister, rebels against Creon and buries her brother, denouncing the decree as an offense against the “law of God.” Polynese, Creon’s son, pleads with his father to listen to his citizens and empathize with Antigone’s action. However, Creon is determined to make an example of Polyneices and demonstrate his power over the people of the state. Antigone is banished to a stone cave to die alone.

Creon’s pride came to be his major flaw as demonstrated during the reversal sequence in the play. A blind prophet, Theresies, calls upon Creon and informs him of the doom that would befall him as a result of his actions. After hearing this, Creon rushes to bury Polyneices properly and release Antigone from her tomb. Antigone had hung herself and Polynese discovers her body. Polynese, enraged by the death of his love, engaged his father with a sword but instead, ended up killing himself. Creon returns to his castle to suffer with the results of his actions and to wonder what other punishment could be worse than the death of his son. He then finds his wife had committed suicide after hearing of her son’s death.

In the end of the play Creon is left with feelings of remorse and regret. He is faced with the realization that his hubris and inflexibility resulted in the tragic demise of his loved ones. The reader is left to wonder the fate of Creon as determined by the Gods.