Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Antigone
Although Antigone can be considered to be a tragic hero, I think that Creon was the real tragic hero of this story. Creon is a king, a very wealthy and powerful person, but he still is a
human with flaws nonetheless. His people follow him loyally; this
loyalty is shown when they follow his order about Polyneices' burial. When Creon states this command he is in turn defying the ancient law of
the Gods, which states that upon death, a proper burial is necessary. This action throws him into his fate of suffering. To me, Creon is a
rather weak man who has been thrust into a position of authority and is
afraid he won't be able to handle it. As a result, he doesn't dare
reconsider any of his decisions--doing so, he thinks, might make him
appear weak and cause his subjects to lose respect for him. So when he
orders that Polyneices be left unburied and then orders Antigone to be
entombed alive when she's caught violating the order, he can't let
himself listen to her, Ismene, or Haemon. He even refuses to listen to Teiresias,
conveying the displeasure of the gods. Antigone ends up hanging herself after being walled up, and Creon's son Haemon, who loved and was engaged to Antigone, kills himself after finding her body. Queen Eurydice, wife of King Creon, also kills herself at the end of the story due to seeing such actions allowed by her husband. Creon's human flaws and emotions such as pride and arrogance lead to
his ultimate downfall, which ties into him being the tragic hero.
Creon's ego prevents him from listening to any advice given to him. Creon is
not willing to listen to anybody, because he believes that going back on
a decision will somehow destroy his pride.
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Like yourself, I considered Creon to be the tragic hero of the story. I really thought your perspective on what exactly is Creon's fatal flaw was interesting! Many people say that Creon's fatal flaw is overconfidence. However, your point definitely supports the viewpoint that perhaps his fatal flaw is insecurity. He does seem in many parts of the story worried about his image as king. This worry leads him to be definitely insecure and is a flaw that makes him stubborn in his opinions. Very thoughtful analysis!
ReplyDeleteI guess I don't see Creon as the tragic hero because he is so unsympathetic. I see a tragic hero as someone who has a flaw (pride/naivety in the goodness and intervention of the gods like Antigone) or makes a mistake (burying her brother based on these aforementioned assumptions). Creon is a villain to me, not a tragic hero. But still valid points and room for discussion.
ReplyDeleteI found it to be interesting when you said that Creon was a weak man who wanted to be appear as strong. The play makes a point of mentioning that Creon differs from Oedipus and Antigone in the sense that understands the political and social limits placed on him as a sovereign. I always attributed Creon to be obstinate and unyielding and the ultimate cause of him losing his family.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your conclusion that Creon is the real tragic hero. I would also say that he needed to stick to the decisions he made or he would seem weak to his people. It was a classic issue of a leaders ego getting the best of them.
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