Monday, October 3, 2011

Creon v Antigone


According to dictionary.com, a tragic hero is "a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat: Oedipus, the classic tragic hero." link With this defintion in mind I can see how both Creon and Antigone could be considered to have two tragic heroes. Both are destined to suffer and in the end both are "defeated" in one way or another. I would have to say Creon suffers more. He loses not only a son, but a wife and loses credibility as well.

Creon feels he's in the right, after all, why should a traitor be honored in death? I'm not sure if that's the "new" mindset or the "old" mindset but he's very sure that's the way it should be. He seems to have the support of the people. That is until Antigone is brave, or foolhardy, enough to oppose him in this view.

The chorus, or rather the people, came to agree with Antigone, and even Creon's son tries to help him see the error of his ways. Haemon insists "there is no disgrace for a man, even a wise man,/ to learn many things and not to be too rigid" He warns Creon of the danger of being too rigid and points out that the trees which are too rigid are destroyed.

It is not until the soothsayer reasons with Creon that he realizes he has acted hastily.  By then, of course it is too late. His son is dead and his wife is soon to follow. Creon is really the focus of the story, we see how he goes from certainty that he's right to realizing he's mistaken. He's the most dynamic character and the one all the other characters interact with. Creon is the tragic hero as far as I can see.

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