Posted

May 15th 2007

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Creon’s Achilles' heel

Sophocles displayed the ideal tragic hero in the tragedy "Antigone" by procreating Creon. Aristotle’s translates a tragic hero as central character that contains great potential; yet as a tragic flaw that leads to there demise. They must also invoke pity and fear within the audience along with other qualities. Creon repeatedly shows these criteria throughout the play though his stubbornness and prideful personality that causes his sorrow death for his love ones.



Creon is a King of Thebes, ruling his city dignified, and like any tragic hero, he invoked fear and pity. His temper developed terror in people, especially when he was challenged and displeased. “Find that man, bring him here to me, or your death will be the least of your problems..." (1030) yelled Creon frightening the poor sentry. Just because the sentry brought news of the traitor, Polyneices, (buried by someone other then himself) Creon still threatened him. Though in Scene 5, he inflicts pity by his agony of his own families’ deaths. “Oh pity! All true, all true, and more then I can bare! O my wife, my son! …O God, I am sick with fear. Are there no swords here? Has no one a blow for me?" He even seems to abandon hope, desiring someone will assassinate him. (1060)


Creon has the potential of a strong and powerful over lord, if unreasonableness, did not stand in the way. Creon can protect his city well and in force the laws on anyone EVEN his own family, but he went too far by not burying Polyneices. “Stop! Must you doddering wrecks go out of your heads entirely? "The gods!" Intolerable!" (1029) He insulted Choragus calling him an old fool for thinking the gods would be on the side of a traitor. Truthfully perhaps Creon was being to close-minded, he thought only the gods would take his side. Though there are always two sides of a story (both believe they are right), but so who’s to say Creon was the faultless one? Thus, Creon creating his own mistake resulting in his horrendous ruin and crushing loss.

Creon’s disregard for everyone’s insight, his hamartia, contributed his own defeat. Teiresias, the blind prophet tried to warn him along with his own son. It took Choragus to bring him to his senses. “...But words remain to plague us. I am old, too, but cannot remember that he was ever false." (1055) Choragus questioned Creon and confirmed everyone else’s warnings about his coldhearted ego. Unfortunately, it became too late for Creon to atone for his sin against the gods.

Though Creon himself did not die, everyone close to him cursed his name then killed themselves. Creon can be related to the doctor from House, House himself. Both of them are stubborn minded and think they know much more then they actually do. Though House seems to never admit his faults, he does so when it is obvious that he is at fault or it is to late. Unfortunately for Creon, his love ones were killed; however, House only lose his wife by divorce.