FREE ESSAY ON THE TRUE TRAGIC HERO IN SOPHOCLES' ANTIGONE

THE TRUE TRAGIC HERO IN SOPHOCLES' ANTIGONE

Antigone, is the drama written by Sohpocles. There is still a great debate on who is the
true tragic hero in Sophocles' Antigone, Creon or Antigone. 
Many people believes that it must be Antigone, herself. This is because Antigone is an
outstanding example of someone who did what she thought was right, while she was among
fools, many hardships, and people who were discouragingly uncourageous. When the king
Creon ordered that the body of Polyneices, Antigone's brother, be left to rot unburied
because he had died as a traitor, she tried to buried him even she knew that she would be
punished. She believed that a dead person's soul could not rest if that person's body was
not buried so she chooses to challenge a powerful Creon, the king of Thebes in order to
let her brother rest peacefully. This presents a huge problem for Antigone; she feels she
must obey the laws of the gods and bury her brother, but the penalty would be earthly
death.
To me, Antigone is a hero, what she did for her brother was very respectful, not many
could have the strength to do so in the same situation. 
However, I believe the true tragic hero in Sophocles' Antigone is Creon, not Antigone.
Creon, as king of Thebes, is at the top of the social ladder. Yet, not only is he king,
he is also human and possesses frailties, which qualify him to make serious mistakes, and
he possesses talents, which allow him also to excel. Hence, Creon is neither overly good
nor bad.
Appropriately, Creon's station as king place shim in a position of great power, influence
and responsibility. The extent of this power was quite evident when he sentenced Antigone
to death for disobeying his proclamation.
Creon's tragic flaw was his hubris or his pride and arrogance in the face of divine
powers. His downfall began when he denied the basic divine right of burial to Polyneices
and was cemented when he condemned Antigone for her opposition to his law. When one
closely examines Antigone's reasons for burying her brother, it becomes clear that she
was simply demonstrating her love, honor, and loyalty to her family. However, the reason
that Creon is angered is that he feels injured and insulted that Antigone flagrantly and
publicly disobeyed him. He was additionally inflamed that she was his niece and betrothed
to his son, Haemon. Historically, when especially a woman threatens a man's authority,,
his self-esteem is irreparably damaged. But he tired to fix the mistakes that he had made
even he is a great king.
The whole play is sad, it is make viewers feel anger and respectful. I do respect
Antigone, but personally I respect Croen more since he is the king. With his such high
position, he could still responsibly for his wrong actions.