Creon as the Ideal Tragic Hero of Sophocles Antigone Essay example --

Creon as the Ideal sad battler of Antigone Tragedy always involves human suffering, but not everyone who suffers is a Tragic Hero. According to Aristotle, there are five basic criteria that must be met for a character to be considered a Tragic Hero. Aristotles ideas somewhat tragedy were recorded in his book of literacy theory titled Poetics. In it he has a great deal to say about the structure, solve and intended effect of tragedy. His ideas have been adopted, disputed, expanded, and discussed for several centuries. In this essay, I each(prenominal)ow for examine these criteria in regards to Antigones Creon, King of Thebes. The first criterion states that to be a tragic hero, Creon must occupy a high post position, but must also embody nobility and virtue as part of his inwrought character. Creon fits this description quite accurately. We know at the theme of the play that Creon is King of Thebes. Therefore, he occupies a stature of nobility. Furthermore, Creons innate cha racter embodies virtue and nobility. For example, when talking to the Chorus at the beginning of the play, Creon says, anyone idea/another man more a friend than his own rural area/I rate him nowhereI would not be soundless if I saw ruin, not safetyI would not look any enemy of my country as a friend (Lines 202-210). His standards are set to the point where he would put his country above all else. He would do anything to protect his country he would not be silent if he saw ruin, not safety (line 204). Also, Creon shows a high mind of morality when he properly buried Eteocles, Antigones brother. Antigone herself says this when speaking to her sister, Ismene, Creon recognize the oneEteocles, they say he has used justly with lawful rites and hid him ... ...earn from. Finally, his penalization delivered by fate exceeds his crimes. Thus, according to Aristotle, Creon is the prefect tragic hero. Works Cited and Consulted Abrams, M. H. A burnish of Literary Terms, 7th ed. New York Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999. Segal, Charles Paul. Sophocles Praise of Man and the Conflicts of the Antigone. In Sophocles A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. Sophocles. Antigone. Translated by R. C. Jebb. The Internet Classic Archive. no pag. http//classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html Sophocles In Literature of the Hesperian World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. NewYork Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984.Watling, E. F.. Introduction. In Sophocles The Theban Plays, translated by E. F. Watling. New York Penguin Books, 1974.