Posted

May 8th 2007

Creon’s Achilles' heel
A Tragic Hero is a central character that has a dignified or noble role. They must also posses a tragic flaw along with other certain qualities (Such as the character must, invoke pity and fear, must have potential, must have a downfall, etc). Sophocles created a character named Creon in "Antigone" that possesses these traits.

Creon is a King of Thebes, ruling his city stately, and like any tragic hero, he invoked fear and pity. His temper was the trait that caused fear 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) Creon frightened 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 sorrow 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 give up, hoping that someone is there to kill him also. (1060)


Creon has the potential of a strong and powerful over lord, if stubbornness 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 and both believe they are right, but one must have been false, so who’s to say Creon was the correct one? Thus leading to his downfall, his own mistake.

The Hamartia, meaning the mistake, that caused Creon’s defeat, was his disregard for everyone’s insight but his own. 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 stubborn pride. Unfortunate, it became too late for Creon anyhow.

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.