Isn’t a king who loses everything he loves by one single choice tragic? The play by Antigone by Sophocles’s plot follows a young lady, Antigone, who wants to respect her shunned brother and provide him with a proper burial. However, this is against law under the ruler Creon, her uncle. Antigone proceeds with the burial knowing she will suffer from the consequences, but does so anyway to honor her brother. King Creon, seeing this defiance, orders her to be stoned to death. In retaliation, Antigone argues back with him, pointing out the misjudgment against her brother and Creon’s lack of reasoning. Creon justified his actions by claiming he could not prioritize his family over the welfare of the nation. However, even when his people and son advocated for Antigone’s release, he was too prideful to accept his wrongdoings. This pride was fueled from his insecurities as a new leader, as he feared that releasing Antigone would make him appear weak. In the end, his wife, his son, and his kingdom are all taken from him because of his fatal flaw, exemplifying his qualities as a tragic hero. Creon eventually recognizes this fact at the end of the play. Through an analysis of Creon's inherent nobility, his fatal flaw of hubris, and the eventual self-realization of his misjudgments, it becomes evident that his character aligns with the exact elements of an Aristotelian tragic hero. 

The events that occur as a result of Creon’s actions directly align with those of a tragic hero. Firsty, Creon, when speaking to his people after becoming king, says, “When I see any danger threatening my people, Whatever it may be, I declare it,”(Sophocles 131). Creon reveals his true intentions as a leader; he means to protect his people in the ways he views as correct. The tragic flaw Creon possesses is “hubris”, or excessive pride. Creon’s insecurities as a new leader turn into paranoia and eventually refusal to reason. Initially, this flaw might seem positive, reflecting confidence in his actions, but with excess, he morphs into someone who denies their wrongdoings and resorts to using personal attacks in arguments. Being prideful makes him an assertive leader, but in excess destroys his strengths as a ruler. As a new leader, Creon feels he is compelled to prove himself worthy to the people. In order to do so, he must punish Antigone to assert his authority. However, once he reaches this conclusion, he becomes entangled in the web of his pride and is unable to realize the implications and irrationality that comes with his actions. He even states to his son, ““Indeed! Am I to take lessons at my time of life from a fellow of his age?”, implying he does not value his son’s opinion (Sophocles 146). Despite the people's advice to listen to his son, Creon dismisses Haemon as neither wise nor mature enough to offer him guidance. His true intention, listening to the people and honoring his brother, was lost in his pride despite him wanting the best for them. Creon's downfall is his ultimate loss of reason. At the end of the play, he cries, grief-stricken, “O the curse of my stubborn will! ...Dead for my fault, not yours”(Sophocles 160). In this moment, he acknowledges that his own hubris led to his tragic fate, experiencing an epiphany that he is the root of his suffering. This realization cements his role as a tragic hero. As the audience, we pity Creon as he discovers the deaths of his son and wife, fully grasping the weight of his revelation. The portrayal of his traits and pride unmistakably reveals him as the true tragic hero.

On the other hand, some might believe that Antigone is the tragic hero. The issue with that argument is that, while Antigone possesses a tragic flaw, she does not address it, or realize that it is the root of her suffering. Instead, she hangs herself to die from her own hands instead of others’ hands, exhibiting her still present hubris. The Chorus states, “We saw her hanging by the neck. The rope was the woven linen of her dress,” (Sophocles 159). Antigone does not experience a reversal of fortune, only the consequences of an action she knew beforehand would lead to her death. She fully anticipated and was prepared to die for burying and honoring her brother, making her death not a reversal of fortune. This is clear when she states to Ismene, “I will bury my brother; and if I die for it, what happiness!” (Sophocles 128). While her downfall is a punishment that exceeds her crimes, she completely understood that she would receive a punishment of death despite the lack of fairness. Arguably, the moral possessed by Antigone’s is less impactful than Creon’s. We learn from Antigone the importance of having conviction and seeing it through to the end, but Creon’s tale serves as a more urgent cautionary lesson. A cautionary tale might resonate louder to an audience than a tale of stubborn persistence. Antigone cannot be more of a tragic hero than Creon. Others might argue that the audience does not feel pity or empathy for Creon. When Creon addresses his issues, and cries for his son and wife, the audience cannot help but believe Creon’s punishment was unrestrained for his actions. He loses everyone he ever loved because he wrongfully punished one girl. His true intentions were to protect his nation, and the loss of everything good in his life did not have to be the result of an action he believed was honorable.

Creon and his decisions throughout the play have made it clear that he is the true tragic hero of Antigone. His intentions as a ruler are noble, but with his tragic flaw, hubris, he reversed his fortune and his loved ones died. His punishment was excessive for his crime, as at the root of his argument, he wanted to be unbiased towards his family and deliver a punishment for disobeying the law like he promised to his people. Readers can learn from his story to control their pride and listen to reason despite it contradicting their own thoughts. Creon embodies the quintessential traits of an Aristotlian tragic hero, and this is evident after the analysis of his nobility, tragic flaws, and self realization.