Antigone, by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, was written as part of a trilogy in 441 BC. Along with Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus, all three plays act like a modern day version of Puzo’s The Godfather, clarifying the events of the previous play. As the dramas build on one another, it becomes clear that Sophocles intended there to be multiple heroes and villains that are almost indistinguishable from the other. In Antigone, such a problem occurs when the idealistic, astute, yet brash Antigone is condemned to death by her seemingly malicious and stubborn uncle. Yet, to write off Antigone as the martyred ‘good guy’ and her uncle Creon, the token ‘bad guy’, is just as hackneyed as one can get. Through Aristotle’s views on a tragic hero and Creon’s remorse at the end of the play, it becomes clear that Creon, not Antigone, is a tragic hero.

Aristotle views a tragic hero, as someone that is,

"Neither purely evil or purely wicked; the hero must born in the high social status, and he/she must possess a tragic flaw which is proper from the inner side of the character; it usually manifests in the form of poor judgment and or arrogance, condemning him/herself into a catastrophic finality and in the meanwhile, establishes other character’s destiny" (Classic Aristotle).

Creon falls under this category perfectly. He is neither evil nor virtuous, yet his haughtiness makes him appear in that manner. He is also of a high class, being the King of Thebes and the conflict in Antigone occurs out of his poor judgement and arrogance, when he refuses to bury Antigone’s brother Polynices. His “catastrophic finality” shortly arrives, once he decrees Antigone is to be buried alive (Classic Aristotle). She tragically dies, becomes the sacrificial lamb to the evil King Creon, and the city of Thebes is in an uproar. After much confrontation, Creon realizes his son and the blind prophet Tiresias speeches concerning the public’s negative views on the murder were correct all along. His descent into madness becomes an ironic twist to the play, as slowly yet surely, all those he loves kill themselves, leaving him alone in the world to battle the demons he unwillingly released.

Remorse is an ironic feeling, owing to the fact one usually feels its effect after they have committed an undoable act. For Creon, remorse is what drives him mad. From the moment he declares Antigone be buried alive, Sophocles makes it so Creon feels regret. Keeping up with Aristotle’s belief, a tragic hero needs a tragic flaw. Creon’s flaw, his pride or hubris, is all too apparent during the course of the play. Through his reign, he elevates himself to the status of a God, asserting his word as divine law. Sophocles sets this scenario up like a poorly constructed card castle; one swift blow and the entire thing collapses. This swift blow comes in the form of the blind seer Tiresias. Tiresias proclaims,

“You have no business with the dead, nor do the gods above- this is violence you have forced upon the heavens. And so the avengers, the dark destroyers late but true to the mark, now lie in wait for you, the Furies sent by the gods and the god by the death to strike you down with the pains that you perfected!" (276).

Creon begins to question himself after this, his confidence slowly leaking away. Finally, he decides to free Antigone, yet it is too late; she has already committed suicide. A domino effect ripples as Haemon, unable to live now that his lover is gone, performs the Japanese suicide ritual, hara-kiri, and Creon’s wife Eurydice slays herself after finding out her son has died. After he discovers that Haemon has killed himself, Creon declares, “O God! You have departed not by your foolishness, but by my own!” (Antigone XXX). It is though this suffering that Creon can be seen as a tragic hero. He realizes his mistakes and strove to correct them, but sadly, it was already too late.

Heroism can always be portrayed many different ways through many different eyes. Via an ancient philosopher’s theory and regret, Creon and Antigone both possess all the necessary qualities to be tragic heroes. One died for their beliefs, the other, driven to insanity by the repercussions of their own beliefs. Sophocles created a rich drama where in consequences shape the final outcome of play, clearly demonstrating there was intense agony, in Antigone.

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