Antigone: Creon As A Tragic Hero

A common theme in literature is that of the tragic hero, a character that has suffered due to a flaw in his or her own self. Antigone by Sophocles has a few examples of this trope. King Creon excellently fits this mold of tragic hero. The flaw that makes Creon a tragic hero is his paranoia. Creon often believes his citizens and even close friends and relatives are out to get him. He is convinced that there are “anarchists putting their heads together’ in opposition to his rule all over the city (245). When told that someone has gone against his orders and buried Polyneices, Creon says, “They have bribed my own guard to do this thing,” because he believes that his guards are more loyal to their purses than to him (242). This quality is a flaw