Tragic hero to me is a character that makes a judgement error then tries making a recovery in the end. In the comparison of Creon vs. Oskar Schindler I feel that Creon was a tragic hero but Schindler however was not. Schindler falls under many categories of a tragic hero but I think he was more of just a hero. Schindler was not a tragic hero due to no error in judgement, he didn't discover fate he chose it, and he wasn't prideful. Creon's error in judgement was when he arrested Antigone for what he thought was a crime. Schindler had no error in judgement. Things happen for a reason. In the beginning Schindler may not have realized what he was doing. He was just taking the Jews and making them work for him. There is no flaw in that. …show more content…
Schindler had money and new where to play it to get what he wanted but he wasn't putting himself above others due to royalty. Schindler really wasn't even royalty he bought his way into the Nazi party he wasn't a German ranked in it. In Antigone, Creon uses being king as a way to set the rules for himself. Between him and the gods the rules were set and that was what he was sticking with. Creon thought he knew the right way to judge a situation based on what the rules have always been and turned away any one who tried to help him. Schindler on the other hand was like a big teddy bear. An example was when the lady came to his office and said she wanted her parents at his shop so that they didn't get burned in the gas chambers. Schindler said he couldn't do it because his shop was not a safe haven. The next day her parents were escorted to the shop. This is where Schindler is different than Creon. Schindler listens to the people to help keep peace. Another example of this is when he goes to the basement to talk to Helen Hirsch. He is open to input and ideas to figure out what his plan should be. Creon just pushes people away because he things he knows what's
In the play Antigone, Creon starts off as the loyal king of Thebes. He is loyal to the gods and loyal to the welfare of Thebes. However, over the course of the play, Creon degenerates into a tyrant. His degeneration is showing his character development. Creon’s pride about the human law also develops throughout the play, creating conflict with the divine law. When Antigone rebels against his law, he becomes stubborn, and makes myopic decisions and grows into his hamartia. Besides his hamartia, Creon’s position as the king makes him a power hungry man. His power madness degenerates him into becoming a ruthless and vindictive man, even to his family. However, over the course of the play, Creon begins to see that because of the laws of men, he was being blinded of what’s
Finally, Creon is a dynamic character. He undergoes changes in emotion throughout the work. He realizes his mistakes when Tiresias forecasts the future. Thus, Creon attempts to correct himself by releasing Antigone. But he is too late. He is forced to live, knowing that three people are dead as a result of his actions. This punishment is worse than death. Although Creon’s self-righteousness and inflexibility did not change until the end of the play, his motivations traveled from patriotic ones to personal ones. This created a major portion of the
A tragic hero is a character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw, which combined with fate, results into a tragedy. The tragic hero must fall from good luck and well being to misery and misfortune. The tragic hero causes a sense of pity through the tragic downfall that weakens the character. In Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone follows her own beliefs by giving her brother a proper burial, even if she has to break the law of King Creon. Because of her innocent actions, Antigone is punished unjustly and unfairly. Through her risky and unselfish actions, ability to follow her own beliefs, and perseverance Antigone is the tragic hero of this play.
In order for a character to qualify as the tragic hero they must posses all of these qualities: high standing, a major flaw, and a downfall. A tragic hero is someone that is usually of royalty, of nobility, honest, or brave. During the story they usually show a major flaw or weakness. This usually leads to their downfall, loss of power, or even death. Many stories have tragic heroes.
One of the greatest Greek plays is Antigone. Antigone is a tragic Sophoclean play, which portray two great examples for a tragic hero. I believe Creon and Antigone, the main characters of the play to be tragic heroes. A tragic hero is a character who is known for being dignified and has a flaw that assists to his or her downfall. Both Creon and Antigone are dignified and flawed in their own ways, having a similar tragic flaw.
According to Aristotle, “A tragic hero is a character who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice and depravity, but by some error or frailty…” The classic tragic hero has some type of tragic character flaw which creates an inner struggle, leads to his making a serious error in judgment, and leads to his eventual downfall and death.
Throughout the play, Creon shows many examples of how he is imperfect. One example would be how he believes that the state is primary to his family and relationships, “If this is your pleasure, Creon, treating our city’s enemy and our friend this way … the power is yours, I suppose, to enforce it with the laws, both for the dead and all of us, the living,” this quotation said by the leader of the chorus describes how the elder people of Thebes respect their family more than the state, but they held back on their opinions, knowing of what Creon, the leader, wanted to hear (235-240). Another example of how Creon shows the audience of how he is imperfect is when, Creon meets with Haemon. Creon argues with Haemon about how people should act towards the country which they reside in, “But whoever steps out of line, violates the laws or presumes to hand out orders to his superiors, he’ll win no praise from me. But that man the city places in authority, his orders must be obeyed, large and small, right and wrong,” Creon believes since he has the highest throne in his country, that he should be obeyed whether the circumstance (745-751). Lastly, Creon demonstrates to the audience that he is imperfect by wanting to protect his country too much. This is visible when Creon sentences Antigone to a slow death, because of burying her brother, who was outcasted as a traitor. Creon put the state over his family which will lead to the complete
Haemon disregarded the declarations and that was seen as the height of disrespect against Creon, but in the eyes of the civilians Creon is entirely in the wrong. The greatest iniquity committed by Haemon is the fact that he did not believe Antigone was guilty or deserved to be put in a tomb to die. Engulfed in all his power, Creon did not realize he was the only one that felt it was right to punish Antigone for performing a proper burial. Although it is not popularity but respect that he is searching for by sentencing Antigone to death, he is still putting himself before his country’s well being. Haemon is indirectly saying that a government should be based on democracy, public opinion, and have laws established for the betterment of the
According to Aristotle, “A tragic hero is a character who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice and depravity, but by some error or frailty…” The classic tragic hero has some type of tragic character flaw which creates an inner struggle, leads to his making a serious error in judgment, and leads to his eventual downfall and death.
Unfortunately, Creon does not always make the correct decision because of personality traits that he possesses. When Creon sentences Antigone to death, he is wrong. This decision is based on Creon’s downfalls. He has hamartia and he judges wrong, and he also suffers from hubris. He is excessively prideful and believes that his choice is the only correct one. Creon also has an inaccurate view of his place in relation to the Gods. He believes he is in a position to know what They want and know what They feel is best. No mortal truly knows what the Gods want, but Creon believes he does because he cannot imagine that what he believes is wrong, even to the Gods. Antigone’s death is a bad decision that Creon makes based on his beliefs that the Gods view Polyneices as a traitor and would not want him honored in death.
Another difference which can be spotted throughout the play is the projection of emotions that the two give off. Antigone seems like more of a fervent, headstrong individual. Creon, on the other hand, sends readers more of an emotionless and insensible
A tragic hero is defined as a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. The hero in these tragedies is often presented as a noble however, flawed character whose demise is often impart to their own decisions, often due to their previously mentioned flaws, error in judgment and imprudent actions. Written in the early 1600’s Shakespeare wrote one arguably one of his greatest and highly controversial plays, the tragedy known as Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Shakespeare in his play introduces us the pays one of his most popular, enigmatic, and dynamic characters the tragic hero Prince Hamlet. Hamlet is presented to us a sensitive, religious, loyal, moral, intellectual, and young
Creon’s pride and Macbeth’s ambition were the character flaws that were the mainspring of their failures. The two plays, Macbeth and Antigone are tragic plays involving much bloodshed. Although in Macbeth there is more bloodshed in Antigone the deaths are more meaningful. Since the two kings had character flaws, those led to the tragedies. The character flaw in Antigone was Creon’s pride while in Macbeth, was Macbeth’s lust for the throne. “Stubbornness brands you for stupidity-- pride is a crime.”(1136-1137) Mad at Creon, Tiresias tells him that his stubbornness causes his stupidity. Most importantly Tiresias, who knows the future, tells Creon that
Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero is someone of great importance or royalty. The hero must go through something terrible such as a relative’s death. We must feel what this character is feeling throughout the story. Aristotle also said that a tragic hero scan be defeated by a tragic flaw, such as hubris or human pride. In Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone, both Creon and Antigone are tragic heroes.
By definition, a tragic hero is a protagonist that due to some tragic flaw loses everything he has. Throughout history, literature has always been filled with main characters possessing some tragic flaw. In Macbeth, Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his enormous ambition to become king. In Hamlet, Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his need for revenge for the death of his father at the hands of his uncle. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh’s tragic flaw is his need to be remembered. In the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, Beowulf also has a tragic flaw, excessive pride and the search for fame, which ultimately leads to his demise.