Oedipus and Creon Tragic Heroes Essay Example

📌Category: Antigone, Oedipus Rex, Plays, Sophocles, Writers
📌Words: 888
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 19 February 2022

The tragic hero is a type of Greek hero who gains and loses everything. They can often be found in the ancient Greek mythology of great authors like Sophocles. Sophocles is the author of both Oedipus the King and Antigone. Oedipus, from Oedipus the King, is a beloved king that ends up blind and banished as an example of this trope. Level-headed Creon introduced in Oedipus the King also becomes an example of this trope as he becomes a kinless tyrant in Antigone. The tragic heroes, Oedipus and Creon, demonstrate weakness, poor judgment, and hubris within their respective stories, but one of these characters is the most tragic of the two.

Oedipus and Creon both give in to their weaknesses and make irreparable errors. Oedipus’ weakness is his hot-headed nature. For example, Oedipus says, “I beat him to death. I killed them all!”, as he comes to the horrifying realization that he killed King Laius (775). We learn that Oedipus was told to move out the way by King Laius and his men at a crossroads. The already angry Oedipus answered this request by attacking and killing King Laius and all, but one, of his men. Oedipus’ hot-headed nature causes him to not only doom himself by killing a king, but also unknowingly his father. Had Oedipus not killed his father, he would not have fallen victim to his terrible fate and wed his mother. He would not have become king and cursed Thebes, leading to his banishment. Creon’s weakness on the other hand is his rampant misogyny. This can be seen when he says “Don't flatter me with father-you woman’s slave!”, in a blind fury after his son, Haemon criticizes him and defends Antigone (848). Creon, who previously saw his son Haemon as his pride and honor, practically disowns and distances himself from him. Why? Solely because Haemon has defended Antigone, a woman. Shortly after this, Creon gives his men orders to take Antigone and wall her in a cave to die. Had Creon thought things through and allowed Antigone to bury her brother, she would still be alive, along with his son and wife. This is because Haemon kills himself after learning Antigone has committed suicide in the cave, and Eurydice kills herself after he does. Both tragic heroes allow their weaknesses to blind them and take the lives of others.

Oedipus and Creon both exhibit poor judgment throughout their stories, as they refuse to listen. For example, after Tiresias tells Oedipus he killed King Laius, Oedipus says “Truth lives in other men but not in you. For you, in ear, in mind, in eye, in everything are blind.”(350-351). Oedipus’ poor judgment leads him to doubt and refuse to listen to Tiresias. He even accuses Tiresias of conspiring against him to take over the throne. If Oedipus had listened, he would have saved himself and his family the shame of figuring out his prophecy and would have just been banished. His wife and mother Jocasta would also have lived. Similarly, after Tiresias tells Creon to bury Polyneices’ body, he says “You and the whole breed of seers are mad for money!”(1170). Creon’s poor judgment causes him to slander and refuse to listen to Tiresias. Even after he has never been wrong and helped him become king. This refusal to listen leads to the preventable deaths of Antigone, Eurydice, and Haemon. Whose deaths are Creon’s punishment for failing to bury Polyneices’ body. Both kings' poor judgment causes them to not listen and lash out at Tiresias, who is always right.

Oedipus and Creon both allow their hubris to blind them. After learning the plague on Thebes will end when the former king's killer is found, Oedipus says “And I hereby join with the god as champion of our murdered king.”(220). Oedipus makes King Laius’ death about himself and about how he is going to be Thebes’ hero. He is so captivated by this idea, that the thought that he killed Laius does not even cross his mind. If he was not as egotistical he would have realized he was the killer and found a way to weasel out of the punishment. He would not have run his mouth so much and ended up banished. Creon's hubris is showcased when his son Haemon calls him out for disobeying the laws of the gods, to which he responds, “Am I to rule this land for others or myself?”(823). Creon's hubris makes him believe that regardless of whose rules they are, his are the most important. He perceives his rules and his powers to be stronger and more important than the dead’s and even the god’s. Creon could have continued to live with his family if he swallowed his pride earlier than he did. He however refused to listen to the gods, dead, Antigone and Tiresias in time, leading to the loss of his entire family. Both Oedipus and Creon fail to realize they are not as powerful as they believe and make decisions that harm themselves and their loved ones.

While Oedipus and Creon both demonstrate traits of tragic heroes such as weakness, poor judgment, and hubris, one's fate is more tragic. Oedipus demonstrates weakness through his hot-headed nature, poor judgment through his refusal to listen to Tiresias, and hubris through his need to make himself the hero. Creon demonstrates weakness through his misogyny, poor judgment through his refusal to listen to opposing forces, and hubris through his belief he is more powerful than the dead and the gods. While both are tragic, Creon is the most tragic of the two, as he has no one but himself to blame for his fate. Oedipus was cursed before birth, while Creon allowed his hamartia to get the better of him and practically cursed himself.

+
x
Remember! This is just a sample.

You can order a custom paper by our expert writers

Order now
By clicking “Receive Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails.