massacres in Afghanistan and Algeria, hurricane damage, traffic accidents, divorce, plant closings and

layoffs, low GRE scores, even cancelled theatre plays. What do all these events have in common?

Well to some extent, they all involve human suffering. And that's what tragedy is all about. At least that's

what classic play writers like Shakespeare believed in. According to Aristotle, there are 5 basic criteria

regarding the tragic hero. Aristotle's ideas about tragedy were recorded in his book of literacy theory

titled Poetics. In it he has a great deal to say about the structure, purpose and intended effect of

tragedy. His ideas have been adopted, disputed, expanded, and discussed for several centuries. In this

essay, I will examine these criteria in regards to Antigone's Creon, King of Thebes.

The first criterion states that to be a tragic hero, Creon must occupy a "high" status position, but must

also embody nobility and virtue as part of his innate character. Creon fits this description quite

accurately. We know at the beginning of the play that Creon is K

calculated argument, Creon says, "Should we that are my age learn wisdom/from...such as he is?"

of yours [Creon's] are violence, on your part" (line 1142). This shows that Creon's upcoming doom is of

would not count any enemy of my country as a friend" (Lines 202-210). His standards are set to the

some discovering. Creon indeed achieves this moment of catharsis even though it was too late. After

categorizes his mistakes as "laden with death." He calls himself "the killer." Thus, Creon reaches his

Some common words found in the essay are:
Haemon Antigone, Finally Creon, Secondly Aristotle, Ismene Antigone, Furthermore Creon's, Additionally Teiresias, Moreover Haemon, Interestingly Creon, According Aristotle, Sophocles Creon, tragic hero, excessive pride, criterion tragic, king thebes, own hand, criterion tragic hero, according aristotle, own-only mine lines, death son, creon's pride, beginning play creon, doomed live, doom own, teiresias leaves creon, enemy country friend,
Approximate Word count = 1845
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)