Creon as the Hero of AntigoneThe dilemma of identifying the true hero, or heroine, of Sophocles' Antigone has tortured students for years. It is indeed a difficult decision to make. The basis for this decision is what the reader perceives as Sophocles' dramatic problem in this play. The dramatic stake of the play is twofold: Antigone is a fanatic driven by her religious fever to bury the body of her criminal brother, Polyneices, against Creon's edict. In the second part, Sophocles shows how the new king Creon's refusal to change his decision in the face of adversity is admirable, but at the same time his political morality ends up destroying his family. Her fall from grace is tragic, while Antigone's fall is welcome. In this way, Sophocles sympathizes with Creon and thus becomes the hero of Antigone. Contrary to the belief of Jebb, critic of Antigone, Antigone cannot be the heroine of Antigone. There are several reasons for this: he is a one-dimensional character who experiences no development over the course of the play, his behavior is illogical and evokes no feelings of pity from the audience or chorus, and its personal vendetta eclipses its religious objective. These same reasons also underlie the rejection of the claims of Hogan, another critic of Antigone, who presents Antigone and Creon as dual heroes. The character of Antigone does not evolve in the play. Jebb sees her as enthusiastic, "both firm and passionate, for the good as she sees it – for the fulfillment of her duty", and having "an intense tenderness, purity and depth of domestic affection" (Jebb 1902 p.12); Calder and I disagree with this statement. Calder is a critic of the play...... middle of paper ...... is more likely the tragic hero of Antigone, rather than Antigone herself. At first glance, Sophocles' Antigone appears to have two protagonists, Antigone and Creon. The hero cannot be Antigone because of her one-dimensional character, illogical behavior, and lack of mercy. And upon closer inspection, it turns out that Creon is indeed the tragic hero, due to the fact that his original edict concerning the burial of Polyneices contained the means of Creon's downfall. Works Cited Calder, William M. III (1968). Sophocles' political tragedy Antigone. GRBS 9, 389-407. Hogan, James C. (1972). The protagonists of Antigone. Arethusa 5, 93-100. Sophocles (1902). Antigone (Richard Jebb, Trans.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Sophocles (1991). Antigone (David Green, Trans.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.