Creon, the ideal tragic hero of AntigoneTragedy always involves human suffering, but not everyone who suffers is a tragic hero. According to Aristotle, five basic criteria must be met for a character to be considered a tragic hero. Aristotle's ideas on tragedy were recorded in his book of literacy theory called Poetics. There is much to be said about the structure, purpose and intended effects of tragedy. His ideas have been adopted, challenged, expanded and discussed for several centuries. In this essay, I will examine these criteria as they relate to Antigone's Creon, King of Thebes. The first criterion states that to be a tragic hero, Creon must occupy a "high" status, but must also embody nobility and virtue as part of his innate character. Creon fits this description entirely. We know at the beginning of the play that Creon is the king of Thebes. He therefore occupies a stature of nobility. Furthermore, Creon's innate character embodies virtue and nobility. For example, when speaking to the chorus at the beginning of the play, Creon says: "...whoever thinks/another man is more of a friend than his own country/I do not rate him anywhere...I would not be silent if I saw the ruin, not security. …I would consider no enemy of my country as a friend” (Lines 202-210). His standards are set to the point where he would place his country above all else. He would do anything to protect his country; he “would not keep silent if he saw ruin, not safety” (line 204). Additionally, Creon demonstrates a high sense of morality when he properly buried Eteocles, Antigone's brother. Antigone herself says this when speaking to her sister Ismene: "Creon honored the one... Eteocles, it is said that he used precisely the legal rites and hid him... in the middle of a paper... to gain money. 'money. Finally, his punishment delivered by fate exceeds his crimes. Thus, according to Aristotle, Creon is the tragic hero par excellence. Works cited and consulted Abrams, MH A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999. Segal. , Charles Paul. “Sophocles' praise of man and the conflicts of Antigone”. In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. Sophocles Translated by RC Jebb without pag.http://classics. .mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html “Sophocles” in Literature of the Western World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt NewYork: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984. Watling, EF Introduction in Sophocles: The Theban Plays, translated by EF Watling New York: Penguin Books., 1974.