Creon as the Ideal Tragic Hero of Antigone Tragedy always involves human suffering, but not everyone who suffers is a tragic hero. According to Aristotle, there are five basic criteria that 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 entitled Poetics. In it he has much to say about the structure, purpose, and intended effect of the tragedy. His ideas have been adopted, contested, expanded and debated for several centuries. In this essay I will examine these criteria with respect to the Creon of Antigone, king of Thebes. The first criterion states that to be a tragic hero, Creon must occupy a position of "high" status, 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 the king of Thebes. Therefore, it 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 friendlier to his country/I count him nowhere…I would not keep silent if I saw the ruin , not security…I would not consider any enemy of my country a friend” (Lines 202-210) His standards are set to the point that he puts his country above all else. He would do anything to protect his country; “he would not be silent if [he] saw ruin, not safety” (line 204), Furthermore, Creon shows a high sense of morality when he properly buried Eteocles, Antigone's brother says Antigone herself while addressing her sister Ismene : "Creon honored him... Eteocles, they say he used him rightly with lawful rites and hid him... in the middle of paper... from which to gain. Ultimately, his punishment inflicted by fate surpasses his crimes. Therefore, according to Aristotle, Creon is the perfect tragic hero. Works Cited and Consulted Abrams, MH A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th ed, Charles Paul. “Sophocles' praise of man and the conflicts of Antigone”. In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. Sophocles Translated by RC Jebb .mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html“Sophocles” In the literature of the Western world, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt NewYork: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984.Watling, E.F. Introduction. translated by E. F. Watling New York: Penguin Books, 1974.