A tragic hero, according to Aristotelian definitions, is a "highly renowned and prosperous" character. This figure is not perfect and has to be on some level responsible for his or her downfall. The hero's punishment usually exceeds the crime. By the end of the play, this hero recognizes his or her own error or flaw and accepts the overwhelming retribution. Through this experience, he or she finally gains wisdom. According to Aristotle, tragedy has two …showed first 75 words of 771 total…

…showed last 75 words of 771 total…occurs when he tries to be a strong king. He attempts to use the significance of Polyneices' death as a symbol of his strength and power over tyranny and treason. In doing so, he destroys the lives of those that he most cherishes. Creon is the one who falls from grace in this play, and at the end, he is humbled and enlightened by the tragedy. Therefore, Creon is the real tragic hero of Antigone.