In Antigone, Creon has hamartia and exhibits hubris.

Creon is a new king in Thebes, so he is a bit

insecure regarding his position among the people. As a result, Creon gets wrapped up in proving to the
people of Thebes that he is worthy of his position. So even if he thinks that Antigone should be
pardoned, he maintains that he cannot appear weak in front of the people of Thebes, and thus he
maintains his position. Eventually, his own son Haemon comes to appeal to him and tells Creon that the
popular opinion is that Antigone be set free; however, Creon will not be swayed. He is so proud of his
decision to maintain his ruling even in the face of doubt, and this decision lands him in the realm of
having hubris--too much pride that blinds his better judgment. Creon's hubris is his hamartia--the
quality which leads to his ultimate downfall in the play.

Antigone is a play that deals with the conflict between divine and secular law, as represented by
Antigone and Creon, respectively. The conflict begins when King Creon delivers an order to the public
stating that Polyneices body, whom he regards as a traitor to the country, should not be buried.
Antigone, Polyneices sister and Creons niece, objects to this order because she believes that depriving
someone of a burial is being disrespectful to the gods. As a new king, Creon finds that he must be
assertive in order to be respected. He believes that giving in to a womans demands when she goes
against his own decree is unbecoming, and therefore rejects Antigones plea by sending her off to a
dungeon. Even when his own son, Haemon, and a respected prophet ask Creon to reconsider his
decision, he dismisses them as foolish and remains firm.

A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you 're looking
down, you can 't see something that 's above you.”

(C.S. Lewis). Pride can take over the lives of people who have it within them. It is ok to feel proud but if
the sense of pride is exaggerated it will lead to arrogance and therefore to problems. In the book
Antigone, by Sophocles, pride is displayed as good and bad.

The peripeteia is a reversal of fortune. Creon certainly experiences this. The tragic events of the play
transform him from a pillar of pride into a puddle of humility. After his downfall he experiences
anagnorisis or a recognition. He realizes the law he passed was a really bad idea and regrets his pride.
Antigone on the other hand, knows exactly what is going to happen to her from the beginning of the play
and never regrets a thing.
Antigone is a tragedy because, following Aristotle's definition of a tragedy, it imitates an action that has
serious consequences. The play is about the ability or inability of a citizen to defy the wishes of the state
and to prioritize one's family over the state. There are real issues that have serious consequences. The
play also offers a catharsis, or a purging of emotions after first causing feelings of pity and fear. In
Antigone, the audience feels pity and fear about Creon's persecution of Antigone, and through these
emotions, the audience experiences catharsis.

The hero in Antigone also has tragic flaws that bring about his or her downfall. These flaws are typically a
form of hamartia (which means a human flaw), and the hero is not brought down because he or she is
evil. Both Antigone and Creon, it could be argued, have flaws that result in their downfall, as they are
both stubborn and cannot see the other side of the argument in which they are engaged (about whether
or not Antigone has the right to bury her brother, who was deemed a traitor to the state).

In addition, the plot of Antigone involves a reversal, or peripeteia, in which a person is brought down
from a high position to a low one. Creon experiences this reversal to a greater extent than Antigone
does, and he also experiences anagnorisis, or the recognition that his refusal to let Antigone bury her
brother has led to destruction and sorrow.