Who is the true tragic hero in Sophocles' Antigone?  This question has been the subject of a great debate for numerous years.  Equal arguments exist that portray Antigone as the tragic heroine in the play and Creon as the tragic hero.  Aristotle, in his study of Greek drama entitled Poetics, provided the framework that determines the tragic hero of a work.  Though Antigone definitely possesses the characteristics and qualities that are mentioned, Creon comes across as the true tragic hero of Antigone.

    The tragic hero must be a person occupying a high position whose character embodies nobility and virtue.  Creon, King of Thebes, definitely occupies a position of noble authority.  Since he values his country, he holds in contempt all of those against it.  He would not "deem the country's foe a friend to myself" (206).  He is...