Everyone loves the hero of a story. A hero inspires you and gives you a sense of hope and security. Heroes are admirable, noble, courageous, intelligent and powerful characters. They are great examples and positive role models. But what if the hero isn't so admirable or brave? What if the hero has flaws? A tragic hero is such a hero. The downfall of a tragic hero is the result of his flaws or weaknesses. According to Aristotle “every tragic hero has some fatal weakness that leads him to a bad end”. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the Greek tragedy "Antigone", written by Sophocles in 441 BC, the conflict is between Antigone, a grieving sister who desperately tries to give her brother a proper burial, and Creon, the new king, forbids anyone from doing so. Antigone is trying to honor her brother by providing him with a proper burial, however Creon has labeled him a traitor and has "decreed that his body will be left to the ravens." The character of Antigone has a strong family bond and sense of loyalty. . He also appears to have strong religious beliefs. He does not believe that Creon has the authority to dictate his brother's fate in the afterlife and makes this clear by saying, "It is not his place to keep me from my own." Antigone is strong, fearless, does not care about society's gender gap, and never strays from her original position and beliefs. She is not even tempted to give in to the desires of those around her, whatever the consequences. His love for his brother and his desire to do what he believes is the right thing are enough to overcome any fears one may have. When Creon asked her if she was the one who buried him, she fearlessly proclaimed: “Yes, I confess; I will not renounce my action." Even at the end, when she was taken to the cave, she took her own life so she could have control over her death. He wasn't about to let his life be taken away by another. It could be argued that Antigone's tragic flaw or hamartia was her stubbornness and her inability to let go of the past and move forward. Antigone's arrogance, “extreme pride leading to excessive confidence,” was the cause of her downfall. At many points in the story, Antigone could have saved herself, married Haemon, and been there for her sister who had no one when Antigone died. However, she chose to remain faithful to her beliefs even if it meant the death and abandonment of her sister Ismene and her fiancé Haemon. One of the main themes of this story, the conflict between earthly law and order and divine law was not a conflict for Antigone. He did not hesitate to choose divine law or earthly law. Creon, another candidate for tragic hero in this story, has the typical traits of arrogance, overconfidence, and errors of judgment as described in "Aristotle's Concept of Tragedy." Creon inherited the throne later in life and intentionally limited his interest to that of politics and social order. He abandons his family values, rejects the irrational laws of the gods, and rules only by the logical laws of man. He did not want to see Antigone punished for her crime, but since she had no remorse and made no attempt to deny it, he felt he had no choice. A woman would not have told him what to do and would have stated, “When I am alive no woman will rule.” His chauvinistic nature and insistence on adhering to the laws of man while repudiating those of the gods fueled his arrogance and became his hamartia. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay.