. A trademark of the stubborn personality type is not merely to argue in the face of antagonism, but to maintain legitimacy even after being proven incorrect. There is no evidence to support that Antigone would act in such a manner, were she proven wrong. In fact, everyone except the king reinforces her righteousness. Haemon, the chorus, Ismene, the gods, and Tiresias all agree that Antigone has justice on her side, and deserves no punishment. Thus, she is cleared of having any real character deficiency. She does the right thing, and for the right reasons. Creon, on the other hand, possesses that much-loved classic flaw: hubris. Creons pride clouds his judgment and blocks out the good sense of Haemon and Tiresias, two sources that even the king should know have no ulterior angles. Conceit is often an offshoot of personal insecurity. Being a new king, Creon felt he had to prove himself as an authoritarian, and decided to make an example out of Antigones insurrection. This poor judgment, dictated by ego, was destined to ruin Creon from the outset.Tragedies always end with an ironic reversal of fortunes, leaving the unfortunate exalted and the respected belittled. Since the tragic hero starts out with everything, he or she must end up with nothing. By the end of Antigone, Creon has lost his family, his kingdom, and his will to live, but is doomed to live on with the knowledge that he is the sole cause of all his pain. Antigone does in fact lose her life, but she does so with honor. From the beginning, Antigone was clearly seeking martyrdom: Even if I die in the act, that death will be a glory (1269). Antigone has gained the good graces of the people and the gods. The audience does not pity her because she has accomplished the burial of her brother, and she can now rest beside him.The final element of the tragic hero of a Greek drama is the realization of faults and bad choices. Antigone had no such epiphany, simply because...
