Antigone

I truly believe that Creon is the tragic hero in the play Antigone.  The play starts off with Creon as being seen as a great king, especially by his family.  But what turns out to be his tragic flaw is his arrogance and stubbornness.  Creon even admits this flaw by saying "The mistakes of thoughtless minds, stubborn, deadly mistakes, you who look upon kinsmen slayers and the slain.  Ah me!  The unhappy counsels among counsels.  O boy, new to life with a new kind of death, aiai, aiai, you died, and you have departed because of my bad counsels, not yours."

The central idea of being questioned and essentially betrayed by his own people begins to scare Creon, setting the stage for his big tragic fall. "The people, all Thebes together, deny it" Haemon says to Creon showing this idea of his people beginning to lose trust in him.  Creon goes from being a good and just leader, to having hubris which leads to his demise..  He doesn't realize it until it is too late.  Creon refuses to believe Tiresias and will not compromise over the fact that he could be wrong about Antigone. He even says "Know that you are not going to sell my purpose" ....basically saying that whatever you say will not change my mind.  He finally realizes towards the end of the play that his hubris led him to his downfall and that it was his fault that Haemon died after not listening to his advice.

What makes me believe that Creon is the tragic hero over Antigone is that he goes through all the phases of a tragic hero.  He is royalty, a king, more so than Antigone.  He has incredible arrogance, stubbornness, and hubris.  After allowing all three of those traits to lead to his downfall, be recognizes his flaws at a time when it is too late.  He has officially fallen.