Antigone Haemon Character Analysis

Haemon starts his speech by using logos, emphasizing, “The Gods endow a man with reason.” The logos reveals Haemon trying to explain to Creon that his punishment that he gave to Antigone is unjustifiable. He is trying to utilize logical reasoning to point out to Creon that he is being over the top.

Embedded Assessment #2 As Haemon, Creon's son walks in for the first time in the play he declares to his father “Father, I’m yours. For me your judgments and the way you act on them are good I shall follow them”.(720)He’s showing his love and respect/loyalty to his father still after all that’s been going on. Although Haemon did love his father, feelings quickly changed as he found out what his father's done to Antigone. While it could be argued that Haemans choice of words while talking to his father lead to Creon being the tragic hero, inevitably by the end of the story he would of been it anyways. Since Antigone is his Fiance of course Haeman would be offended when Creon talked about Antigone’s punishment.

However, Haemon speculates otherwise by stating relevant inferences that Creon tends to be blinded from. For instance, after Creon declares his cruel opinions, Haemon suggests, “You are not in position to know everything / That people say or do, or what they feel: / Your temper terrifies them­­everyone” (990). This reveals how Haemon is trying to advise his father about his improper regulations toward the people and how most are too afraid to overcome him. He also offers the idea of everybody having diverse viewpoints can result beneficially. Another example that displays his eagerness to change Creon’s mindset is when he states, “In flood time you can see how some trees bend, / And because they bend, even their twigs are safe, / While stubborn trees are torn up, roots and all” (991). In this passage, Haemon uses figurative language toward his father in order avoid further controversy. So, Haemon finds a softer tone of voice and uses this metaphor to state his position. The metaphor reveals how Haemon believes Antigone should have the right to bury her brother, since this is what the Gods wanted her to do. Creon

“A man who thinks that he is only wise, that he can speak and think like no one else, when such men are exposed, then all can see their emptiness inside.” (Lines 802-805) Haemon says this to his father meaning a man of his kind is only going to be seen as a failure from words when their true self is exposed. Haemon’s words, actions, and ideas contrast with Creon’s character to the point of these two characters having conflicting motivations. These conflicting motivations cause the characteristics of disrespect, careless, & selfishness to be highlighted within Creon’s character. In the end, these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by Haemon’s choice of word to his father and the character interactions advance the plot and develops the theme by

Throughout the play, Creon shows many examples of how he is imperfect. One example would be how he believes that the state is primary to his family and relationships, “If this is your pleasure, Creon, treating our city’s enemy and our friend this way … the power is yours, I suppose, to enforce it with the laws, both for the dead and all of us, the living,” this quotation said by the leader of the chorus describes how the elder people of Thebes respect their family more than the state, but they held back on their opinions, knowing of what Creon, the leader, wanted to hear (235-240). Another example of how Creon shows the audience of how he is imperfect is when, Creon meets with Haemon. Creon argues with Haemon about how people should act towards the country which they reside in, “But whoever steps out of line, violates the laws or presumes to hand out orders to his superiors, he’ll win no praise from me. But that man the city places in authority, his orders must be obeyed, large and small, right and wrong,” Creon believes since he has the highest throne in his country, that he should be obeyed whether the circumstance (745-751). Lastly, Creon demonstrates to the audience that he is imperfect by wanting to protect his country too much. This is visible when Creon sentences Antigone to a slow death, because of burying her brother, who was outcasted as a traitor. Creon put the state over his family which will lead to the complete

Creon’s son Haemon does not want his wife to be to be put to death and pleads with his father. “ I see my father offending justice wrong. That she’ll die but her death will kill another.”(1287) Haemon reveals to the his father that if he continues with killing his wife to be he will flee his presence and kill himself for his love Antigone. In the end Creon realizes that his pride has lead to the destruction of his life and his kingdom. “ I know it myself- I’m shaken, torn. It’s a dreadful thing to yield…but resist now? Lay my pride bare to the blows of ruin? That’s dreadful too.” (1296) King Creon realizes to little to late and because of his pride he loses his son, wife, and daughter in law. “And the guilt is all mine- can never be fixed on another man, no escape for me.

Creon was close-minded and unreceptive of anything Haemon had to say, despite the fact that he presented such a strong argument, displaying both a wise and well thought-out case. Creon overlooked Haemon’s advice and chose to focus on the insignificant detail that he was simply too young lacking life experience, rather than concentrating on what he was actually saying. Truth

Haemon asks Creon to let Antigone go, because he said he heard that “the city

Many people try to warn him and beg him to reconsider. First, Haemon tries to appeal to his father’s sense of reason when he says, “The gods have given men the gift of reason, greatest of all things that we call our own…do not feel your word, and yours alone, must be correct” (line 625). Creon, because of his pride, becomes furious with his young son for trying to teach him wisdom, and says, “One thing is certain: You are going to pay for taunting and insulting me” (line 709). Next, Tiresias comes to warn him that he “stands upon the brink of ruin” (line 918). But Creon refuses to heed his warning and accuses Tiresias of profiteering. Finally, after Tiresias’s doomful prophecy, the Chorus tries to change the King’s mind. At first Creon resists the advisement of the chorus by stating “To yield is bitter. But to resist and bring a curse on my pride is no less bitter” (line

Creon believes that authority rests with the king and no one else, because the gods have favored him and have given him his kingly authority. In fact, he wants everyone to follow his laws, no matter how stupid or unfair they may seem. As an example, Creon announces his authority before the city, saying, “Now I hold sole power and the throne, because I am the closest relative of the fallen” (Ant. lines 173-175). Creon is stating that his laws must be obeyed because he is the only one with the authority to make such laws. Creon continues to cling to his authority, even when his own son questions him and tells him that the people of Thebes are against him. Creon responds with several rhetorical questions, such as, “…The city will tell me how I ought to rule it?...Should I rule this land for myself or for others?…Isn’t the city thought to be her ruler’s” (lines 745-754). Clearly, Creon believes that his authority should overrule everyone’s and expects his son Haemon to understand that and remain loyal to him.

Full of drama and tragedy, Antigone can be used to relate to current conflicts. One such conflict is that between Haemon and his father Creon. Haemon looks up to Creon with honor and pride, but as conflict arises, that relation is disassociated and new feelings grow. The first conversation between them is what initiates the downfall of their bond. While it seems that Creon is the most important person in Haemon’s life, Antigone is in fact the one that has won Haemon over.

Creon becomes so prideful to the point where he will not listen to anyone, and will not acknowledge he is wrong. During a conversation with Haemon, Creon tells him, “No. I am king, and only

He then states he (Creon) alone can’t be right and “other men who can reason, too; and their opinions might be helpful. You are not in a position to know everything” (Sophocles 218). By jogging Creon’s memory that he can’t have an overview of everything, Haemon is endeavoring to help Creon reason and to be open mind. In haemon’s next assertion he describes how, “she kept him from dogs and vultures. Is this a crime? Death- she should have all the honor that we can give her!” this tells the readers that if she would have died it would be unjust to die in shame for what was an act of glory, justice and that she should deserve a crown of gold and glory(218). At the end Haemon uses a plan to make threats against his father, after his father says Antigone must die, Haemon responded with an ultimatum answer “then she must die, but her death will cause another” (222). As Haemon dashing off in anger, Creon knows that if Antigone were to be executed, so will his son. Having no choose but Creon didn’t want Haemon to save Antigone so he carried Antigone into a living tomb (the cave) all locked up and supplied her with food just enough food to clear of its guilt of

Creon views the father-son relationship as one of submission. This view is evident when Creon says to Haemon, “stand behind fatherly advice on all counts/Keep [the son] at home, and have him listen to what he’s told” (Antigone 640/42). This view makes it blatant that Creon believes that a son should stand behind his father and not interfere with the father’s actions. Similarly, the son should obey the father under any circumstances. Obedience under any circumstance connotes a sense of submissiveness on the part of the son because the son has to obey his father's actions whether the actions are ethical or unethical. Creon expects Haemon’s submission, on all circumstances, especially when he subjects Haemon’s bride-to-be, Antigone, to her death. However, Haemon believes that her death sentence is unethical and harsh. Therefore, he attempts to sway

Creon has no toleration for people who place personal beliefs over the common good. He believes that government and law is the supreme authority, and civil disobedience is worst form of sin. The problem with Creon’s argument is he approaches He approaches every dilemma that requires judgement through descriptive generalizations. In contrast to the morality defined by Aristotle in his Nicomachaean Ethics, Creon shows that he is deaf to the knowledge of particulars--of place, time, manner, and persons, which is essential for moral reasoning. In short, he does not effectively bring together general principles and specific situations Creon does not acknowledge that emotion, and perception are as critical to proper moral consideration as reason. This explains why he does not respond accordingly with the reasoning of the guard, Tiresias the prophet, Antigone, her sister Ismene, or even his own son Haemon. Throughout the whole play, Creon emphasizes the importance of practical judgement over a sick, illogical mind, when in fact it is him who has the sick, illogical mind. He too exhibits pride in his argument. To Antigone and most of the Athenians, possessing a wise and logical mind means acknowledging human limitations and behaving piously towards the gods. Humans must take a humble attitude towards fate and the power of the gods, yet Creon mocks death throughout the play. He doest not learn his lesson until the end of the play when he speaks respectfully of