Review of The Personality of Haemon in Sophocles’ Play, Antigone

Treating others with kindness and respect is an important way of showing how you are expecting to be treated by people who surrounded you. In the Greek play “Antigone”, Haemon shares with his father many ideas and feelings he has encountered from Creon’s unchangeable, selfish decisions. Haemon appeals to his father through logos, pathos, and ethos in order to change Creon’s mind.

Haemon projects his logistic thoughts towards his father wanting to go against the gods and kill his nephew for a small reasoning, not worth a death, by expressing “I hope that I shall never want to say! – that you/have reasoned badly” (scene 3. 54-55). With time still left to change his father’s mind, Haemon continued to put effort towards trying to break Creon’s pride by sharing what the smart thing to do is versus what he wants to do. He referred to his father’s position of being king and how although it was a position of a leader and ruler, he was “not in position to know everything/that people say or do, or what they feel: /” (Scene3. 57-58). By saying opinions for not only himself, but for others in the city of Thebes, he hoped for the realization that he would not want to be treated the way he was treating others.

The way Haemon included true, vivid emotions for support towards his expression of common sense showed how powerful his feelings were, both for and against his father. Without much clemency, he mentioned “Your temper terrifies them – everyone/will tell you only what you like to hear” (Scene3. 59-60). People had him fooled thinking that they loved what his evil works were doing. Creon’s son himself wanted so badly to have sympathy for his father without the fear of remiss, yet he continues to witness that “…I have heard them/muttering and whispering in the darkness about this girl”(Scene3. 61-62). Disappointment and embarrassment pressed on Haemon because he was the son of Creon and did not want to be known by his father who killed Antigone.

Believing in his father was the one strong bond that was helping to maintain the last bit of his hope. Through his smart and generous encouragement, he questioned “Must not any son/value his father’s fortune as his father does his?”(Scene3. 71-72). By questioning the fairness between the bond of Creon and his son, he thought of it as being able to reflect back to the fairness shared within him and the city of Thebes. The thought of trust and credibility that were capable of being earned influenced Haemon to share much needed words to his father about how “The man who maintains that only he has the power/to reason correctly, the gift to speak, the soul - /A man like that, when you know him, turns out empty”(Scene3. 76-78). Though is words may have come off a little harsh, they were the truth and they needed to be heard. Followed by hearing the words of wisdom from Creon’s son came putting the words in action. Understanding that he was young and that the youth along with the things they say, are generally referred to as stupidity, Haemon begged for his father’s mind and decisions to be smartly chosen, for “The reasonable thing is to learn from those who can teach”(Scene3. 91). His unfeigned advice expressed how sincere he felt towards Creon.

Being the most close to Creon, Haemon shares a strong love with his father that is filled with such deep, affectionate emotions and such truthful, meaningful words of wisdom. Regardless of the discrepancy his father generally had while listening to other people, Haemon did the right thing by sticking up for his father with the perfect amount of encouragement and wisdom. I strongly believe that every aspect of Haemon expressed in his speech, towards his father, deserves for Creon to become completely free of the unchangeable mind and prideful, evil ways he has been so set on, to be given a chance by being put into action by his father. I believe that if that were the outcome, Creon and Haemon would have such a beautiful bond between each other that it would impact millions of people around the world and their relationships with others.