The Impact of Harmony and Creon Turning into a Tragic Hero in Antigone

A conflicted hero based on the Greek concept of tragedy would be considered a tragic hero. Your words, activities and thoughts could lead to your defeat. Activities have results and your activities could prompt another person's passing. You are responsible for your very own actions and your behavior could have an affect surrounding the people around you. Creon meets the criteria of being a tragic hero since his choice of murdering Antigone and being difficult has left his family dead which leads to his downfall because in the end he thought of suicide. Haemon is the child of Creon who is the King of Thebes.

The connection among Haemon and Creon had was more without anyone else terms, for example, Creon would expect Haemon to obey him consistently. Creon would not consider anything Haemon orders is because Creon is older, and he was also going to murder Haemon's wife Antigone. Antigone had buried her sibling Polyneices since he had got into war with Eteocles who is his sibling. The explanation behind Antigone burying Polyneices is that Eteocles had a proper burial while Polyneices then again did not. This leads Antigone getting captured by the Guard who lets Creon know about her activities that is illegal. Because of her getting captured, this causes a major problem that includes everybody around them into the situation. That damaged Haemon when he discovers his bride was dead all due to the results, so it had a domino impact onto everybody in the play due to Haemon who commits suicide as well. Haemon's activities, words and thoughts from the play Antigone has had a contrast onto his dad, which is Creon's character.

Haemon's activities has led to Creon's character understanding all the wrongs he has done. Creon went from being a respected and powerful king to a broken and weak king, which turns out to be the opposite of what he used to be. Because Haemon was in love with Antigone, he begs his father to not kill her. Before Haemon found out about what would happen to Antigone, he was praising his dad and what he was saying. Creon goes on by praising Haemon back for listening to his dad, '...that’s how your heart should always be resolved, to stand on every issue. That is what men pray for-- obedient children growing up at home who will pay back their father’s enemies... So, my son, do not ever throw good sense aside for pleasure, for some woman’s sake.” Creon does not only speak about how listening to him is a great idea he then encourages Haemon to ignore Antigone hoping that he would agree yet the conversation takes a turn. Haemon tells Creon, 'A man who thinks that only he is wise, that he can speak and think like no one else, when such men are exposed, then all can see their emptiness inside. For any man, even if he is wise, there is nothing shameful in learning many things, staying flexible.” He is telling his dad that his thinking is unreasonable and that he should respect his choices. Creon being difficult, he refuses to listen to his son and disregards his opinion.

The words that Creon said to Haemon had an effect on him. First Haemon says that no lady is as significant as his dad what's more, he will hear him out up until Haemon says that he has found out about the punishment that is being held against Antigone. Haemon says that, 'So end your anger. Permit yourself to change. For if I, as a younger man, may state my views, I would say it would be for the best if men by all nature understood all things-if not, and that is usually the case, when men speak well, it good to learn from them.” (Sophocles, 280) which is when an argument occurs because Haemon started to side with a woman's position which his father sees as terrible and that he is a woman's slave for doing that. Creon thinks this is male controlled society. Creon would not listen to Haemon because he really believes that Antigone should be punished for burying someone even though they are a family member. Also, because Creon is older than Haemon he refuses to hear out to someone who is younger than him especially if he has a higher status because he is king. Creon demands for Antigone to be murdered and Haemon stays against his father saying, 'No. Do not ever hope for that. She will not die with me just standing there. And as for you- your eyes will never see my face again. So let your rage charge among your friends who want to stand by you in this.” However Creon did not know that Haemon really meant the words he stated. Haemon then committed suicide moments after leading to Creon to never seeing his face again. Creon and the messenger heard a loud noise which sounded like Haemon crying from Antigone's tomb so they kept running over to see what happened and saw that Antigone has hung herself. By then Haemon snatches a sword trying to stab Creon in any case misses and ends up stabbing himself. Eurydice was devastated and kept running back to the palace while Creon was cradling Haemon's dead body. The messenger informed Creon about his loved one's end and shows him the body. He was crying and came to realization that his actions were not right and now he cannot turn back time to fix them.

Haemon's and his father both had different perspectives on life. Since Creon and Haemon both have alternate points of view it starts conflict between them. Creon's viewpoints were more towards following the rules so he does not fail Thebes while Haemon is considering on disobeying the laws to save Antigone. Creon thinks that Eteocles does not deserve a nice burial since he considers him to be a traitor. Eteocles attacked his own sibling Polyneices so he can turn into the leader of Thebes which did not go as plan since the two of them both died. Creon says that 'For me, a man who rules the entire state and does not take the best advice there is, but through fear keeps his mouth forever shut, such a man is the very worst of men- and always will be.” A powerful ruler to Creon is somebody who listens to the people and for him to go against with his people would seem to be not right. Creon believes that Haemon is crazy for trying to save Antigone, and he says that, 'You will regret parading what you think like this-you-a person with an empty brain!”. Creon thinks Haemon is a fool for going against his own dad about his choices. He did not want Haemon and Antigone to marry each other also so he threatens to murder her and once he does, her death lead to another which he is suggesting that he would go after Haemon next for protecting her. Haemon is angry by saying, 'If you were not my father, I might say you were not thinking straight.” Their own way of thinking are in two different ways and in the end they were both wrong. Haemon was trying his best to take his dad into consideration but since he thought his choice was unreasonable anyway he needed to express how he felt so as an attempt he tries to save his bride yet that did not change Creon's perspective.

In the end due to Haemon ending it all it influenced Creon as well as his mom Eurydice. Which had an effect on everyone because of the fact that Haemon killed himself, which made Eurydice kill herself and that left Creon to consider it as well since he lost his family however that leads him to his wisdom. Creon did not understand that him punishing Antigone for burying her sibling for performing out a proper burial was not right until it was too late. Haemon trying to be logical about talking to his dad into not murdering his bride of but talking did not do anything other than leading to an argument and making the situation worse. Haemon's thoughts being different with his dad's lead him to believe that he was wrong for killing Antigone for being a respectful family member while Creon was only thinking about pleasing the people. Haemon's behavior, thoughts and words altogether had a major impact onto Creon turning into a tragic hero.