Antigone Essay, Research Paper

In the lines I recited, Haemon makes points that touch my heart, mind, and

soul. What he pronounces speaks to modern day society as much as it did

to ancient society. Sophocles points show through this monologue

clearly, which is common to greek literature. Edith Hamilton referred to

their literature as plain, direct, and ?matter of fact (46)?. Hamilton often

refers to how greek writers forced their readers to think and expand, rather

than filling their pages with repition and fancy. Haemon bluntly states

?But other men can reason rightly too (4)? to his father. He is expressing

how reason is important and should not be criticized, but neither should

the reason of other men. He later goes to ask his father not to ?entrench

yourself in your opinion/ as if everyone else was wrong (23-24).? Haemon

attempted to stress how the city felt that Antigone should be considered a

hero, ?Should not her name be writ in gold? (16)? However, the common

man would not stand up to Creon and speak his mind. Haemon took it

upon himself, as an outsider on the inside, to listen to the city, and relay

this information to his father, ?As your son, you see, I find myself marking

every word, and act, and comment of the crowd, to gauge the temper of the

simple citizen (5-7).? This is an important message throughout the play,

and when Creon did not listen to the town, it resulted in disaster. Haemon

warned him of this when he said, ?The kind of man who always thinks that

he is right, that his opinions, his pronouncements, are the final word, is

usually exposed as hollow as they come (25-28).? Creon was exposed, and

left alone. Ignoring the reason of his son and his city, his own convictions

led to the result of tragedy

Sophocles Trilogy, Sophocles. Haemon Press 1961