Haemon Vs Creon Essay

The character Creon was very strong willed. He was focused solely on pulling Thebes away from the terrible times that have plagued it since Oedipus left the city blinded and disgraced. Creon was so focused on this task that he would have done almost anything to fix the problems he saw. Creon’s son Haemon on the other hand was not particularly concerned with matters of state. Haemon was young and in love and this was the most important thing to him. These two had very different opinions on what punishment Antigone should receive and this leads to a very heated argument and that plays a large part Creon’s downfall.
When Creon decides Antigone will die and Haemon comes to see him things start out fairly civil, with Heamon telling his father he supports him in his decisions and he’ll “not consider any marriage a greater benefit than your fine leadership” (p. 278) but after Creon explains why he must kill Antigone, Haemon starts to gently disagree. Creon becomes angry at this, possibly because he knows his son is right, and tells him that young men …show more content…
He will not change his mind but he knows he should and that eats away at his conscience. This is the essence of Creon’s foil as a tragic hero. Creon is incredibly stubborn and will not turn from the path he has set himself on or even consider other options. He is blind to the consequences until they are upon him. Antigone’s death topples the first domino in Creon’s fall as a tragic hero. Teiresias was the one who convinced the king to let Antigone go, even though it was too late, but he was like the straw that broke the camel’s back. After listening to so many people, including his own son, tell him he is doing the wrong thing he might start to question himself. That does seem quite likely doesn’t it? His own conscience begins to torment him until it becomes stronger than his pride. Of course by then it is too late and Creon’s downfall has