In Sophocles’ Antigone, it was not only Teiresias that persuaded Kreon, but also his son Haimon. Both were able to help persuade Kreon into rethinking his punishment for Antigone, and rectifying his wrong doings. Teiresias accomplished this by placing the fear of the Gods into Kreon, and Haimon was able to persuade his father by challenging his thinking and reasons for punishing Antigone and not allowing Polyneices body to be buried. Without each other trying to persuade Kreon, both would have failed in their attempts. Both Teiresias and Haimon threaten Kreon as a way to try and make him change his mind. Haimon tells Kreon “And you’ll never see my face before your eyes again…” as a way to get his father’s attention and to make Kreon really
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Haimon targets Kreon’s way of thinking, he says “father the gods implant good sense in human being… I could not say – and may I never have the knowledge to declare - that you’re right in what you say” (line 683- 686). Haimon is telling his father that the citizens think Antigone doesn’t deserve punishment and that Haimon himself thinks his father’s logic for punishing Antigone is wrong. Haimon uses what he has heard from the citizens of Thebes to try and back up his reason for arguing with his father, Haimon doesn’t wasn’t to see the citizens start to hate and criticize Kreon because he made one wrong decree and cost a young woman her life. Haimon in his argument with his father tells Kreon that if he were not his father, he would tell Kreon that he has no sense in what he has done to Antigone (line 755). Haimon also decided to use his age as a factor. “Even if I’m young, you should not look at someone’s age, but at his deeds” Haimon believes that age should not be the reason that his father does or does not listen to someone else’s reason, Haimon wants his father to respect what he has said because Kreon can trust his own son’s judgement (line 728- 729). Teiresias, unlike Haimon tells Kreon that he messed up and needs to fix it. “But when someone does go wrong, that man’s no longer foolish or unfortunate if he attempts to heal the evil he has …show more content…
Without either Haimon or Teiresias giving their opinion on the matter, neither would have succeeded in changing Kreon’s mind. When analyzing the text, one can see that each had their own unique approach, but what it came down to the most is the threat each of them gave, Haimon’s threat of never returning alive, and Teiresias’s threat of his family (mainly is son) suffering. Both Teiresias’s and Haimon’s speech foreshadow the ending of the play and if one were not carefully looking at the speeches one might miss it. Analyzing the text allows us to be able to find common themes and traits that run through the characters, the main trait that runs through the characters is compassion. Sometimes in order to get anything done it takes more than one to accomplish a big task, like convincing a king is law is unfair and
Haimon targets Kreon’s way of thinking, he says “father the gods implant good sense in human being… I could not say – and may I never have the knowledge to declare - that you’re right in what you say” (line 683- 686). Haimon is telling his father that the citizens think Antigone doesn’t deserve punishment and that Haimon himself thinks his father’s logic for punishing Antigone is wrong. Haimon uses what he has heard from the citizens of Thebes to try and back up his reason for arguing with his father, Haimon doesn’t wasn’t to see the citizens start to hate and criticize Kreon because he made one wrong decree and cost a young woman her life. Haimon in his argument with his father tells Kreon that if he were not his father, he would tell Kreon that he has no sense in what he has done to Antigone (line 755). Haimon also decided to use his age as a factor. “Even if I’m young, you should not look at someone’s age, but at his deeds” Haimon believes that age should not be the reason that his father does or does not listen to someone else’s reason, Haimon wants his father to respect what he has said because Kreon can trust his own son’s judgement (line 728- 729). Teiresias, unlike Haimon tells Kreon that he messed up and needs to fix it. “But when someone does go wrong, that man’s no longer foolish or unfortunate if he attempts to heal the evil he has …show more content…
Without either Haimon or Teiresias giving their opinion on the matter, neither would have succeeded in changing Kreon’s mind. When analyzing the text, one can see that each had their own unique approach, but what it came down to the most is the threat each of them gave, Haimon’s threat of never returning alive, and Teiresias’s threat of his family (mainly is son) suffering. Both Teiresias’s and Haimon’s speech foreshadow the ending of the play and if one were not carefully looking at the speeches one might miss it. Analyzing the text allows us to be able to find common themes and traits that run through the characters, the main trait that runs through the characters is compassion. Sometimes in order to get anything done it takes more than one to accomplish a big task, like convincing a king is law is unfair and