Haemon

When talking with Haemon, Creon says that, he thinks it is better to fall “at a man’s hand [than] be called a woman” (Sophocles 690-692). The phrase, “than to be called a woman,” used to describe Creon’s view that women should subordinate themselves to men conveys the added…

What’s in a Tragic Hero? In most dramas the very core of the story revolves around the tragic event or the tragedy itself and the tragic hero that is the cause of the tragedy. In Sopehecle’s “Antigone” Creon is identified as the tragic hero due to his tragic flaws, his power, and his actions that lead to his downfall and that of others. Many works of drama have an essential plot and contain a protagonist and an antagonist and usually have unhappy endings; these would be refereed to as tragedies…

greater in authority. But, this foolish way of thinking leads to his next tragedy, the death of his wife, “She drove the sharp sword home into her heart...I am nothing. I have no life” (Sophocles 161). Eurydice, the wife to Creon and mother to their son Haemon, killed herself after hearing the news of her son’s death. She could not bare to live knowing that her son was no longer alive, and so she drove the sword “home” into her heart. A home is where peace and love lives and without her son she…

Although there have been new variations of play writing over the centuries, there’s no denying that great writers, like Sophocles, paved the way for theatre as a whole. More specifically, he creates stories that reflect upon the principles of Greek Society. Antigone is one of Sophocles’ most famous plays and can be considered the ideal tragedy in theatre, particularly for ancient Greek mythology. Sophocles’ story of Antigone perfectly illustrates the ancient Greek ideal of theatre, specifically…

A helicopter is flying over the Amazon rainforest, and the most spectacular bird’s eye view can be observed; this is the luscious, natural production of the planet Earth. From above, only a field of rich green treetops can be seen. However, the simple blanket is covering a most extraordinary and complex ecosystem underneath, filled with thousands of species of flora and fauna. The rainforest has four main layers: the emergent layer, canopy, understory, and the forest floor. The multiple layers…

defines Creon as a man who is willing to forgo his own familial duties in order to support integrity, and when faced with Antigone’s case, strengthens his idea that the law is the only way to find prosperity. Furthermore, during his argument with Haemon, Creon antagonizes and ridicules his son for expressing a viewpoint that he renders as harmful to the people. Creon’s ultimatum on justice blinds him from Haemon’s declaration, a prophecy of his son’s death: “Then she will die…but her death will…

the crime she committed. In learning that Creon’s tragic flaw generates from fear, one begins to reconsider previous dislike for him. The final scene of the drama leaves Creon with no family—his wife Eurydice has killed herself and so has his son, Haemon. Creon shows humbleness in the tragedy of losing his family because he recognizes that his continuous belief in his own self-importance has ended unhappily for him. In addition, the end of the drama foreshadows a self-committed death of…

Why does Antigone feel it is her duty to bury Polyneices? Why doesn’t Ismene? Antigone feels that it is her duty to bury Polyneices because he is her brother, and it was a sacred duty to bury the dead so that they could pass the river that encircles the kingdom of death. She disobeyed Creon’s commandment, but followed the sacred/religious laws. Antigone is mourning over the loss of her brother. She thinks that he is important enough to be buried. Ismene wants to follow the law. This is seen in…

Greek Theater Greek drama is said to have its roots from Athenian seasonal festivals honoring Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility. These festivals occurred around 700 B.C.; they were filled with drunkenness and sexuality. Scholars believe there were four festivals during each of the seasonal change periods. The festival related to the Greek people planting, tending the vine, harvesting, and wine-making was in early December. This was called the Festival of Vintage. There was a…

Julius Cesar and Antigone Dynamic Characters In both Julius Cesar by Shakespeare and Antigone by Sophocles there are two stand out characters that change throughout the entire play. In Julius Cesar the audience meets the noble Brutus. In Antigone, the head strong King Creon is introduced. In both of the plays, the two characters are tragic heroes. Their hamartias lead to both of their downfalls and juristically change them and the plot. But, in the end Brutus seems to have come full circle with…