Antigone Essay
Bethany Gardner
Mr. Perkins, Period 1
1/6/14
Antigone Mask Traits Essay
The third of the three Theban plays, known as Antigone, written by Sophocles is a great tragedy with characters who each have distinct personality traits, morals, and flaws; one being Haemon who possesses many. Haemon, the son of Creon and spouse-to-be to Antigone, has absolute loyalty towards Antigone and the people of Thebes, respect for his father’s decisions initially, and rashness which leads to a shattering ending. Haemon helps protect Antigone by speaking on her behalf to his father, the King, vindicating how “of all women here she’s least deserves the worst of deaths for her most glorious act. When in the slaughter her own brother died, she did not just leave him there unburied, to be ripped apart by carrion dogs or birds. Surely she deserves some golden honour?”(Sophocles ). This shows how he defends the moral basis of Antigone's actions while warning his father that the people of Thebes sympathize with her determination to bury Polyneices. Haemon’s devotion to Antigone is represented as a dog face structure of the mask, showing his faithfulness because dogs exhibit to be extremely loyal to their owners. When Creon asks Haemon whether he still has his full support, Haemon replies “Father, I am yours; with your excellent judgment you lay the right before me, and I shall follow it. No marriage will ever be so valued by me as to override the goodness of your leadership” (Sophocles ). Even though his father, Creon, is going to kill Antigone for her actions, he still respects his decision formerly. Another symbol, to express respect is a handshake icon, with one hand having a crown, on the masks side of the face to show Haemon’s regard for Creon as the king. After a previous antagonistic disagreement with his father, before he kills himself, Haemon spits in his father’s face and “drew his cross-hilted sword and thrust it at [himself]” (Sophocles ).
Mr. Perkins, Period 1
1/6/14
Antigone Mask Traits Essay
The third of the three Theban plays, known as Antigone, written by Sophocles is a great tragedy with characters who each have distinct personality traits, morals, and flaws; one being Haemon who possesses many. Haemon, the son of Creon and spouse-to-be to Antigone, has absolute loyalty towards Antigone and the people of Thebes, respect for his father’s decisions initially, and rashness which leads to a shattering ending. Haemon helps protect Antigone by speaking on her behalf to his father, the King, vindicating how “of all women here she’s least deserves the worst of deaths for her most glorious act. When in the slaughter her own brother died, she did not just leave him there unburied, to be ripped apart by carrion dogs or birds. Surely she deserves some golden honour?”(Sophocles ). This shows how he defends the moral basis of Antigone's actions while warning his father that the people of Thebes sympathize with her determination to bury Polyneices. Haemon’s devotion to Antigone is represented as a dog face structure of the mask, showing his faithfulness because dogs exhibit to be extremely loyal to their owners. When Creon asks Haemon whether he still has his full support, Haemon replies “Father, I am yours; with your excellent judgment you lay the right before me, and I shall follow it. No marriage will ever be so valued by me as to override the goodness of your leadership” (Sophocles ). Even though his father, Creon, is going to kill Antigone for her actions, he still respects his decision formerly. Another symbol, to express respect is a handshake icon, with one hand having a crown, on the masks side of the face to show Haemon’s regard for Creon as the king. After a previous antagonistic disagreement with his father, before he kills himself, Haemon spits in his father’s face and “drew his cross-hilted sword and thrust it at [himself]” (Sophocles ).