Who Is Haemon in Antigone?

In Sophocles’ play, Haemon is one of the main characters, and he is the son of Creon. However, he only appears twice on the scene. At first, he tries to persuade his father to change his mind. Then, when Creon finally realizes his mistake, they both go to save Antigone. In the last scene, Haemon kills himself.

Haemon, Creon’s son, only appears twice in the play. However, he is considered to be one of the main characters since his death contributes to the king’s downfall. Haemon seems to be pretty loyal to his fiancé, Antigone, even though their relationship is barely mentioned throughout the play. When Creon condemns Antigone to death for her crime, Haemon visits the king to beg for a change of heart. The young man is devoted to both his parents and his love, so it is hard to choose between them. However, he threatens to kill himself if Creon allows anything to happen with Antigone. 

The next time Haemon appears on the scene, he is with his father on the way to the tomb to rescue Antigone. However, they arrive too late, and there is only her lifeless body there. Haemon gets so desperate and mad that he tries to kill his father. When he fails, the only way out of that agony is to follow Antigone’s fate. Therefore, Haemon also commits suicide. It was hard for him to make any other choice. Despite the fact that he loved his family, such grief was unbearable for him. The king’s son preferred to leave the scene of life and rest in peace.

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