In the lines I recited, Haemon makes points that touch my heart, mind, and soul. What he pronounces speaks to modern day society as much as it did to ancient society. Sophocles points show through this monologue clearly, which is common to greek literature. Edith Hamilton referred to their literature as plain, direct, and matter of fact (46). Hamilton often refers to how greek writers forced their readers to think and expand, rather than filling their pages with repition and fancy.
Haemon bluntly states But other men can reason ightly too (4) to his father. He is expressing how reason is important and should not be criticized, but neither should the reason of other men. He later goes to ask his father not to entrench yourself in your opinion/ as if everyone else was wrong (23-24). Haemon attempted to stress how the city felt that Antigone should be considered a hero, Should not her name be writ in gold? (16) However, the common man would not stand up to Creon and speak his mind.
Haemon took it upon himself, as an outsider on the inside, to listen to he city, and relay this information to his father, As your son, you see, I find myself marking every word, and act, and comment of the crowd, to gauge the temper of the simple citizen (5-7). This is an important message throughout the play, and when Creon did not listen to the town, it resulted in disaster. Haemon warned him of this when he said, The kind of man who always thinks that he is right, that his opinions, his pronouncements, are the final word, is usually exposed as hollow as they come (25-28).
