Antigone is supposed to be Haemon’s future wife, so naturally, it is a shock for him to find her dead body. There is only so much a man can take. After a failed attempt to kill his father, Creon, Haemon kills himself with the sword. It is yet another tragic death in the play.
Antigone’s plot is full of wrong decisions and tragic events. The most emotional ones are related to deaths. The new king of Thebes, Creon, forbids to bury Polynices’ body but does this honor to Eteocles. Antigone sees it as a violation of tradition and the gods’ will. Family is above everything else for her, so she ignores the law and buries her brother properly. Creon obviously feels stung by such disobedience from a woman, so he decides to punish Antigone. The guards lock her in the tomb alive. However, when the king changes his decision and rushes to save her, it is already too late.
Creon and Haemon walk into the tomb to find Antigone’s dead body. In horrible despair, Haemon first tries to kill his father as an act of revenge. When it does not work out, he sees the only way out in committing suicide. Haemon uses the same sword to kill himself. Such an outcome is not only a result of Creon’s decision. It appears that Haemon could not settle and find peace in neither of his relationships. Both family and romantic love are equally important for him, so when Antigone went against his father, it was tearing him apart. Suicide appeared to be a chance for him to become free and meet his love on the other side.
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