FREE ESSAY ON ANTIGONE

ANTIGONE

The Missing Dialogue in Antigone
After reading Antigone, one might feel that there is lacking a dialogue between Antigone
and Haimon before their deaths. Sophocles does not include any direct communication
between the two lovers during this drama. The reader might assume that such a
conversation could have taken place but was not included by Sophocles; however, it is my
belief that if a conversation occurred between Antigone and Haimon prior to their deaths,
Sophocles would have made it a part of his drama. Since Antigone is a work of fiction, we
cannot assume anything which we are not told. We must take the situation to be exactly as
Sophocles portrays it to us. This leaves the reader to determine the importance of
Antigone and Haimon not speaking together alone before their deaths. When we look at the
nature of the drama, we see that the point Sophocles is trying to make is a political 
one. The absence of Antigone and Haimon speaking alone together adds to this political
atmosphere and does not inject the play with a question of romantic love and/or loyalty.
Family bonds and loyalty are the crucial issues instead.
The central question of this play is a political one. What should have more power within
a society, the divine laws of the gods or the laws of the land and the mortal rulers?
Antigone is a representation of the divine laws of the gods, and she remains steadfast to
her beliefs that the wishes of the gods should overpower the wishes of the king. Creon,
on the other hand, is the representation of the laws of the land and the mortal ruler of
society. He, too, remains steadfast (until the end of the play when he realizes the
divine laws are stronger) in upholding his laws and trying to overpower the laws of the
gods. This political scenario would be somewhat minimized had Antigone and Haimon been
faced with speaking to each other. A question of romantic loyalty would have been
introduced, and it might have ruined the political point Sophocles was making. When it
comes to life and death, we usually try to protect the ones we love and defend them by
any means possible regardless of their guilt or innocence. Although we know 
that Haimon does defend the actions of Antigone, he does so outside of her presence. We
do not see Haimon telling Antigone that he will help her in any way he can. Nor do we see
Antigone pleading for his support for her actions. This absent conversation yields more
weight to the stance taken by Haimon against Creon. We know that his attempt to convince
his father of his wrongdoing is sincere, rational, and purely intellectual. It is not his
feelings of love for Antigone which lead him to support her actions or uphold her
innocence. He is not pleading for the love of his life, but rather he is trying to make
Creon aware of his faults in a purely intellectual manner. 
Although Haimon does kill himself due to the loss of Antigone, his love for her was not
the sole purpose of his opinion of the situation and whether or not she should have been
punished. The rage Haimon develops while talking to Creon is the result of knowing that
his father is ruling incorrectly; it is not the result of the ruling being against
Antigone in particular. However, had Antigone and Haimon spoken to one another, there
would be a question as to whether Haimon was approaching the situation out of full
devotion to Antigone or from a belief resulting from intellect and reason.
The question of loyalty is also prevalent throughout the works of Sophocles. Although
Haimon disagrees with the actions of his father, he states his loyalty to Creon when he
says, I am your son, father. You are my guide. / You make things clear for me, and I obey
you. / No marriage means more to me than your continuing wisdom (211). Antigone also
remained loyal to her father in Oedipus at Colonus. She knows the importance of loyalty
and devotion to a father. For this reason also, the absence of a dialogue between
Antigone and Haimon is important. Antigone could not expect Haimon to be disloyal to his
father. Had a conversation taken place between Antigone and Haimon, I can only assume
that Antigone would state the unholiness of Creon's commands and actions. Haimon would
then be torn between defending his father and remaining loyal to Creon or taking the side
of Antigone. If Haimon were to remain loyal to Creon in front of Antigone, the effect of
his suicide would not have been as great; however, if he were to defend Antigone, he
would not be as loyal to his father which would be inconsistent with the ideas presented
by Sophocles and the actions of Antigone. She remained loyal to her father and can only
expect Haimon to do the same. Loyalty remains 
to the family. It is this very reason that leads Antigone to be faced with death to begin
with. Her loyalty to her brother supersedes any orders given by the king.
It is family loyalty along with the political nature of the play which make Antigone more
effective without a conversation between Antigone and Haimon alone. Antigone knows the
value of loyalty, and Sophocles does not put Haimon in a position to forego the loyalty
he holds towards his father. Also, had there been more of a romantic undertone to the
actions of Haimon, it would have taken away from the political issues that Sophocles is
presenting. The question is not one of love and whether or not the decisions Antigone and
Haimon make are in accordance with their love for one another, it is one of whose laws
should overpower the others; those of the mortal rulers or those of the gods. By not
including a dialogue between Antigone and Haimon, Sophocles is able to present his
political issues in a clear manner.