“It is no weakness for the wisest man
To learn when he is wrong, know when to yield”
-Haemon
In this part of the text, Haemon talks with his father, Creon, about sentencing Antigone to death. Haemon’s entire speech is brilliant and discusses the importance of wisdom and how “man’s wisdom is the gift of heaven” (144). Just as creation is a gift from heaven, the ability to formulate wisdom is also a gift. Without pondering the world and observing mankind, no man could grasp the knowledge necessary to be wise. Moreover, this quote also reveals the wisdom of Haemon and his respectable character. He courteously stands up against his father and fights for his love’s life. Likewise, Haemon points out another very important factor of wisdom; a “wise man” understands his wrongdoings and works towards fixing them. Haemon’s speech furthers the characterization of Creon and display Creon’s faults. Through this excerpt the audience can infer the prideful nature of Creon because of his inability to identify his mistake. Creon does not ask for help or guidance which ultimately leads to his downfall in the end.
I love this quote! I believe it still correlates to society today when people are too prideful to ask questions. I know that I sometimes don’t want to recognize my own faults and am too fearful to ask for help. Also, this quote really stuck out to me because of the respectable manor that Haemon says it to his father. The wisdom of Haemon and his character shines through during this passage and helps me to see the importance of humility. For example, in my family I usually act as the mediator and my sisters continually tell me I am way more mature than my age and it blows them away to see my “wisdom,” (as they call it...I’m not so sure I agree with them). But I struggle with asking for help during my hardships. Even times when I complain about things I rarely ask for help because I don’t want people to think I’m weak and can’t control my own situations. Yes, if I’m having a bad day I won’t hide it but I don’t like to talk about situations that will hurt my pride. That is why this quote really spoke to me; it reminded me that even the greatest and wisest men alive need help and ultimately the true help we need comes from God. It is all a matter of releasing your pride and being willing to accept your faults in order to become wise.
