#he's a crucial part of the dying-for game. polynices and eteocles die for each other. antigone dies for polynices. haemon dies for antigone

[iphisesque]

once again thinking about haemon

#he's ismene he's antigone he's his mother he's his father's child and he spits on that old man's face. #choose me and leave your brother antigone im the only one who's ever died for you. and antigone cant leave them just as he cant leave her #he's a crucial part of the dying-for game. polynices and eteocles die for each other. antigone dies for polynices. haemon dies for antigone #(and of course eurydice dies for haemon.) #he takes on what should be ismene's rightful role in the narrative (the last one standing killing herself for the unjustly killed) #but because ismene is cursed to live he must die against his father's commands and he does so happily. #he recontextualizes the whole thing. the beloved now dies for his love it's no longer the brother dying for his blood. #and of course this was a story about the deadly fate of love all along. they're oedipus's children they had no chance at normality. #and haemon steps into the narrative reneges the father keeping him from the family death chain and goes to join his cousins in death-for. #antigone #im so normal about him. im biting him and shaking him around