From the Greek.
HAIMON:
You are my father. A son cannot
hate his father. I trust your judgment in
all things, and I would never marry a woman
of whom you did not approve.
CREON:
Good!
That’s how a son should feel about his father.
This is what a man hopes for in a son,
a kind of friend and colleague right from the jump,
someone who’ll be on his side, see his point
of view. A son who insists on fighting with
his father is nothing but trouble, and trouble everyone
enjoys gossiping about. I’m glad to hear
you haven’t lost your head over this girl.
There’s nothing worse than life with the wrong woman.
Antigone is cold and vicious—not
much good in bed, I’ll bet. Let her marry
among the dead. That should suit her.
Haimon,
she is a traitor and must die, or else
I’d be a traitor too, and I will not
break my promise to the State.
I suppose
she’ll claim that as my niece she should not be
put to death, but if I exempt my family
from the law, why should anyone else
be subject to it? It’s important to people
to know that their leader’s house is in order,
because if it’s not, how can he be expected
to keep their house in order?
Discipline,
Haimon. A leader has to be obeyed
in everything. And it is the man
who knows how to obey who knows how to command.
He is the one who, in the thick of battle,
will stand his ground.
Anarchy!—that’s what
makes armies flee and brings down city-states.
That’s why we have to maintain authority,
especially where women are concerned.
Do you want the world to say you’re pussywhipped?
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