Antigone : A Feminist Play

Although ancient Greece was a male-dominant society, Sophocles’ Antigone portrays women as being strong and capable of making wise decisions. Antigone, the tragic heroine, rejects the traditional role of women. As such, Sophocles punishes Ismene for embodying traditional attitude. Moreover, Creon is punished for misogyny. Sophocles, accordingly, uses characterization to promote feminist ideas.

Throughout history there have been many strong females, in real life and in works of literature. Sophocles, the author of the tragic play Antigone, also created two other plays that corresponded with Antigone. Between the three plays, Sophocles tells the story of King Laius and the fight against the Greek God Apollo. Antigone begins right after an event in which Polyneices and Eteocles, Antigone’s brothers, stabbed each other at the exact same time. Both died, but because Polyneices had betrayed King Creon and Thebes, everyone in the kingdom was forbidden to give him a proper burial. Through her efforts in attempting to give Polyneices a proper burial and her defiance of King Creon, Antigone represents the strong female heroine in the story

Antigone first demonstrates feminist logic when she decides to challenge a powerful male establishment: the societal order within which women are subservient to men. Antigone defies the classic hero prototype in many ways. Braunstein notes that in Ancient Greece, there were very few moments where women acted the part of the male hero. A woman’s role was to mourn the hero after he was killed, not to exhibit masculine characteristics such as defiance, strength, and courage (Braunstein, 2012). Antigone is active, strong, heroic, and determined, whereas her sister Ismene is portrayed as passive, weak, cowardly, and unable to make decisions. Ismene believes she holds an inferior position in relation to the power of the king and the power of men; “Remember we are women, we’re not born to contend with men. Then too, we’re underlings, ruled by much stronger hands, so we must submit in this, and things still worse” (Sophocles, 1984, p. 62). Antigone’s actions are heroic as she boldly challenges the traditional role of women, and offers hope of

Antigone 's story begins in the middle of things as the audience is expected to be aware of her background. Antigone firmly believed that she and her sister were the final victims of a curse that was placed upon their family long ago. The rest of her family members had already paid the price of the evil, and it was, therefore, their destiny to die as well. As a result of the curse, Antigone, and her sister Ismene are destined to die, and no matter how they chose to live, they will die. Antigone 's character throughout the play is what leads to her doom, and even though she can be considered a hero, she is a victim of her circumstances. Antigone 's tragic life begins when she insists that she will perform a proper burial for her brother Polyneices even though this is not acceptable (Sophocles. 1. 55). Even though her sister warns her that they are only women and should not challenge the men, Antigone decides that her brother must receive a proper burial, because that is what is right by Zeus. From the beginning of the play Antigone alludes to the sufferings that their family has gone through and the fate that awaits them as the only remaining family members (Sophocles. 1. 5-10). Ismene 's character is used to show the difference between the two and to bring out the feminism in Antigone. Whereas Ismene believes that her duty as a woman is to the men, Antigone insists that her duty is only

to his son, “To all one’s enemies. Do not be fooled, my son, By lust

First, it can be seen that Ismene feels truly committed to her sister, only refusing to join in burying Polyneices because she is truly fearful of Creon’s law. In the latter part of the scene, when Antigone has been turned over to Creon, Ismene establishes a sense of dutiful obligation to her, stating “What further service can I do you now?” (Line 552). If Ismene felt ambivalent about the situation, there would be no reason for her to offer to do anything for Antigone, as she had been earlier rejected by her sister, who had stated “you wouldn’t please me as a partner” (Line 70). The other possibility in viewing Ismene is that she is actually selfish in attempting to cling to Antigone. A striking line stated by her is “Sister, I pray, don’t fence me out from honor, from death with you, and honor done the dead” (Lines 544-545); even though she had earlier merely wanted Antigone to stay safe with her, Ismene now ventures into the world of pride, taking the perspective that if Antigone takes the fall for his action, it strips her of what perceived honor she believes she could be able to grasp. Antigone responds by ordering her sister not to follow her in death, to which Ismene reacts passively to, stating “At least I was not silent. You were warned” (Line 556). This quote can be

Susan B. Anthony once said, “The true republic: men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less.” In the plays Antigone, by Sophocles, and A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, strong women overcome restrictions and limitations placed upon them by their society and gender. In Antigone, Antigone chooses to defy Creon, her ruler, uncle, and a male authority figure, to support what she believes is right, which is burying her brother and respecting the gods. Though it was forbidden for her brother to be buried because of Creon’s decree, she resists, and in doing so, feels empowered and discovers what a strong woman she truly is. Similarly, in A Doll’s House, Nora is hindered by how the society in which she lives views

In contrary Ismene is docile and someone who follow the laws at all costs. She said, “we are women” stating a woman’s position in society and obligated to obey by the law. She doesn’t agree with her sister Antigone, since is prohibiting for women to have a voice during those times. Ismene believe that women should never violate the laws of man who were guide by the gods. Antigone will carry out the forbidden burial alone, nevertheless she seeks futilely the complicity of her sister Ismene. Ismene without endorsing the established power by King Creon, discreetly folds to it, became a passive collaborator of the system implemented by him.

Interestingly, Antigone is compared, both mistakenly and purposefully, to men for standing up for herself and her beliefs. When Creon first hears about Polyneices’ burial, he doesn’t even consider that the person who buried him could be a woman, telling the sentry to “bring [him] the man,” (273). In Ancient Greek society, women are so demure and submissive that they are never suspected of any crime. When Antigone stands in the way of this idea, Creon says, “Who is the man here,/ She or I, if this crime goes unpunished?” (382-3). Even though he knows that a woman was the one who buried

Sophocles’ Antigone has as its backdrop a very rigid and conservative Greek society and Greek culture when it was certainly against the norm of a typical ancient Greek woman to rebel against a male authority. And therein lies the reason to believe that Sophocles’ protagonist in Antigone showed signs of early feminism. Antigone dared to raise

Antigone starts the play with the idea of going against men’s rule over women, and later takes her plan into action, leading to the death of Creon authority due to his inability to be flexible.

Ismene is unmoved by the reasoning and sentiments of her sister: “I do them no dishonour; but to defy the State,-I have no strength for that.” Her conflict with her sister over the unlawful interment is not a serious conflict for either of the sisters. Ismene, in parting, accuses Antigone of foolishness in her bold plans: “Go, then, if thou must; and of this be sure,-that though thine errand is foolish, to thy dear ones thou art truly dear.” Ismene, one might say, is “humble and pious” to the king first and to the gods secondly.

History has shown us that gender has been an issue over the years. Many define a woman by her gender, rather than actions and words. However, there is always someone who sparkles in the dark. There was a woman who rebelled against an unmistakably patriarchal, male-commanded Greek society; a woman who challenged the requests of the King to take after her heart; a woman who acted as per her feeling of good and bad; a woman with extraordinary veneration for connections and a considerably more noteworthy devotion towards family values. Such a woman merits acclaim. A revolt; a legend; a case; a woman, Antigone. In this essay I will argue the importance of Antigone in feminism, and it’s relation with Kant’s philosophy, categorical imperative.

Ismene, a character from Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone, is the sister of the play’s main protagonist Antigone. Ismene is sought out by Antigone, who is requesting her assistance in burying their deceased brother, Polyneices. Polyneices was slain alongside Eteocles, their other brother when the former rebelled against the kingship of the latter. Their uncle Creon who is now the king decreed that the body of Polyneices is to be left unburied (Antigone, 3-4). Ismene responds to her sister, telling her that she is reckless for wanting to defy the law and states that women are not made to fight with men who are stronger (Antigone, 5). Furthermore Ismene states that she too weak to go against the cities’ will and refuses to take part in Antigone’s plans (Antigone, 5-6). Later after Antigone has succeeded in her quest, Ismene is questioned and scolded by Creon who is asking whether or not she played a role in Antigone’s actions. She tries to share the blame with Antigone so that she

Antigone is treated as a second-class citizen. She is one woman in Thebes who decides to go against what the king says and does what she think is right. She does not think of herself as weak just because she is a woman. She refuses to be obedient. Her sister Ismene is the total opposite of Antigone. Ismene believes that since the beginning men have been superior to women and that women are to be their